BBC Three’s flagship show ‘The Fast and the Farmer-ish’ has been slammed as ‘cringe’ and ‘rubbish’ amid a row on the channel being brought back only to air ‘downmarket reality TV’.
The channel, which targets viewers aged 15-35, was moved to an online-only offering on iPlayer in February 2016 in a bid to save £30million a year, with the budget redistributed to fund dramas on BBC One.
But it returned to TV screens again at the start of the month – showing a mix of reality shows and competitions, including it’s latest offering which sees British farmers race each other in ‘souped-up’ tractors.
The title is a playful take on cult racing moving Fast & Furious and sees groups from across the UK compete ‘spectacular, high-octane agricultural challenges’.
However, the show has been criticised with one viewer branding it ‘a load of absolute b*******’.
BBC Three’s flagship show ‘The Fast and the Farmer-ish’ has been slammed as ‘cringe’ and ‘rubbish’ amid a row on the channel being brought back only to air ‘downmarket reality TV’.
Each episode puts two teams of three young farmers head to head as they test their favourite tractors to determine which is best. It’s hosted by real-life Lancashire farmer Tom Pemberton, who has become an Instagram sensation racking up 112,000 followers sharing snaps and tales about rural life in Lancashire.
Programmes about farm life have become an unlikely ratings hit across traditional TV with shows like Our Yorkshire Farm and All Creatures Great and Small being widely viewed on Channel 5.
It is thought BBC bosses hope to attract a young audience to the show.
A spokesman previously told the i: ‘With 11 million people living in rural areas of the UK and about a quarter of these under 30, The Fast And The Farmer(ish) provides a glimpse into the lives of young farmers, in an entertaining new competitive series which showcases tractor-driving talent.’
And while some branded the show ‘fun’ and ‘high octane tractor racing madness with the rather ace Tom Pemberton’ others questioned if it was a waste of license payer’s money.
‘Defo not the best viewing, turned off after 10 minutes’ said one.
Each episode puts two teams of three young farmers head to head as they test their favourite tractors to determine which is best. It’s hosted by real-life Lancashire farmer Tom Pemberton, who has become an Instagram sensation racking up 112,000 followers sharing snaps and tales about rural life in Lancashire.
‘I’m having issues with the girls being s*** at it, and being so stereotypically squeaky’ said another.
‘They have to air cheap to make stuff like this as the funding to screen serious drama just isn’t there, shame,’ one said.
‘The Fast and the Farmer-ish is giving me the cringes in a BIG way,’ tweeted one fan.
‘BBC Three have clearly asked these farmers to cut mullets and it doesn’t sit right,’ another wrote.
The show has also got mixed reviews from critics. The Times gave it two stars, with reviewer Carol Midgey writing: ‘It really is that basic, yet still quite therapeutic to watch. It looks like it was made on a budget of £3.50, which, given the BBC’s finances, is a good thing.’
The Guardian described it as a ‘the antidote to University Challenge’ in a four-star review, adding: ‘two thirds of the team are made up of unacceptable mullet wearers’.
However, the show has been criticised with one viewer branding it ‘a load of absolute b*******’.
The Telegraph also gave it two stars, noting: ‘Judging by the first of seven episodes, it’s essentially the silly stunts from the old, non-woke Top Gear only with tractors rather than Lamborghinis. And with mullet-sporting Gen-Zers instead of Jeremy Clarkson trapped in his dad jeans….
BBC Three is home to hits like Normal People, Fleabag and Killing Eve but in the past has been a hub for downmarket reality TV programming like Eating With My Ex, Don’t Tell the Bride and Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents.
The move to go back to ‘linear TV’ was described as a ‘step backwards’ by MP Julian Knight when it was first announced last year in an apparent bid to win back viewers, after figures showed that viewing of BBC Three content was down 72 per cent in the 12 months to November 2019.
Last week, Tory MP John Redwood criticised the return, tweeting: ‘The BBC say they are short of money. So why are they re opening BBC 3? What can that offer that they cannot offer on all the current services?’
Outraged licence fee-payers have questioned the wisdom of trying to attract young viewers when so many favour streaming services over live TV. A recent YouGov poll found just one in 20 people aged 18-30 watch any BBC television channels live every day.
One critic tweeted: ‘Total waste of money. Misuse of the license fee from the old and retired. Cancel this channel. We don’t need this wasteful programming.’
When it moved online in February 2016, the BBC Trust said ‘independent evidence shows younger audiences are watching more online and watching less linear TV’.
But BBC Three viewing figures have collapsed since it went online.
In September 2020 research service Enders Analysis found viewing of BBC Three content, including BBC Three programmes shown on other BBC linear TV channels, was down 72 per cent in the 12 months to November 2019, compared to its last year on air.
However iPlayer overall is growing. The BBC iPlayer delivered a record 6.1 billion programmes in the 12 months to April 2021, up 28 per cent from 4.8 billion the previous year.
On average, 10.7 million accounts use the online service a week, up from 9.1 million the year before.
The BBC hopes to attract more viewers to BBC Three by returning to live television, particularly those of lower socio-economic backgrounds or in parts of the UK where there is less internet connectivity and access to streaming services.
When BBC Three first launched in 2003 it was charged with reflecting and stimulating the ‘diversity of the UK’ and creating programmes that covered a range of subjects, including science and international affairs.
The channel won various accolades, among them Bafta awards, British Comedy Awards and Royal Television Society awards.
It was home to hits such as Being Human and the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, as well as animated comedy Family Guy.
But it also churned out trash social experiments featuring young people like Snog Marry Avoid?, Hotter Than My Daughter and Young, Dumb And Living Off Mum. The shows are no longer available to watch on iPlayer.
In March 2014, the BBC announced it was planning to move the channel online.
It noted young viewers had abandoned traditional linear viewing for on-demand streaming.
Reports said the BBC would be saving around £30 million through the move.
The announcement sparked various reactions, notably a protest outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House.
More than 300,000 people signed a petition to save the channel on change.org.
Celebrities such as Daniel Radcliffe, Aidan Turner, Lena Headey, Olivia Colman and Richard E Grant also all signed a letter presented to the BBC Trust’s Rona Fairhead and director general Lord Tony Hall, urging them not to move the channel online.
However the move went ahead, with BBC Three coming off air in March 2016.
BBC Three programmes remained available on BBC iPlayer.
The digital channel, home to Killing Eve, had a massive lockdown hit with the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
In March 2021, the BBC announced its intention to bring the channel back on air.
At the time, the BBC said it was committed to doubling the investment on BBC Three commissions over the next two years, following the success of shows including Normal People and Fleabag.
The decision was met with criticism from Mr Knight, chairman of the Commons digital, media, culture and sport committee, who accused the BBC of pouring money into programmes at a time when pensioners ‘are being chased to pay up for their TV licences’.
He said: ‘The BBC’s decision to bring back BBC Three to our TVs is an acknowledgement by the broadcaster that it is failing to reach young audiences.
BBC Three’s return was given the green light by broadcasting regulator Ofcom in November.
The watchdog said the relaunch would help the BBC reach younger viewers, particularly those from lower-income homes and those living outside London and the South East.
It also stipulated the BBC must ensure that at least ’75 per cent of hours broadcast each year must be original programmes’, as commissioned by the corporation for a UK viewing audience.
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