The TV programme One Man And His Dog has provoked an argument that has united Britain's urban and rural communities. The broadcasting of sheepdog trials might seem unlikely to provoke political debate but the issue has highlighted problems facing those living in the countryside.
For the past 23 years the BBC television schedules have included the uniquely rural sporting event which has attracted support from urban armchair shepherds. At its peak in the 1980s One Man And His Dog attracted an audience of 7.8 million.
But recent years have seen fewer people prepared to sit in front of their screen and watch while border collies worry and cajole seven sheep across a field. High points such as when the dog brings the flock to a stand or singles one sheep out for the shepherd have apparently lost their fascination.
The programme was moved from its prime time evening slot to the scheduling wastelands of Saturday afternoon, where it competes for viewers with other, more popular, sporting events and its audience has fallen to just over a million.
But when the BBC announced last week that it was dropping One Man And His Dog newspapers were bombarded with letters from outraged viewers.
'The programme's popularity is well deserved. Not only does it offer an opportunity for our shepherds and dog handlers to demonstrate their skills to the world - it does far more. It gives townspeople a view of the real living and working countryside,' Lord Buxton wrote in a letter to the Daily Telegraph.
