Countryfile puts an end to 230-year village tradition
THE BBC’S Countryfile has been accused of scuppering rural tradition by scheduling its annual festival at the same time as a local village procession.
Thousands are attending Countryfile Live this weekend at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Local roads are clogged with traffic, and the event has forced villagers in Woodstock to cancel their annual “mock mayoral election”, a tradition dating back centuries and due to take place today.
Sharone Parnes, a councillor, said: “It’s the latest example of how palatial mega-events and other commercial ac- tivities impact on community customs. On the other hand, this year’s cancellation shows how very considerate and tolerant Woodstock’s residents are towards the Blenheim Estate.”
The mayor-making dates back to 1786 and sees a mock first citizen elected by residents to rival and ridicule the town’s actual mayor.
Candidates compete by making outlandish promises, such as offering residents free alcohol for the year, and the event culminates in a procession from Old Woodstock to the town hall. Mike Davidson, chairman of the mock mayor organising committee, said: “The committee has decided to re-group and come back bigger and better in 2018. This is due to the Countryfile Live event at Blenheim now taking place, for the foreseeable years, on the first weekend in August. We have now made the decision to move the event to the last weekend in July.”
In an interview at the event, Countryfile presenter Adam Henson appeared to admit that the programme had “dumbed down” in recent years.
“The farming community would love Countryfile to be all about farming, agriculture, food production and the price of wheat, but we all know the BBC makes programmes to put bums on seats and get people watching,” he said.