The story
In a sleepy Cotswolds village, cousins Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe have plenty of time and very little to fill it with. A documentary crew trails them through petty feuds, village events and half-formed plans to escape, while the kindly local vicar does his best to keep them on the straight and narrow. Beneath the boredom and bravado sits a sharply observed, often tender portrait of young lives in a small place.
Why it matters
This Country is a homegrown success of BBC Three's years as an online-only service: written by and starring siblings Daisy May and Charlie Cooper, it launched there in 2017 and drew more than 52 million iPlayer requests across its run. It also travelled, inspiring Fox's American remake, Welcome to Flatch.
Born online
Daisy May and Charlie Cooper first appeared as the Mucklowe cousins in 2016 on the BBC Three show Live from the BBC. The series itself premiered on BBC Three on 8 February 2017, while the channel was an online-only service delivered through iPlayer.
Notable facts
- Across three series and a special it received more than 52 million BBC iPlayer requests. (source)
- The Coopers' real father, Paul Cooper, plays Kerry's father Martin in his first acting role. (source)
- Fox adapted it as Welcome to Flatch, which ran for two seasons from March 2022. (source)