Adam Henson has spent his life on the Cotswold land he now shares with millions of viewers on Countryfile.
Born in 1966 and raised at Bemborough Farm near Guiting Power, Adam grew up helping his father Joe Henson, a rare-breed pioneer and television presenter, at the family’s Cotswold Farm Park. Opened in 1971, the attraction has since become one of Britain’s best-known farming destinations.
Adam took on the tenancy of the 650-hectare Bemborough Farm estate in 1999 with business partner Duncan Andrews. Today, the farm park is home to more than 50 breeding flocks and herds and welcomes thousands of visitors each year.
He joined BBC One’s Countryfile in 2001 after being chosen from more than 3,500 applicants, later becoming one of the programme’s most recognisable faces. His regular segments cover everything from lambing and harvest to hedgerows, wildlife and the pressures facing British farming.
Last week, the 60-year-old visited Cotswold Gate Care Home in Burford, Oxfordshire, where he gave a talk and spoke warmly about the venue. He praised its design, atmosphere and staff, joking that he was reaching an age where he was beginning to think about where he might live later in life.
“It’s an absolute joy,” Adam said, adding that the home felt welcoming, beautifully decorated and “pretty faultless”.
He also praised the audience, saying the smaller setting made the talk more personal and engaging.
Adam recently appeared at the inaugural Great British Farm-Fest at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, describing it as “an agricultural show with a difference”. The event brought together figures from Countryfile, Clarkson’s Farm, farming YouTubers and agricultural voices from across the country.
He said the festival celebrated British farming with a mix of entertainment, food, debates and technology, including discussions on mental health and the future of agriculture. Despite the huge site and 30°C heat, Adam said he was “90 per cent sure” the event would return.
During the interview, Adam also spoke about Jeremy Clarkson, whose Clarkson’s Farm is filmed nearby in Oxfordshire.
“We get on really well,” he said. “I don’t know him very well, as I’ve only met him half a dozen times, but it seems to me that he’s really found a passion in farming.”
Adam praised Clarkson as “a great advocate for British agriculture”, saying Clarkson’s Farm had introduced farming to a completely new audience.
“For me as a farmer who loves telling the story about British agriculture, anybody who can talk about it and help educate the consumer and the British public, then it’s good,” he said.
Adam revealed he had visited Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog, during the launch build-up for Farm-Fest, although he has never been to Diddly Squat Farm Shop. Joking about its famous queues, he said people could instead visit Cotswold Farm Park, where there would be “no queue”, plenty of animals and a farm shop.
He also laughed about the rapid success of Clarkson’s Hawkstone beer compared with his own Adam Henson’s Rare Breed ale, which he produces with Butcombe Brewery. Seeing Hawkstone stocked at the care home, he joked they should replace it with his own beer.
As a lifelong Cotswolds resident, Adam named Upper and Lower Slaughter, Snowshill, Broadway, Burford and Chipping Campden among his favourite local places. He also praised Yorkshire, where his son works in Leeds, calling the Dales “gorgeous”.
Asked about growing tourism in the Cotswolds, Adam said he believed it was positive overall. He noted that when his father opened Cotswold Farm Park in 1971, some locals opposed it because they feared traffic and tourists. More than five decades later, he said tourism now supports pubs, hotels, restaurants and the wider local economy.
“I don’t think it’s lost its charm and its beauty,” he said, adding that development can be good as long as the area retains its character.
Looking ahead, Adam said he remains focused on Cotswold Farm Park, rare breeds and regenerative farming. He revealed that the farm’s Suffolk Punch mare had recently given birth to a filly foal, calling it “a really lovely thing to happen”.
He is also continuing his Countryfile work, expanding into YouTube and social media, and attending agricultural events, including the Royal Three Counties Show at Malvern.
For Adam, the mission remains simple: keep farming visible, keep rare breeds protected, and keep telling the story of British agriculture.
