Mud, Sweat and Tractors

Synopsis

This four part series charts the revolution that food production in Britain underwent in the 20th century, and examines the impact this had on the lives of farmers and consumers alike. With episodes focusing on milk, fruit and vegetables, wheat and beef, as well as home movies recorded at the time, the series provides an original and largely unseen record of a century of revolution on the land.

Episode 1, MILK, tells the story of two farmers who survived the revolution that saw the number of dairy farmers reduced from 150,000 at the beginning of the century to 15,000 by the end. Episode 2, FRUIT & VEG, examines the changing methods of growing, picking and selling produce, told through three staples of the British landscape: apples, strawberries and tomatoes. Home movies and archive footage reveal the extent of the revolution and the impact supermarkets had on the fortunes of small and medium-sized farmers. Episode 3, WHEAT, shows, through a look at the working lives and home movie archives of three farming families, how wheat farmers progressed from using horse power to machine power, and science and genetics, in their quest to transform the size and yield of their crops - with controversial outcomes for the countryside. Episode 4,BEEF, looks at how two of the country’s finest native breeds of cattle, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, reigned supreme before the Second World War and helped earn Britain a reputation as the ‘stockyard of the world’.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2009

Subjects

Agriculture

Keywords

farming; food production and distribution; history of Britain; industrialisation

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£15.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

240 minutes

Year

2013

Production Company

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

Simply Media

Contact

Laura Smith

Email

info@simplymedia.tv

Web

http://www.simplymedia.tv/ External site opens in new window

Phone

0203 542 3722

Address

Highlight House
57 Margaret Street
London W1W 8SJ

Notes

Formerly known as DD Home Entertainment or DDHE