Whether it’s nursing newborn piglets or researching the intricacies of mushroom farming, there’s never a dull moment for alumna Tabatha Davey on the set of top TV show Clarkson’s Farm.
For the past six months, researcher and soon-to-be Assistant Producer Tabby has spent most weeks at Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds as part of the crew documenting the intense, arduous and frequently hilarious day-to-day life of Britain’s most unlikely farmer, Jeremy Clarkson.
Series four – to be aired on Amazon Prime next Spring – is almost in the can, and a fifth series was announced at the farm on November 5th against a spectacular backdrop of 500 drones, more than hovered over Buckingham Palace in 2022 to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!
The top-rating show has won high praise from the farming community, but Tabby _reports that the filming process is far from glamorous! “We film in all weathers from Monday to Thursday each week and every day is full of surprises,” she said. “Only recently I had to deliver a piglet myself at 3am one morning when a sow went into labour – neither Jeremy nor the vet could get there in time so there was nothing for it but to don some gloves and turn midwife!”
Hunting for hard-to-find props and scheduling shoots also falls under her remit, as does sourcing specialists in animal husbandry to help guide Jeremy and his team. Along with her colleagues, Tabby also researches new ideas for the show; there is nothing she doesn’t know about mushroom farming – a highlight of series three!
Clarkson’s Farm is the most high-profile assignment yet for Tabby, who started her career with some work experience on the dating show Take Me Out before adding The Voice, Sunday Brunch, Katie Price’s Mucky Mansion and Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest Airport to her impressive CV. Her long-term goal is to become a series producer, but for now she’s very happily ensconced in the Cotswolds – especially now that a fifth series has been confirmed.
Tabby advises any students dreaming of a TV career to look at the entry-level training programmes run by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 (the Royal Television Society website is a good place to start) and once in the industry, keep an eye on dedicated Facebook groups appealing for runners – often at short notice. “You have to be resilient – there’s a lot of emailing, but if you can be ready to jump at any opportunity, you’ll start to make a name for yourself.”
We wish Tabby continued success in her career and will be looking out for her name when the credits roll on the new series next Spring!
