As the emotional three-part Jimmy Doherty’s Big Bear Rescue draws to a close on Sunday 20 July, fans of the wildlife expert and TV presenter might be wondering what life is like behind the scenes.
In the programme, Jimmy opens the gates of his farm in Wherstead, Suffolk, to some very special guests: two homeless polar bears, a pack of wolves and a pair of brown bears all looking for their forever homes.
A childhood friend of Jamie Oliver, 50-year-old Jimmy first rose to fame in 2004 with Jimmy’s Farm, which chronicled his journey from zoology graduate and pig farmer to TV presenter.
He has since become a familiar face on British television, appearing in shows like Food Unwrapped, Builds on Wheels, Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast and Big Bee Rescue.
Away from the cameras, Jimmy enjoys an idyllic family life on the Suffolk farm with his wife, Michaela Furney, and their four daughters.
Early days on the farm
When he first bought Pannington Hall farm in 2002 with his wife Michaela, Jimmy admits that it was "a place lost in time – an old dairy farm that had stood empty for nearly 50 years".
Though "derelict and overgrown", Jimmy transformed the space into a thriving hub for livestock and conservation. Today, it operates as a working farm complete with a farm shop, butchery, restaurant, gardens, wedding venue and wildlife park.
In 2003, Jimmy and Michaela established The Essex Pig Company, which focuses on raising rare-breed pigs using traditional, free-range methods. The farm later became the setting for the BBC documentary Jimmy's Farm.
Sustainable living
Sustainability has always been at the heart of Jimmy's mission, both on and off screen.
As a passionate advocate for ethical farming and conservation, he has worked to create a farm that not only supports biodiversity but also educates the public on where their food comes from.
Speaking to Country Living, Jimmy revealed that all the meat his family eats comes directly from their farm, while they source seabass from a nearby estuary and pick fresh greens from Michaela's vegetable patch.
He added that all four of their daughters – Molly Rose, Cora Mae, Neve and Bo-Lila – are aware of where their food comes from and why that matters.
In 2016, Jimmy became President of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust – the youngest person to hold the role to date.
Wildlife on the farm
Today, Jimmy's Farm is home to over 100 species, including alpacas, meerkats, reindeer, tapirs – and, thanks to Big Bear Rescue, even polar bears and Arctic wolves.
According to the BBC, the Lost Lands of the Tundra polar bear enclosure alone cost nearly £1 million and was funded via a bank loan secured against Jimmy's own property.
Famous wife and family life
Jimmy shares his life on the farm with his wife Michaela, who was building a career in TV production in London before joining him on a derelict farmstead in the countryside.
The couple met when Jamie Oliver invited Jimmy to a farm-based training day for his catering students – which happened to be filmed by a TV crew that included Michaela, who was a runner at the time.
The couple continue to share life on the farm with their four daughters, Molly Rose, Cora Mae, Neve, and Bo-Lila.
The final episode of Jimmy Doherty’s Big Bear Rescue is on Channel 4 at 8pm on Sunday 20 July.