Imagine the nerve-shredding adrenaline pulsing through your veins as you watch Vin Diesel race a fleet of Lamborghinis on the edge of a cliff.
Now replace this with the roaring sound of tractors blasting through a field in a heart-stopping competition and you’ve got yourself a whole new world of high-octane entertainment.
While The Fast and Farmer-ish may not be the usual Hollywood blockbuster with an all-star cast, it most certainly doesn’t lack the thrill and excitement of an action film.
The new agri-challenge series will launch on BBC Three on February 9 to give a glimpse into the lives of young farmers and showcase their tractor-driving talent.
And an aspiring team from the north have had the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to reveal the “fun” side of the sector – putting even Mr Diesel to shame with their racing skills.
‘The adrenalin gets you pumping’
Kirstin Chalmers, from Banff, Barclay Gray, from Turriff, and Dennis McLennan, from Drumnadrochit, will go head-to-head with an Ayrshire team in a heated competition next week.
Born and bred on a farm, Miss Chalmers has always had a passion for the sector and was thrilled to enter the TV show to inspire another generation of talented farmers.
The 19-year-old told the Press and Journal that although she has spent her whole life in farming, her experience on the show was “one of a kind”.
She said: “I know that some people who don’t really deal with tractors or farming think tractors are these big scary machines but once you’ve driven them and got to know them, it’s just like driving a car.
“When it came to putting them into racing to compete in different challenges, it was a totally different vibe all together from driving in a farm or a field.
“It was a bit scary even for me, but it was the adrenalin that got you pumping.
“It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an absolutely amazing experience.”
The Fast and Farmer-ish to inspire younger generation of farmers
From crashing through walls to test their speed in a tractor race to building towering structures with haybales, the teams’ farming skills will be put on the line to secure a place in the next round of The Fast And Farmer-ish.
The TV show will be presented by Lancashire farmer Tom Pemberton, who runs a hugely popular Instagram account giving an insight into life on the farm.
It is one of the highlight programmes on BBC Three, which has made a return to TV screens this week after it became an online-only service six years ago.
BBC bosses believe there is a youthful audience for the format, which cannot be seen on any other channel in the UK.
Miss Chalmers, who is already working as a full-time tractor mechanic, added: “There are a lot of farming shows that give you an insight into how farming works, but there’s never been anything for the younger generation – and they are the ones that are coming to take on the farm and keep it going.
“This show is really getting it out there that there is also a fun and happy side of farming.
“Hopefully, the series and my participation will be an inspiration for other young girls in agriculture to get into a job like this, because it’s just amazing.”
The show will be available to view on BBC Three channel and BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, February 9.
