Farmer Wants a Wife
Contents |
Host
Not known (voiceover, 2001)
Louise Redknapp (2009)
Co-hosts
Catherine Gee (2001)
Broadcast
Thames for ITV1, 8 November to 20 December 2001 (7 episodes in 1 series)
TalkbackThames for Five, 16 September to 21 October 2009 (6 episodes in 1 series)
Synopsis
Rural dating show which originally grew out of a competition/campaign devised by Country Life magazine. The original series was really more of a straight matchmaking show without much of a game element; it came and went in the autumn of 2001 and nobody thought much more about it. However, with a competitive makeover, the format went on to sell well into other countries (apparently the Dutch version in particular was a massive ratings winner) and after a few fairly low-key copycat shows (Dirty Cows, Desperately Seeking Sheila) it eventually found its way back onto British screens after an eight-year gap.
Yes, that arm has just been where you think it has.The new series has a bit more of an elimination aspect to it, though with its self-contained episodes it's still closer to the original British format than to the Bachelor-style reality show seen around the world. And it's still quite low-key and, if we're honest, not actually that interesting.
Music
Matt Coldrick (2001)
Barry Gleddon, Richard Kimmings, Kes Loy and Audio Network (2009)
Trivia
The 2009 series was produced by Stephen Taylor Woodrow.
E4 aired the Australian version from 3 October 2022. Almost as if they were testing the waters for a revival.
