Clarkson’s Farm x Bake Off: Two TV Stars Are Presenting A Farmwatch Radio Special

Since the first series launched in 2021, Prime favourite Clarkson’s Farm has been praised for bringing British farming to the forefront of conversation. And now one of its stars, Harriet Cowan, is continuing the mission by joining forces with Mike Wilkins, a farmer and former contestant on The Great British Bake Off, to present a 24-hour radio special for BBC Farmwatch. 

Real-Life Farmers Are Taking Over BBC Farmwatch This August

Running across all 39 BBC Local Radio stations from 7 August 2025, the show will explore some of the biggest issues facing the farming industry today. Cowan, a 24-year-old farmhand who stepped in to help Clarkson while Kaleb Cooper was on his book tour, alongside Wiltshire farm manager Wilkins, will hear first-hand accounts of life on Britain’s farms from all over the country. 

For instance, the pair will speak to Jo Lawrence in Herefordshire, who has run her family’s 200-acre farm since the ripe age of 17, and now manages more than 1,500 sheep and cattle. They’ll also delve into the effect of farm fires in the East and West Midlands, chat to a fifth-generation wool farmer in County Durham, and broadcast live from a Somerset farm that also makes gelato.

Cowan and Wilkins will do part of the broadcast from a combine harvester, allowing viewers to watch a field being harvested via the ‘Combine-Cam’, and to ask questions directly to farmers. Even the BBC’s best-loved radio soap opera The Archers is getting involved, running a Farmwatch-inspired storyline which sees Ambridge farmers tuning into their local radio station on 7 August.

Chris Burns, Head of Local Audio Commissioning at the BBC, said: ‘Farming communities are the lifeblood of this country and we’re proud that BBC Local can once again bring their real stories to our audiences.’

Launched in 2024, BBC Farmwatch is a radio programme which spotlights stories from the British countryside. Previously, the show has run specials on topics including the surge of #FarmTok, a farm sanctuary helping people with autism, and mental health among farmers. This July, there was an episode on Clarkson’s Farm, which saw Hannah Sackville-Bryant chatting to young farmers about how realistic the show is.

 

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Cowan, a nurse and farmer from Derbyshire, featured on season four of Clarkson’s Farm as Clarkson’s temporary assistant. Despite having never watched the show previously, she was hired in Cooper’s place and quickly became a favourite with fans.

However, she left midway through the series after Cooper returned from his book tour. ‘I loved Harriet to bits and I wish her all the very best,’ said Clarkson. ‘She was fantastic to have around. But the truth is, we’ve got Kaleb, and he might go off and do Celebrity Love Island or something, and if I can’t manage, I’ll call Harriet in a heartbeat.’

Wilkins, meanwhile, starred on season 15 of The Great British Bake Off. He impressed across multiple challenges, but was eventually eliminated from the competition during Caramel Week after his caramel cake was deemed more of a tiramisu by the judges. After being voted out, he said, ‘’I feel it was my time to go. I’m just this little farmer who does baking in the kitchen. The quality of what everyone else is doing is just breathtaking.’

He works with his parents and sister on the family farm, and loves to use seasonal fruits and edible flowers grown on the farm in his homely, hearty bakes. Since the show, he has used his social media platforms to share life on the farm and spotlight issues in the industry. He is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community in farming, and was an ambassador for the National Farmers Union in 2022.

Tune in via BBC Local Radio on 7 August 2025