A Farmer's Life for Me — Season 1

Nine couples with a dream of leaving the rat race have the opportunity of a lifetime when they compete to run their very own farm in Suffolk. From factory workers to city executives, they all share a passion for the outdoor life - but do they have what it takes to make it in farming?

Eight couples are left fighting for the chance to run their very own farm in Suffolk. This week, Jimmy Doherty tests them in the competitive world of pig farming. They must learn how to groom and exhibit prize winning pigs at agricultural events and come up with profitable pork products that will really make money. But when pigs escape from their pens and recipes go disastrously wrong, some of the couples know their farming dreams could soon be over.

The pressure is on for the seven remaining couples as Jimmy introduces them to sheep farming and sets them a double challenge. They must undergo a daunting test of herding and shearing skills and come up with an effective campaign to market mutton. But the demanding mix of physical and business skills required to make the grade proves too much for some and one more couple is asked to leave.

Jimmy asks the remaining couples to go head to head at a farmers' market to see who can take the most money. The couples are confronted with a range of seasonal produce which they must turn into products with consumer appeal. It's a huge task and several run into trouble when they do not manage to finish their products in time. But events take a very dramatic turn when one of the would-be farmers ends up in hospital unexpectedly and Jimmy must make a quick decision.

Jimmy Doherty's fledgling farmers are tested on their ability to make money from poultry.After a brief introduction to the industry that includes mastering the techniques of turkey insemination, the five remaining couples must decide what type of birds they want to rear. But it's not an easy choice with options ranging from emus to ducks. Building fox-proof housing also proves too much for some as the weather takes a turn for the worse. But the toughest challenge of all comes when they must turn their poultry into profitable products.Jimmy inspects their efforts before deciding which couple will be next to go home.

The four remaining couples are set the challenge of learning how to milk sheep and goats before turning their milk into dairy products to sell at a local charity event. But Jimmy Doherty has a big surprise in store when he reveals that they will have to work in teams for the first time.The pressure soon shows when some couples find it difficult to collaborate. Arguments over different approaches soon escalate placing one team's future in jeopardy. Jimmy looks carefully at everyone's performance and motives before deciding which couple should leave the competition.

It is the semi-final and Jimmy Doherty decides to take his farming challenges to a whole new level.The three remaining couples must prove they can cope with large seasonal tasks when he gives them the biggest harvest of their lives. They must each pick a mile of strawberry plants and sell the fruit for maximum profit. It is a massive undertaking that tests the fledgling farmers like never before. They pull out all the stops to off-load hundreds of kilos of strawberries before they go to waste. But for one couple it is the end of their farming dreams when a sales plan goes wrong.

It is the final. Nine couples of would-be farmers have been whittled down to just two by self-made pig farmer, Jimmy Doherty. Now he faces his toughest decision yet as he must announce who should have the chance to run their very own 25 acre farm for a year.To help him make up his mind, he has come up with the farming day from hell. Each couple must undergo a daunting series of livestock and arable challenges that involve herding and shearing sheep and ploughing and seeding land.But the most difficult test of all is when the fledgling farmers must present their business plan for what they would do with the farm if they won. Emotions run high as everyone knows any mistake at this stage could end in disaster.