Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure: Date announced for new BBC series

Strictly winner and former Emmerdale actor, Kelvin Fletcher, has purchased a 120-acre farm in the Peak District and, with no farming experience to rely on, it is a baptism of fire as he attempts to find ways to make the new venture pay.

Kelvin has spent much of his working life playing farmer, Andy Sugden, on the Yorkshire-based soap Emmerdale, but now he is attempting to do it for real!

Like many others, he has escaped his urban roots and moved his family to the countryside to start a new life.

And, he hasn’t done things by halves - Kelvin and his wife, Liz, have bought a 120-acre farm on the edge of the Peak District National Park, which they plan to bring back to its former working glory.

Kelvin admitted he could ‘write what he knows about farming on the back of a stamp’.

A month in and the jobs list is mounting, along with their stress levels.

It’s a baptism of fire, but luckily for them, their no-nonsense next-door neighbour, Gilly is on hand to help.

Before investing in their own livestock, Kelvin and Liz get some hands-on experience with Gilly’s flock of sheep, but the harsh realities of animal husbandry soon hit home.

The sight of a sheep’s maggot-infested foot is too much for Kelvin to bear and he starts to wonder if this new life really is for him.

Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure will be on BBC One on 17 January (time still to be confirmed).