A FARMER is hoping to find love by appearing on a television show.

Peter Stark, 30, who lives with his parents on a farm in Hovingham, is one of eight farmers who will appear on the Channel Five show Farmer Wants a Wife, and filming is expected to start in April.

Mr Stark was born and bred in Hovingham, and has lived there all his life, except for four years when he went to study agriculture at Harper Adams University College in Shropshire.

He says this has made it more difficult to meet single women.

He said: “A lot of young people from Ryedale go off to university, and then because of housing prices and the difficulty of finding a graduate job, they don’t come back straight away.

“Many come back when they have children and a family, but this makes it hard to meet anyone who is single.”

Mr Stark describes himself as kind, caring and humorous, and he says that he could offer a woman an idyllic lifestyle, if she is aware of what a farming lifestyle involves.

He said: “Any woman I meet would have to realise that farming is a vocation.

“She could have a different job elsewhere, but she has to realise that when the phone rings here, it is likely to be farm-related.

“I farm sheep, beef cattle, pigs, free range chickens, vegetables, so there are certain times of year when I am going to be very busy.”

Back in November, Mr Stark got an email from Talkback Thames looking for single farmers.

He said: “I thought it sounded alright, so I replied, but I didn’t think anything would come of it, but it just got more and more real at each stage of the process.”

Despite his surprise at being selected, Mr Stark says he is not daunted by the prospect of being on television because he thinks that most of what happens on reality television shows is quickly forgotten.

Instead, he is hopeful that the show will help to raise the profile of farming.

He said: “If one person learns something about farming then it will have been worthwhile.

“We have some beautiful scenery out here, and this show will reach an audience who might not ordinarily be interested in farming matters.”

Although the format of the show is not set in stone at this stage, Mr Stark has been told that he will meet four women, and of these four, he will pick two to live with him, and his parents, for a few days. They will experience the farming life, to see if there is a chance that love might blossom.