Reuben: Life in the Dales

In the first episode, it's the height of summer and Reuben and the team are building a brand-new sheep pen for a local farmer. But when sinking a gate post proves trickier than expected the young boss, his girlfriend Jess, and workmates Capper Sonny are left scratching their heads.

Meanwhile, Reuben's younger brothers Miles and Sidney sweat it out on an arduous sheep shearing course. Attempting to clip three sheep in under 30 minutes and win the prestigious Blue Seal Shearer's certificate, dad Clive lends his expert eye and hopes his sons can make the grade.

Over on girlfriend Jess's farm, she and her dad David are also trying to shear their 300-strong flock for summertime. Though a shepherd's son himself, Reuben has never learned this traditional skill, preferring driving machines not clippers. But under Jess's tutelage, it's not long before he picks up the knack, and lends his 6 foot 7" might to the shearing operation.

Reuben and Jess are on a mission to throw Clive a 70th birthday party to remember, so armed with a truck-load of balloons they head to their local, the highest pub in England, where friends and family have gathered to celebrate.

This week, as late summer arrives in the Yorkshire Dales, Reuben and the gang are juggling work, adventures and a fair bit of unexpected drama.

At an idyllic country house that was once an historic Cumbrian pub, Reuben, Sonny and Jess are installing underground pipework - a job that should be straightforward, in theory. But as the trenches deepen and the pressure mounts, the cracks literally begin to show, and the team must think fast to keep the project on track.

Meanwhile, Reuben's dad Clive, and brothers Miles and Sid set sail across the Irish sea on a rare father-and-sons' adventure. They're bound for Donegal, where Clive has been invited to be the VIP judge at the legendary Clonmany Agricultural Show - Ireland's proud celebration of the Swaledale sheep he's spent his life breeding. As it's Miles and Sid's first trip abroad, they are determined to experience everything Ireland has to offer.

After a stormy ferry journey that forces them to find their sea legs, the boys are thrown straight into the hands-on art of sheep prep, where Sid discovers getting a prize ewe perfectly show-ring ready sometimes comes with a few splatters. Miles, meanwhile, lives out a young farmer's dream as he leads his younger brother on an epic vintage tractor run down to the spectacular Donegal coast.

The boys rejoin dad Clive with ringside seats at one of the show's biggest highlights - the All Nations Shearing Championships, where they witness the world's elite shearers race to clip sheep 20 sheep against the clock. And after completing their own shearing course earlier in the summer, the lads have huge respect for the competitors.

In the Cumbrian countryside, Reuben is grafting to finish an epic wildlife pond, shaping and smoothing the bank to get it ready for its feathered residents. While Reuben's digging goes without a hitch, Capper wedges himself so firmly in the muck that Sonny has to stage a muddy rescue. Up on the fells, Reuben and Jess turn their attention to a headcount of the heifers - or at least, try to.