TV ‘proper bloke’ Guy Martin gets to grips with dairy farming on Gigha

Guy, known for his love of “proper graft”, chose the island to experience a profession he believes is often overlooked. 

Speaking about the new series, Guy said: “Learning a new trade, especially one I know nothing about, is right up my street. 

“The best way to understand this stuff is to chuck me in there with the people who’ve got years of experience and let me be a sponge.”

Filmed during the high-pressure calving season at Tarbert Farm, the Gigha episode follows Guy as he immerses himself in the diverse and demanding daily routine of the farm. 

His tasks ranged from technical challenges like fixing machinery, to the hands-on reality of herding and milking.

While Guy is famously fearless on a motorbike, he admitted to some initial trepidation about the livestock. 

“I was nervous of cows’ udders and the teats,” he confessed. However, true to form, he didn’t stay on the sidelines for long. 

“They got me milking and I could sort of do it myself at the end,” he said. “It was great.”

While some might find the mucking out a chore, Guy took it in his stride, noting that as a mechanic and truck fitter, he is used to getting his hands dirty. 

“I’m always knee-deep in it, aren’t I?” he joked. “It’s not a problem!”

In addition to his time on Gigha, the new series sees Guy drilling a mile beneath the North Sea in the UK’s last deep mine, joining the RNLI crew for rescues on the Humber, and tackling the high-stakes world of roadside HGV recovery.

Asked which of these roles was his favourite, Guy ranked the Gigha visit as a personal highlight of the series. 

“Picking one of those jobs,” he said, “it’s working on the cows. What a job. You’re just a jack of all trades. You’re fitting tyres on a digger or fixing stuff or milking cows or herding them. Loved it.”

The island’s charm clearly left an impression. While Guy isn’t trading in his workshop just yet, he hasn’t ruled out an island move. 

“Would I like to live in a remote place like that? Yeah, as long as I could take my toolbox. If I could take my shed with me, yeah, I’d be grand. They have got a holiday house up there...”

The series is produced by North One, with executive producer Steve Gowans noting that Guy’s “genuine curiosity and respect” for the trades he visits is what makes the show a success. 

The entire second series of ‘Guy Martin: Proper Jobs’ will be available for free on the streaming service U from Sunday, January 25, with the dairy farming episode scheduled to air on the U&Dave channel on television at 8pm on Sunday, February 8.