‘Sick of it!’ rage Countryfile viewers as they brand BBC show ‘most negative programme on TV’
COUNTRYFILE viewers have been left fuming after watching last night’s episode of the agricultural show, branding it the “most negative programme on TV.”
During Sunday night’s episode, presenters Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith headed to Ashdown Forest in Sussex to explore the iconic setting, which was the real-life inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh author A. A. Milne.
What happened in the latest episode of Countryfile?
Sunday’s episode of Countryfile saw Matt, 46, and Charlotte, 59, explore the beautiful setting of Ashdown Forest in Sussex.
The forest is the real-life inspiration for A. A. Milne’s fictional Hundred Acre Wood, the home of Winnie-the-Pooh.
Matt and Charlotte visited the iconic setting to celebrate the legacy of “the most famous bear in literary history” as 2024 marks 100 years since Milne penned his first poem about the beloved bear and his famous friends.
“Ashdown Forest in East Sussex is a diverse landscape of open heathland, hills and is a haven for wildlife,” Charlotte explained as she introduced the episode.
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Matt continued: “It is the inspiration behind A. A. Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood from Winnie-the-Pooh.”
“One of our most loved literary characters whose story began a century ago,” Charlotte went on.
Her co-star added: “And to celebrate, of course, we are going on a bear hunt.”
Matt met with the owner of Pooh Corner, a Winnie-the-Pooh inspired cafe and museum, to take a guided trip around the forest, visiting iconic locations from Milne’s books such as Pooh Sticks Bridge, Eeyore’s Gloomy Place and the Heffalump Trap.
He then got to work helping cut down trees in the forest, which is necessary to protect the natural habitats of lowland heathland, which makes up the majority of the forest.
Meanwhile, Charlotte took a look at the impact of the deer population in the forest.
Elsewhere in the episode, Adam Henderson got his hands dirty, discovering how to make the perfect hedge.
Viewers were unhappy with the content of the show
Most of the episode was set in the beautiful Ashdown Forest and focused on celebrating A. A. Milne’s legacy. However, some viewers thought the show was a bit tame compared to other episodes.
Follow in A. A. Milne and Christopher Robin’s footsteps
At Ashdown Forest fans of Winnie The Pooh can pinpoint real-life locations from the books, including Pooh Sticks Bridge
- Pooh Sticks Bridge, which was made famous in Milne’s book The House at Pooh Corner, was the bridge the author and his son Christopher Robin walked over to get into Ashdown Forest.
- It also became a feature of the book, with Pooh and Christopher Robin playing a game throwing sticks into the river from the bridge.
- The winner is whoever's stick emerges from the other side first.
- The bridge was originally called Posingford before it was renamed by Milne’s son.
- Pooh Corner, a cafe and museum, is another site in Ashdown Forest dedicated to preserving the history of Milne’s work.
- From there you can follow in Winnie-the-Pooh’s footsteps through the forest and explore many of the trees including pine, beach and oak, as well as Eeyore's Gloomy Place and the Heffalump Trap.
- Inside the forest, along the Gils Lap walk, there is a stone memorial to author A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard, who illustrated the books.
“CBeebies edition of Countryfile then,” one viewer commented on X, formerly Twitter, after watching.
“Blue Peter edition,” criticised another.
“The BBC should change the name to either countrywoke or wokefile #countryfile,” said a third viewer.
Viewers thought there should have also been more emphasis on other agricultural issues.
“Countryfile, what about food supply in your topics? Sick of the lack of balance,” a fourth viewer fumed, while a fifth pointed out there was “not a farmer with a tractor in sight.”
A sixth viewer even went so far as to brand Countryfile as “the most negative programme on TV.”
Additionally, viewers voice their complaints about Matt’s tree-chopping segment.
Although the presenter explained in the episode that trees needed to be cut down to protect the natural habitat, fans were not happy that they were then being burnt.
One fan asked: “Why burn the trees? Wouldn’t it benefit more wildlife by leaving stacks of wood to decay naturally? Also, avoid polluting the atmosphere.”
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“Hate seeing people cutting the trees down at Ashdown Forest. Just leave it be," agreed another.
However, not everyone shared the same opinion about the topics on the show as one praised the show for taking the time to celebrate Milne’s legacy. “Countryfile is all about Winnie the Pooh and I could happily cry,” they praised.