Unassuming and gently spoken, Mark seems to embrace the countryside wherever he goes, whether he’s filming on location in Oregon or swimming in the Thames. Being series editor for Countryfile seems to come naturally to him, another life experience he is quietly attaining. We met in Somerset’s Mendip Hills on a warm sunny evening in early autumn…
Are you enjoying working in Bristol?
“Yes, it’s an area I really love. I first came here when I was about eight. My grandparents are from Bristol and I remember them taking me on a day out to the Mendip caves and being struck by the countryside. It felt exotic. It was different because I’m from the Sussex coast, originally.”
What was the countryside like where you grew up?
“We lived on the edge of where the
