Produced by the Leeds-based company, the More4 hir series Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids follows Amanda Owen, Clive Owen and their children as they renovate Anty John’s, a centuries-old farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales. Alongside documenting the restoration project, the programme captures the day-to-day challenges of life and work on the family’s farm.
Speaking to journalist Laura Reid, Wise Owl Films Creative Director James Knight described the unpredictable nature of filming in the Dales and the need for crews to adapt to both the environment and family life.
“TV production is tricky at the best of times but when you’re in sub-zero temperatures, horizontal rain and the story is up on the moors and you’ve got to walk there, it’s not always that much fun.”
“The crew have had to become really embedded into life there. You have to go with the flow of it all. There are regular floods, snowstorms, and there’s usually an animal the family are trying to find or rescue.”
“We have a plan and know roughly what we’re going to film, but we have to be open-minded because often something else will have happened. I think that’s what gives the programme its charm because you just don’t know what you’re going to get.
Last year the show reached more than four times the number of viewers than average for the timeslot on the channel with it becoming More4’s highest-rated series since the start of 2024, with fans eager to follow Amanda Owen’s and her family journey.
The Leeds-based label produces factual and factual entertainment television which makes sure to always have a link to the area and the people.
“We will always look for an angle that puts York shire on the map – even when we’re doing a global superstar story, there’s usually a way we can find a tie into the area…”
James Knight joined Wise Owl Films in 2019 and was promoted to Creative Director earlier this year. With viewing habits changing and the TV industry always evolving attracting audiences is increasingly competitive.
James Acknowledges this in his conversation with The Yorkshire Post saying:
“To get people to sit down and watch an hour of television with their family takes quite a lot,” he said. “They have to be really invested in the idea.”
“There’s still an appetite for great programmes and high-quality content is still out there. But what would have been a traditional evening audience sat in front of their TVs – four or five million people – that isn’t how the world works anymore.”
“The skills as programme-makers haven’t changed, but there’s a need to be more agile in how you fund programmes, win commissioning business and promote shows once they’re made.”
“It’s about building relationships and trust, the authenticity and heart and honesty we put into the films we make, and then convincing viewers to come and watch.”
