AFTER ALMOST 20 YEARS OF DREAMING — MATT BAKER AND NICOLA ARE FINALLY BUILDING THE HOME THEY ALWAYS WANTED

A long-held family dream is becoming reality as Matt and Nicola return to the Dales for their most personal transformation yet.

For almost 20 years, Matt Baker and his wife Nicola have carried a dream of creating a home of their own on the family farm.

Now, that dream is finally becoming real.

The much-loved presenter is returning to More4 with Matt Baker: Our Barn in the Dales, a new series following the couple as they take on one of their biggest projects yet — transforming ageing farm buildings beside Matt’s parents’ farmhouse into a new home for their family.

FROM OLD FARM BUILDINGS TO A NEW HOME

The project will see Matt and Nicola take on three existing buildings — a barn, a granary and a stable — and turn them into somewhere they can eventually call home.

But before construction can really begin, there is a huge amount of work to do.

The buildings contain decades of belongings and memories, meaning the first challenge is not simply knocking down walls or putting up new ones.

It is deciding what stays, what goes and what can be given a new life.

For Matt, the buildings are deeply connected to the place where he grew up.

This is not just another renovation project.

It is a piece of his family’s history being transformed into the next chapter.

 A DREAM THAT IS ALSO ABOUT FAMILY

The new home is being created right beside the farmhouse where Matt’s parents, Mike and Janice, live.

And that closeness matters.

For years, Matt has helped his parents make the farm safer and easier to manage, particularly after Janice suffered a serious accident that affected her mobility.

The family’s previous Our Farm in the Dales series documented their efforts to adapt the property and keep the farm running.

Now, Matt and Nicola are taking that family commitment even further.

Their new home will allow them to remain close to Mike and Janice while creating a place of their own.

 THE FARM DOESN’T WAIT

Of course, renovating a home on a working farm comes with one unavoidable problem.

Farm life never stops.

While Matt and Nicola begin clearing the old buildings, animals still need caring for, sheep still need feeding and unexpected problems can appear at any moment.

The first episode promises exactly that kind of chaos, with the family dealing with a sheep that needs rescuing while continuing their work in snowy conditions.

It is the reality of life on the Dales farm — there is always another job waiting.

 THREE GENERATIONS, ONE FAMILY FARM

What has made Matt’s farm programmes so popular is that they have never been simply about farming.

They are about family.

Matt, Nicola and their children have shared the ups and downs of rural life alongside Mike and Janice, from difficult weather and livestock emergencies to repairs, renovations and everyday family moments.

The new series continues that story, but with an especially personal goal.

This time, they are not simply improving the farm.

They are building a future on it.

 AFTER YEARS OF WAITING

There is something emotional about finally seeing a dream that has existed for almost two decades begin to take shape.

The old buildings may be worn and filled with memories, but they also represent possibility.

One day, the same walls that have stood beside Matt’s parents’ farmhouse for generations could become the place where Matt, Nicola and their family create memories of their own.

It will not be easy.

There will be setbacks, hard work and plenty of surprises along the way.

But after nearly 20 years of dreaming, Matt and Nicola are finally getting the chance to turn an old corner of the family farm into something entirely new.

A home of their own — without ever having to leave the family farm behind.