BBC viewers ‘bored to death’ over ‘elitist’ Countryfile episode

Countryfile viewers have been left raging over a recent episode of the BBC programme, taking to social media to complain.

The weekly show, which is presented by the likes of Matt Baker, Helen Skelton and Adam Henson, reports on rural, agricultural and environmental issues.

But the focus of this Sunday’s episode sparked uproar from viewers.

Host Joe Crowley visited the Dorset coast for a feature on fly fishing, introducing the location by saying: ‘Fishing is one of the UK’s most popular outdoor pursuits, with three million anglers casting a line each year.

‘Our islands offer incredible fishing opportunities from coastal cod, to salmon surging up rivers.

‘It’s a sport I’ve been hooked on since I was a boy, it gives you the opportunity to learn about fish habitats, understand their behaviour, and get up close and personal with these underwater creatures.’

Over the episode, Joe met with a local fly fisherman to attempt to catch a mullet – but it’s safe to say, viewers were not impressed.

‘And if you want to bore yourself to death and stare at water for a few hours you’ll want to know what the weather is going to be like…,’ @mickmar29 fumed on X.

@cumbriaoldrural said: ‘What a blinking boring program some repeats too.’

‘Obviously Countryfile does its very best to stop people thinking about moving to the countryside,’ @MarketingStars wrote, also saying: ‘Another unbelievable boring #countryfile.’

‘An hour of bloody fishing,’ @dazfromsomerset said.

@AdrianPiggott raged: ‘Wow. I love #countryfile but jesus. A whole episode about how to fish. Not about the environment, the issues faced by fish, the countryside just fishing #zzzzzzzz Next few weeks drystone watching, grass growing and how to muck spred.’

One user, @SocksyBeast, accused the episode of being ‘elitist’, saying: ‘The most popular participated sport in the country is coarse fishing… So #Countryfile do an entire program on fishing talking only about fly fishing, talk about elitist.’

They added: ‘Coarse fishing and fly fishing are completely different, but fluff chucking is the most popular among the upper classes whereas the masses do coarse fishing. That’s why it’s elitist to only feature the posh one.’

This comes after Joe, who also presents environmental investigations on BBC Panorama and has appeared on The One Show, revealed his fears about being replaced by a younger presenter.

In 2022, he spoke about ‘struggling for work’ in the past, saying: ‘There has to be a cycle and there has to be other younger presenters, reporters, coming in and gradually some of that work you were doing, which was just presenting, you are there for a moment.

‘Ultimately, anyone can present to a point, so you’ve got no god-given right to hang on to that kind of work. You have to start working out, okay, what do I care about? What can I make my own?’

He added, according to The Mirror: ‘And, when you’re struggling for work, and I have at many times, you have to kind of think, “If no one’s going to give me work, and why should they? I have to come up with a story that’s mine.”‘

He reportedly added that being a part of the industry also involves ‘making your own luck’.