Matt Baker talks losing his beloved border collie Bob: “Grief is the price you pay for love”
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
If ever there were a celebrity qualified to host a new podcast about pets, it’s surely Matt Baker. Long before he became a household name hosting Countryfile and The One Show, or even launched his TV career as a Blue Peter presenter in 1999, he was a boy at home on his family’s farm where, aged 13, he trained his first sheepdog.
It was a place where family members were easily outnumbered by animals in the yard and by pets everywhere else. “The difference is that pets are animals you let in the house,” he laughs. “But even saying that I realise you can take a lamb to feed and before you know it they’re in the kitchen and they’re a pet, too.
“By the time I was born, we had a St Bernard called Cromwell, a beautiful, big dog. I used to plunge my tiny fingers into his coat and prop myself up against him when I was learning to walk. He was a gentle giant who taught me everything I needed to know about dogs at that young age. I’ve probably had more than 20 dogs in my life since him.”
He reflects now on the strength of those connections. “I have ADHD and dyslexia, but when I was younger I was known as a sort of hyperactive child and, for me, pets were my companions on adventures, running around outside and doing stuff. They were a constant presence.” The 48-year-old had therapy dogs before the term existed? “Yes, as it turns out, and continue to do so.”
Matt Baker with Blue Peter puppy Meg in 2001.
Baker’s best-known dog is Meg, the border collie at his side during his seven years on Blue Peter. While this, alongside his enthusiasm for physical challenges, made him a natural successor to John Noakes and his beloved Shep, Meg’s role was no contrivance staged by producers.
“When I moved down to London it was the first time in my life that I’d been without a dog and I felt quite lost. So when I began Blue Peter I realised it would be ideal to get one and have some amazing adventures. Blue Peter supported me. Meg came from a neighbour’s farm up in Durham. We covered me rearing her as a puppy to her having pups herself and the nation’s children took her to their hearts.
“My time on Blue Peter was a partnership with Meg. We had over seven glorious years on the show and we left together. She was my dog, not the show’s, so she came with me and spent the rest of her days on the farm.
“I still think that’s a wonderful thing for children to see on TV, especially those who perhaps couldn’t have a dog. They saw Meg as theirs and I loved that. It made me really proud.”
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What about the old adage, “Never work with children or animals”? He shakes his head. “My adage is, always work with animals and chuck in children if you can because they create the best television. Animals seem to cut through the screen and create wonderful relationships with viewers. In all the shows I’ve done I’ve tried to get animals in there. There are always mad moments, but that’s what you want.”
Now living on a smallholding in the Chiltern Hills, the tradition of life with animals continues with young border collie Ted and miniature dachshund Ivy, as well as sheep and chickens. But Baker is still palpably grieving the loss, late last year, of his beloved longtime companion, border collie Bob. “That took a lot of getting over. He’d been with me for the major moments in my life, so it was tough when he wasn’t.” He manages a smile. “We’re fortunate to have these animals in our lives. Every single one has taught me something and I’m grateful. Grief is the price you pay for love.”
It’s one of the themes he touches on in Matt Baker’s Petcast, where he and guests including Susan Calman, Bill Bailey and Martin Clunes share stories about their pets and what they get from them. “It’s always been one of my first questions when I meet people: ‘Do you have any pets?’ Then somebody will mention a pet, I’ll jump in and say, ‘Oh, I used to have a stick insect,’ and off we go. It opens up a whole world of conversation.
“They just enrich our lives,” he adds, “and we love talking about them. Dogs, cats and other animals are all reflections of the kind of people we are.”
Matt Baker’s Petcast podcast is available now.
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