Countryfile

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Countryfile
Format	Educational
Presented by	John Craven
Starring	Ben Fogle Adam Henson Charlotte Smith Michaela Strachan Miriam O'Reilly
Country of origin	UK
Production
Running time	1 hour approx.
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Picture format	PAL-I
Original run	1988 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile

Countryfile is a British Sunday-morning television programme by the BBC which first aired in 1988 and reports on rural and environmental issues within the United Kingdom. It is presented primarily by John Craven, with reports from a pool of presenters. The issues which it addresses are generally those within the rural public consciousness of the UK, such as animal-culling, fox hunting, organic farming, EU agricultural policy, pollution, and open access land, and as such the nature of the programme is often highly political, sometimes airing debates between pressure groups. In recent years, the show has hardly featured farming issues, and concentrates on rural arts and sports, using recorded segments which are often repeated several times over a period of a year or two.

The programme's format is based to an extent on the input of viewers, and annual photography competitions based on the beauty of the British countryside are a key part of Countryfile. The winning images of the competition are featured in the annual Countryfile Calendar - profits from sales go to Children In Need.

Another common feature is the Video Diary, which often documents some aspects of agricultural or rural life in the countryside, filmed and produced by a member of the British public. Each week in the last ten minutes of the programme, there is an extensive weather forecast for the next five days from the BBC Weather Centre, aimed particularly at farmers and those who work outside.

2007 saw the return of Countryfile: The Summer Diaries, which was previously presented by Chris Packham and Melissa Porter where the show looked specifically at the towns and villages of Wensleydale in North Yorkshire and some resident's lives. The second series is presented by Matt Baker and Melissa Porter who discover some of the history and nature that the county of Devon has to offer. Michael Caines, a local chef, also features, cooking some dishes using local produce.

October 2007 saw the launch of BBC Countryfile magazine, a new spin-off magazine from BBC Magazines. The monthly glossy title is reported to be a glossy, people-centric magazine concerning all aspects of country life. The magazine is to edited by Cavan Scott. Adverts for the magazine have just started appearing in Good Food and Gardener's World magazine.