IN NUMBERS: Countryfile

The rural magazine (6.30pm, BBC1) has been exploring Britain’s countryside for nearly 30 years. Here, we look at some other numbers relating to the show’s history and presenters…

1988 The year Countryfile was launched. In the first episode (on July 24), Anne Brown discovered a shortage of low-cost housing in villages, while Roger Tabor looked at the threat posed by pet cats to wild birds. 28 The number of years John Craven has been presenting Countryfile

– back in 1989, it was just 30 minutes, airing on Sunday mornings. John joined the show days after leaving Newsround, which he’d presented for 17 years. 3,500 The number of people who applied when Countryfile launched a search for a new presenter, in 2001. Farmer Adam Henson (left) only learned of the search when an employee asked to borrow his camcorder to tape an audition. Adam is the second-longest-serving presenter.

3 The number of royal family members to have appeared on the show. Prince Edward went hiking with Helen Skelton in 2016; Princess Anne welcomed Tom Heap to her Gloucestershire estate in 2014; and, for Countryfile’s 25th anniversary in 2013, Prince Charles acted as guest editor.

2 The number of current presenters to have competed in Strictly Come Dancing. Matt Baker was runner-up in 2010, while Anita Rani (left) made the semi-finals in 2015. Honourable mention goes to Helen Skelton, who came second in the 2012 Strictly Christmas special.