Countryfile presenter Matt Baker and his wife Nicola have revealed they are converting a barn on their 100-acre farm in the Durham Hills into their family home, as their children Luke and Molly prepare to leave for university.
Appearing on The One Show on Tuesday night, the Countryfile star discussed the debut of his new More4 series, Our Barn in The Dales, and explained why now was the right time for the project.
A lifelong dream takes shape
Asked why he and Nicola had decided to convert the barn, Matt told presenters Roman Kemp and Alex Jones: "It's funny because the barns we've wanted to make into a home have been there all my life. When I was a young whippersnapper on Blue Peter, any spare money that we had we would put into turning them into a home in the future."
"Work and life get in the way, and things get put on hold, and last year Nicola and I were like, 'Right, it's time'. Our children are at the age now where they're off to university, and they're going to go off and fly in their lives."
Moving back to the family farm
Matt and Nicola, who married in 2004, permanently moved to his parents' farm after his mother Janice was injured in an accident in July 2020. Janice, who had been tending to sheep, was trampled by the flock, leaving her with a broken knee. She later underwent a full knee replacement.
"I've never felt the need to step in the way I did after the accident," Matt recalled. "The last thing you want is to see your parents struggling, and Mum was very vulnerable."
New series announced
Matt announced the project on Instagram, writing: "We're back with a new series but with quite the twist… We're calling it 'Our Barn In The Dales' as Nicola and I are converting the barn, stable and granary at the end of the courtyard into a cottage…"
He added: "We're deep in an epic adventure which will be spanned across 2 series, the first starting in a couple of weeks is all the building and conversion stuff and another series next year will be the interior bits and bobs."
The series airs on More4 starting Tuesday 13 October at 9pm. Matt concluded: "A massive thanks to all our friends and new builder mates who are making our dream happen."
