John Craven, the beloved face of the BBC’s Countryfile for nearly four decades, has revealed his touching final wish.
The 86-year-old broadcaster, who joined the rural affairs programme when it launched in 1989, spoke movingly about his desire to return to his roots.
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Before becoming synonymous with the British countryside through Countryfile, Mr Craven spent 17 years fronting Newsround, having created the children’s news programme for the BBC in 1972.
He currently resides in a village close to Banbury in Oxfordshire alongside his wife, with whom he raised two daughters.
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The presenter revealed that his wish is to have his ashes scattered atop Otley Chevin in Yorkshire.
“Still one of my favourite places in the world is Wharfedale and Otley Chevin, where I used to cycle with my mates,” he said.
The veteran broadcaster also expressed a deep fondness for the Yorkshire coastline, singling out Whitby as a particular favourite.
His childhood holidays, however, were spent in Bridlington.
The 86-year-old suspects this location was chosen because it was the more affordable option.
In a recent conversation with Farmers’ Guardian, Mr Craven reflected on the obstacles he encountered during Countryfile’s earliest years.
“In the very early days of Countryfile, it was very difficult to get cameras onto farms and to get farmers to speak to us,” he recalled.
“It took a long time to win farmers over and let them open the gates of the farm and let us in”.
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That reluctance has largely disappeared in the intervening decades, with those working the land now far more willing to share their stories and experiences with television audiences.
Yet whilst farmers have become more open, Mr Craven stressed that profound challenges remain for British agriculture.
He argued that the country must increase its domestic food output, pointing to a tension that he considers the defining question of our time.
“The balance between environmental concern and the need to produce more food, that is the big issue that faces the country today,” he said.
Mr Craven’s concerns come as his Countryfile co-star Adam Henson recently delivered his own bleak assessment of the challenges facing British farmers.
The Gloucestershire farmer revealed that prolonged dry weather and thin soils had hit his harvest, with his winter wheat and barley yields falling roughly a tonne to a tonne and a half per hectare below expectations.
“Sadly, this year it’s not looking good for us and lots of other arable farmers across the UK,” Mr Henson said.
He warned that lower yields, combined with weak global commodity prices, meant there was unlikely to be “a lot of profit in growing grain”.
Mr Henson, who has appeared on Countryfile since 2001, said farmers had now endured three difficult years, admitting that despite his determination to remain optimistic about the industry, “arable farming at the moment is hard”.
His warning echoes concerns raised by Jeremy Clarkson, who has also spoken out about the impact of dry conditions and rising costs on this year’s harvest.
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