An Ashby businessman has been featured in a BBC programme called 'Call That Hard Work?'.

David McDowell, also known as The Bee Farmer, is one of three people in the programme who are passionate and proud of what they do for a living compete to see whose job is the hardest.

And David admits he has had to keep his TV appearance secret for almost a year.

The BBC advertises the episode as: "For three days they immerse themselves in one another's jobs, scoring them on three criteria: working conditions, mental demands and physical demands. The person with the highest score and therefore the toughest job walks away with a prize of £1,000.

"Estate agent Jade, street food vendor Sarah and bee farmer David go head to head in a bid to prove their job is the hardest."

The show went out on Tuesday but is available to watch on iPlayer.

The Bee Farmer won won the Best Local Food and Drink Producer at the Leicestershire Tourism and Hospitality Awards last year Bee Farmer wins Leicestershire tourism award

But in his latest Bee Farmer Newsletter, David says: "I have been sitting on this piece of news since September last year.

"I took part in a TV show. It is on iPlayer for the remainder of this month and is part of a series. You can see the programme here Call That Hard Work?."

David also wrote an entertaining blog about the show on his website, you can read it in full here, The Bee Farmer Blog, and he allowed Ashby Nub News permission to use some of it.

He blogged: "In July 2019, I answered a phone call to a number I did not recognise.

"It was a television production company that said they where interested in doing a story on bees.

"The production company was Electric Ray. They had been commissioned by the BBC to create a 10-part series for afternoon television.

"Each episode would have three contestants all with very different jobs.

"Each contestant in turn would host and show the other two all about their job and get them to do it.

"I should say that at this time and right up to meeting the other contestants on the first day of shooting we had no idea what job we would be doing.

"Eventually a date for the three days of shooting was arranged for September 2019. 

"Day one, we all turn up to a location in Kettering town centre at some unearthly hour in the morning. Dress for business they said.

"We were met by the production team led by producer Mark. I was introduced to Jade and Sarah. It was at this point Jade's job was revealed......An estate agent at Oscar James.

"As you will see in the programme, we are led through a series of staged pieces that demonstrates Jade's job.

"Following a very scant instruction we set out as rookie estate agents. 

"We see three different houses and get scolded by Jade. We are just not focused enough.

"To be fair, we had only being doing the job for an hour and there is more to it than it first appears.

"As the day progresses we get to know each other. Jade, as the first host, has a tricky job as we were complete strangers and all doing this television stuff for the very first time.

"At the end of each day the two rookies have to rate the host's job. The criteria are; mental demands. physical demand and work conditions, score are out of ten. The host with the highest score wins £1000.  

"Day two with Sarah, a street food vendor, owner of Full of Chaat in Birmingham.

"Jade and I do as we are instructed preparing the vegetables and food. We crack on but not fast enough.

"Time is ticking. Sarah's business partner Keith, is brought in to get us back on track. Top bloke by the way. 

"Off to the venue to sell the food. We set up the stall. Jade has a problem with the fryer switching itself off. That gets fixed. The payment terminal has a hissy fit. That gets fixed but by then a huge queue has developed. Now we have to try to serve them all! Luckily Sarah's friend Claire is called in to sort us out.  

"Service over, we pack up the stall and go back to Sarah's unit to do the scores.

"Day three starts at the agreed time of 8am at the tank room. After 9am there is a phone call saying the production team are pooped and can we start at 11am? How do you say no? 

"Before we start we find out we have to do a green screen thing. It's what is seen at the start of each episode.

"We then do a piece in the depot about making and cleaning the frames. Sarah is not overly impressed with this. We move on to the apiary to fettle the bees. I had prepared a picnic for all of us. I need to look after the inner man. At 3pm there is a minor mutiny as I call a halt and demand we have some lunch.

"We find out Jade is a bit shy of the bees. The late start and the filming means the hour is getting late and we still have to collect a set of hives in the next county.

"At this point we find the production assistant has got the big van van stuck in the mud. Mainly because he parked where I told him he should not.

"Luckily Degsy, my Series 3 Land Rover was well able to tow the stricken vehicle back to the track.

"Collecting the hives ends up being done in the dark. It adds a bit of jeopardy to the piece. It does not help that a bunch of vermin shooters and a chap that lives near the hives turn up out of the dark to see what all the lights and commotion is about, giving Jade a heart palpation.

"We get the bees settled back at the apiary. It's really late now, after midnight. And we still have to do the scores and the reveal of the winner. By the time we have done that it's 3am again. 

"Jade and Sarah go off to their hotel. Its the local Brewers Fayre one junction up the motorway. The production team had disappeared back to London straight after filming was done leaving Mark and Anna stranded.

"I run them to the hotel which is the same one as Sarah and Jade. As we turn into the car park we find Sarah and Jade having a glass of wine before bed. It's 4.30am Sunday. I order and few drinks and we chat until the sky starts to brighten up. I rolled into bed about 6am and I am back up at 8am because I had a colony visit to host.†