After the mother-of-nine’s marriage break-up… Can the Yorkshire Shepherdess’ heartthrob son save her TV career?

Even as a young boy, Reuben Owen was far ahead of his years.

Reuben, the eldest son of nine children born to Yorkshire shepherdess Amanda Owen and her husband Clive, was just eight when he first appeared on our TV screens, lugging bales of wool around his parents’ remote sheep farm in Swaledale and hunting to moles running rampant in their parental home. 2,000 hectares of land.

He could give birth to a lamb and use a wrench long before he could read or write.

After the Owens’ debut in a 2011 documentary about the Yorkshire Dales, the family became unlikely household names through their own Channel 5 show, Our Yorkshire Farm, with shepherdess Amanda the standout star.

Now, a dozen harvests later, and quietly toiling away in the background, it seems Reuben has outgrown his famous mother in more ways than one.

Filming on Our Yorkshire Farm ended in 2021 after five series, with the final episodes airing last year amid rumors that Amanda, 48, was having an affair and the collapse of her 22-year marriage to Clive, 68.

But while both husband and wife have since tried to revive their careers through rival shows, it is the now 20-year-old Reuben whose popularity has soared.

The former apprentice mechanic has been courted by TV executives who have noted the multi-generational appeal of his no-nonsense attitude and work ethic – not to mention the charm of his budding romance with girlfriend Sarah Dow, whom he social media has documented.

Just as contractor Kaleb Cooper became the must-see star of Clarkson’s Farm, Jeremy Clarkson’s Amazon show, Reuben is TV gold.

As a source close to the family wrote to the Mail this week: ‘If anyone is going to be a star now, it’s Reuben. He has a lot of followers on social media and has the same charming appearance as his father.’

Reuben and Sarah have been together since December 2021. The pair share a passion for agricultural machinery and videos Reuben has uploaded of them tackling repairs together have been a hit on TikTok and Instagram.

Sarah’s regular appearances with Reuben in Beyond The Yorkshire Farm have also proven to be ratings success.

Earlier this year it emerged that the Channel 5 spin-off, in which Reuben and his father Clive embark on an ‘exciting digging business’, had attracted 1.7 million viewers, more than double the number for Amanda Owen’s Farming Lives, a More 4 show with the Shepherdess of Yorkshire.

Reuben’s popularity among young and old was so great that Clive announced he was considering taking a step back from the spotlight and putting his son in the spotlight.

And now some are wondering if Reuben’s rising profile is behind a recent decision by Amanda to put her marital problems behind her and join forces with both her estranged husband and her adult son in a new TV comeback.

Earlier this week it was revealed that filming has begun on Our Farm Next Door, a new Channel 4 series in which the trio work together to renovate an old farmhouse next to Ravenseat, the hill farm made famous by Our Yorkshire Farm. A source told the Mail that Amanda’s turnaround may have been driven by fears that her tumultuous private life had tarnished the wholesome family image that made Our Yorkshire Farm such a hit – and her such a star.

In addition to numerous TV appearances and speaking engagements, she has published a series of books. “But people came to see her on book tours because they loved the Owens’ family life, the kids and the relationship with Clive,” the source added.

‘When it became clear that she no longer wanted to marry Clive, that image disappeared forever.

‘She knows the only way to have any success on TV is to get Clive and Reuben involved and present a united front.’

Brand expert Nick Ede predicted this week that Reuben will be key to the success of the new show and help boost his mother’s image. “Just having her on the show probably wouldn’t be successful because she polarizes people,” he said. “But seeing the interaction between her, Reuben and his girlfriend is what will bring the ratings.”

It is certainly somewhat ironic, given the rift between Amanda and Clive, that the remote farmhouse the Owens are renovating for their new show, known locally as Anty Johns, was bought with money made from their TV success, to provide security for the family offer.

Their latest venture is certainly ambitious. Anty Johns – the official name of the Grade II listed building is High Smithy Holme – has been abandoned for sixty years.

Reaching it requires a 20-minute walk from the nearest road, or a ride in a vehicle that can traverse the rugged terrain. With two bedrooms and an attached shed, the Owens had to figure out how to provide water to the property.

Step forward Reuben, who now runs his own earthworks company, specializing in drainage, and has already deployed his machines to help remove the remains of the collapsed roof.

The Owens also own The Firs, a six-bedroom 17th-century cottage, bought as a holiday let and rented out for £175 a night, although Amanda has made the cottage her home since her divorce from Clive.

Clive, meanwhile, remains in Ravenseat, where he and Amanda first saw each other in 1996 when the then 21-year-old shepherdess was sent to collect a ram from tenant farmer Clive.

They married four years later and their eldest child, daughter Raven, was born in 2001. Reuben, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Anna, Clemmie and Nancy, now six, followed.

For four years starting in 2018, the Owens, their free-range, nature-loving children and their flock of sheep have delighted the nation with their rural existence.

But in 2021, rumors of ‘trouble at t’farm’ began to circulate, amid reports that Amanda was spending nights at The Firs.

While the formal announcement of their split finally came in June 2022, the couple had in fact quietly split eighteen months earlier.

“It wouldn’t have been Clive’s choice, but I think he’s at a point where he’s accepted the split now,” the source said.

‘They share the care of the children, so they still see each other regularly. He does most of the work on the farm and I think now that he has come to terms with the divorce he just wants to get on with his life.”

Despite Amanda’s attempts to play down the split, saying it was ‘not a big story’, it emerged in April this year that she had had a five-year romance with 71-year-old IT consultant Robert Davies. They met in 2018 when he designed her personal website. He began accompanying her on book and theater tours.

Their affair came to light after Robert’s wife, Tokyo investment banker Yasumi, found a handwritten note from Amanda in her husband’s car that read: “Life is too short and happiness is too rare.” I love you.’

Yasumi, 56, said she recognized the handwriting of a signed copy of one of Amanda’s books. She is said to be in turmoil over the new show Amanda is filming with Clive and Reuben.

Another source said this week: ‘She is furious and feels Amanda Owen can manipulate all the men around her.’

Locals say they often see the estranged couple driving together along the roads near the farm, where they also continue to share the care of their sheep, goats, horses and chickens.

The source who spoke to the Mail this week said: ‘Clive wants a quiet life and is happy to go along with this new programme, despite being fully aware that Amanda is in a relationship with someone else.

‘Everyone sympathizes with him. He’s a good, decent man who wants everyone to be happy.’

Whether or not the pair can recapture the magic of Our Yorkshire Farm is another matter.

Ultimately, the secret to the show’s success may lie with the son they raised together.

And the Yorkshire shepherdess may yet discover that, when it comes to TV ratings, she is better off with her human flock.