Jimmy Doherty leaves BBC for Channel 4

Presenter and TV farmer Jimmy Doherty has been poached by Channel 4 for an exclusive deal. The Jimmy's Farm host is leaving BBC Two after a number of years to develop several new programmes with the commercial broadcaster. Jimmy, who runs a farm just outside Ipswich, Suffolk, is a long-time friend of Jamie Oliver, who has also made his home at Channel 4 after leaving the BBC. He found fame while working on one of Jamie's shows and went on to star in his own series Jimmy's Farm. The show followed him as he established his farm, which specialises in traditional husbandry techniques and raises rare breed animals as well as selling free-range meats. Jimmy said: "I'm hugely excited about the range and scale of opportunities I'll be pursuing at Channel 4. "From natural history and conservation to farming and mass production, nothing's off limits. It's an exact match for me - it's going to be a great adventure." Sue Murphy, Channel 4's head of features and factual entertainment, said: "I've long been a fan of Jimmy's and am looking forward to working with him on a range of ambitious programme ideas for Channel 4. "His passion, huge range of interests and credibility make him a perfect fit for the channel and a complement to the talent we are already working with."

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.