Main content

Battle Grounds: Culture Wars in the Countryside - Vegans

Alistair Macbeth was a vegan fire-breather who lived in a van. This is the story of how he parked his van in a field in the Peak District and ended up becoming a dairy farmer.

The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding. Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds. In this episode she meets Alistair Macbeth. In the 2010s he’s working as a touring fire-breather with long dreadlocks and living in a van. He’s also a committed vegan. So how did he go from that to running a dairy farm in the Peak District?

Presented by Anna Jones

Produced for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones

Release date:

Available now

15 minutes

Nazanin and the mystery of a decades old tank debt

Nazanin and the mystery of a decades old tank debt

Has an old tank debt with Iran cost Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe her freedom?

Seriously... Archive

Even more seriously interesting documentaries from Radio 4.

Seriously... Reads

Read more about some of the amazing stories in Seriously...

Podcast