County brings festive cheer to the BBC!
TV show heads to Northumberland
NORTHUMBERLAND will be featured in a special Christmas episode of BBC’S Countryfile this weekend.
Presenter Matt Baker - who grew up on a farm west of Durham - and his team will be in the village of Elsdon and will visit the Bird in Bush pub as well as heading towards Wallington Hall to see the red squirrels in all their winter pomp.
A BBC spokesman said: “It’s Christmas, and up and down the country people are heading to their local pub to celebrate the festive season - and Countryfile is no different.
“Matt is in Elsdon in Northumberland to spend the day in the Bird in Bush, a village pub which has been brought back to life over the past couple of years.
“Matt meets the pub’s owners, Katie and Stephen, who are preparing for a big Christmas party for the whole village.
“They’re creating a festive social hub for the locals and are expecting a big turn out...so it’s all hands on deck.”
Meanwhile, presenter Tom Heap will join a community choir looking to spread some Christmas cheer doorto-door to people who might otherwise feel isolated in the countryside.
And Ellie Harrison will be on the hunt for red squirrels thriving on the Wallington Estate.
The estate’s countryside manager, Paul Hewitt, will show her how they monitor the squirrel population before taking her to their festive hide to try to spot one.
The BBC spokesman added: “Steve Fletcher is out and about picking sloes for a festive tipple with a difference.
“He meets Red and Sam Kellie, who run The First & Last micro-brewery behind the Bird in Bush. The couple are using hedgerow fruits to brew a Christmas porter fit for the party at the pub.
“Steve lends a helping hand before taking the used grains to a local farmer who feeds it to his herd of Belted Galloways.
The programme will also feature Anita Rani as she turns to blacksmithing for an unusual Christmas decoration, and John Craven out and about in Kielder Forest.
The episode will be aired today on BBC1 at 5.20pm.