| One Man and His Dog | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30–60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 17 February 1976 (1976-02-17) – 17 September 2023 (2023-09-17) |
| Related | |
One Man and His Dog is aBBCtelevision series in the United Kingdom featuringsheepdog trials, originally presented byPhil Drabble, with commentary byEric Halsall and, later, by Ray Ollerenshaw. It was first aired on 17 February 1976 and from 2013 as a special annual edition ofCountryfile. In 1994,Robin Page replaced Drabble as the main presenter. Gus Dermody took over as commentator until 2012.
At its peak, in the early 1980s, it attracted audiences in excess of eight million.[1]
The last regular series aired in 1999 onBBC Two; however, the same year also saw the first of a series of Christmas specials, which continued annually until 2011 and were contested by teams of shepherds from the four nations ofEngland,Scotland,Wales andIreland, in the three categories of Single, Brace and Young Handlers. The main hosts have beenClarissa Dickson Wright, followed byBen Fogle (initially with co-hostShauna Lowry), andKate Humble.
Matt Baker joined the programme as a co-commentator (alongside Dermody) in 2006, and additionally became the main host in 2011. In 2012, the show was broadcast in two parts (the first of which was shown live) in September, and Baker was joined as a main presenter byMichaela Strachan. Dermody remained as a commentator until 2012.
The BBC has continued to broadcast sheepdog trials in a standalone series onBBC Alba – the programmeFarpaisean Chon-Chaorach[2] has covered the Scottish National Sheep Dog Trial,International Sheep Dog Trial and triennialWorld Trial in its 13 series since 2008.[3]
In July 2013, it was announced thatOne Man and His Dog was to cease being a programme in its own right, but the competition would become part of the rural affairs showCountryfile[4] onBBC One.
The first broadcast withinCountryfile was on 27 October 2013, presented by Baker (who also continued as co-commentator) andJulia Bradbury. The Brace round was discontinued. Dermody was credited in 2013 as a consultant to the programme, but was no longer one of the commentators (replaced by Andy Jackman). For the 2014 competition, broadcast within the 28 September edition ofCountryfile,[5] Baker co-presented withHelen Skelton. The 2015 competition was broadcast on 27 September 2015 and presented by Baker andEllie Harrison. The 2017 competition, presented by Baker andCharlotte Smith, was broadcast on 24 September 2017, and saw the reinstatement of the Brace round.[6]
ComediansTim Vine andKiri Pritchard-McLean competed in a special celebrity version entitledOne Red Nose and Their Dog. Training footage featured inCountryfile on 6 March 2022, with the competition broadcast onComic Relief night (18 March 2022).
The competition was held atGoodwood in 2023, presented byAdam Henson.[7]
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 February 1976 | 6 April 1976 | 8 |
| 2 | 1 October 1976 | 19 November 1976 | 8 |
| 3 | 12 January 1977 | 2 March 1977 | 8 |
| 4 | 29 December 1977 | 16 February 1978 | 8 |
| 5 | 16 October 1978 | 27 October 1978 | 8 |
| 6 | 13 January 1979 | 24 February 1979 | 7 |
| 7 | 17 April 1980 | 29 May 1980 | 7 |
| 8 | 3 March 1981 | 21 April 1981 | 8 |
| 9 | 2 February 1982 | 23 March 1982 | 8 |
| 10 | 19 January 1983 | 9 March 1983 | 8 |
| 11 | 8 May 1984 | 3 July 1984 | 8 |
| 12 | 10 May 1985 | 5 July 1985 | 8 |
| 13 | 21 February 1986 | 18 April 1986 | 8 |
| 14 | 10 February 1987 | 31 March 1987 | 8 |
| 15 | 1 March 1988 | 19 April 1988 | 8 |
| 16 | 25 June 1989 | 20 August 1989 | 8 |
| 17 | 15 July 1990 | 2 September 1990 | 8 |
| 18 | 14 July 1991 | 1 September 1991 | 8 |
| 19 | 16 August 1992 | 4 October 1992 | 8 |
| 20 | 31 October 1993 | 12 December 1993 | 7 |
| 21 | 25 September 1994 | 13 November 1994 | 8 |
| 22 | 11 November 1995 | 13 January 1996 | 8 |
| 23 | 27 September 1996 | 15 November 1996 | 8 |
| 24 | 3 January 1998 | 21 February 1998 | 8 |
| 25 | 2 January 1999 | 13 March 1999 | 11 |
| Date | Entitle |
|---|---|
| 27 December 1999[23] | |
| 29 December 2000[24] | |
| 29 December 2001[25] | |
| 28 December 2002[26] | |
| 27 December 2003[27] | |
| 18 December 2004[28] | The Heats |
| 19 December 2004[29] | The Final |
| 17 December 2005[30][31] | The Heats |
| The Final | |
| 16 December 2006[32] | The Heats |
| 17 December 2006[33] | The Final |
| 22 December 2007[34] | |
| 7 December 2008[35] | |
| 14 December 2008[36] |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 December 2009 | 18 December 2009 | 4 |
| 2 | 18 December 2010 | 19 December 2010 | 2 |
| 3 | 10 December 2011 | 17 December 2011 | 2 |
| 4 | 15 September 2012 | 22 September 2012 | 2 |