Prime Time!

According to reports, over 1.5 million UK households tuned in to see rural singletons Grace and dairy farmer Martin start their pursuit of happiness in the first episode of Love in the Countryside when Series 2 aired for the first time on BBC2 last Tuesday.

It may not attract the same viewing figures as enjoyed by similar sentiment shows like the Great British Bake Off or The Great British Sewing Bee but it’s a healthy figure to start, given its somewhat squeezed slot that forces its core audience to make a decision about switching over before the end of #GBBO.

But it does has ‘showstopper’ potential.  Following rave reviews (one said it felt like “a comforting pair of slippers”!) it is likely the appeal will continue to grow in coming weeks.

And here at Muddy Matches we’ve been feeling the positive, feel good factor effects of a little TV exposure of countryside dating ourselves.

As the UK’s number one dating website for country folk who are looking for more than just a roll in the hay, Love in the Countryside is very much our daily bread and butter.

And, as such, we should be the ‘go to’ for anyone inspired to look for love in farms and fields across the country. Our love-seekers come from all areas of country life; from those that work and live on farms and rural communities to the city dwellers who enjoy countryside pursuit – such as hiking or horse riding. Like the TV series, we even have sheep dog trainers, a man that farms llamas and more than a scrub down of vets.

In the six days since Sara Cox and the BBC team introduced us to the new series, we have enjoyed over ½ million page views and a sizeable leap in new users and web visits to www.muddymatches.co.uk. Free sign ups were up 22% week on week to boot.

It seems there’s lots of interest in finding love in the countryside and at Muddy Matches we are more than happy to play country life cupid to make it happen.

Roll on Episode 2.

Photo credit: BBC Press Team