RURAL ROMANCE
LOVE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE | BBC2 WEDNESDAY
SARA COX FRONTS A NEW SERIES AIMING TO FIND EIGHT LONELY FARMERS THEIR PERFECT MATCHES…
Spare a thought for farm workers, who graft long hours and often live miles from the rest of civilisation. Have you ever wondered how tricky it might be for them to meet their perfect partners? This new series tasks farmer’s daughter Sara Cox with the challenge of matchmaking eight lonely-hearts, to give them a shot at lasting happiness.
“It’s so tough, living and working as a farmer,” reckons Sara. “And if you live in the middle of nowhere, it really doesn’t leave much time to go out looking for love. So this is a brilliant idea for a series – it would be fantastic to help the singletons on this show find ‘the one’.”
The eight farmers have each posted dating profiles and videos online to try to attract potential matches who live their lives in the fast lane. However, the rural-dwellers can’t leave their lives on the farm, so any would-be suitors have to be prepared to put their wellies on and leave the bright lights of the city behind. Can love conquer all – even when the cows need milking and the sheep need shearing?
“It will be very interesting to see different people being put together romantically,” shares Sara. “There are so many people on the hamster wheel doing jobs they don’t particularly love, so it could be a great chance for some of them to start a new life in the country.”
In a TV world where it’s all too common to point and laugh at the eccentrics and misfits, Sara is keen to emphasise that Love In The Countryside is unashamedly a feel-good show. It certainly isn’t out to poke fun at anyone.
“Oh no,” she says. “The contributors were very brave to go on camera and talk about being single, but I reassured them that this will be a sweet and endearing show – it’s not going to be cruel. We genuinely want to find love for them and to follow their adventures. Someone might not be your dream date, but when you spend time with them, you can see past the physical side of things and see what lies beneath. What’s really great is that people have applied after seeing the videos.
THIS SHOW WILL BE SWEET AND ENDEARING – IT WON’T BE CRUEL”
They’ve seen how rural people talk, move, walk and laugh.”
It remains to be seen whether or not any of these romances will go the distance, but these eight farmers have certainly won Sara’s heart.
“I’ve become so emotionally involved with everyone on the show,” she grins. “They are all genuinely lovely people.”
And if there are wedding bells in the not-too-distant future? Just like Blind Date’s Cilla Black, Sara hopes that should things go well, she’ll soon need to buy a new hat.
“I envisage some future children being named ‘Sara’!” she laughs.