Kate Humble has said that she would welcome people moving to the countryside after the coronavirus pandemic.
The TV presenter said that for many people, being forced to stay at home will make those who live in cities want to uproot their lives in search of more space in a rural setting.
She said the current situation may remind people of the importance of “family and community and outdoor space and nature”.
The former BBC Springwatch host told Radio Times magazine: “I think there will be a lot of rebalancing of lives.
“If a result of what’s happening is that more people consider moving to the countryside, I’d say ‘come and do it’.
“The world has been chucking fire and floods at us and we still think we can carry on behaving as we have been – now maybe we’ll realise we can’t.
“It’s hard to consider at the moment, but I think there could be some positive outcomes to this.”
Humble’s new Channel 5 series, A Country Life For Half The Price, follows people who have started self-sufficient new lives in the countryside, and she said that the programme’s timing is apt.
She said: “I think a lot of people at the moment will be re-evaluating their lives and considering what’s important.
“Instead of chasing mad consumerist things, we’ll realise that the important things are family and community and outdoor space and nature.”
However, she said that if people do choose to move to the countryside from towns and cities, they must not bring their “city slicker” ways with them.
“If a result of what’s happening is that more people consider moving to the countryside, I’d say ‘come and do it’,” the Animal Park presenter said.
“All the families in this series have been dreaming about it for years – none of them regret it for a second. But if you’re going to do it, don’t come stamping around in your Jimmy Choos.
“Come and put your wellies on and muck in with the rest of us.
“I think the countryside has got an awful lot to teach people in the cities and I would rather see it that way around.”
The programme includes one family who moved to a remote location in the Shetland Islands, and another who moved their family of nine children to a larger home in Shropshire.
A Country Life For Half The Price with Kate Humble starts on Tuesday April 7 at 9pm on Channel 5.
Radio Times magazine is available now.