In the new Tractor Ted episode, The Big Dig, which launched today (September 16), Tractor Ted ventures to the world famous JCB factory to find Farmer Sophie's digger, and explores the incredible operation, full of giant wheels, powerful engines and clever machines.
Created by Alexandra Heard over twenty years ago, the show was inspired by her young children who were 2 and 4 at the time and had a real fascination for farm machinery.
Ms Heard noticed there were no programs available which showed real life farm activities. So, teaming up with her friend David Horler, they created the first Tractor Ted film, ‘Tractorland'.
Beginning by showing the process of bread making, the show aimed to demonstrate field to plate and used Tractor Ted as the trusty, fun guide for the children.
"Farming is vitally important, so if we can show children the importance and also the joy behind farming and the countryside not just to farming children but children all over the country/world, then that is what the show is about," she said.
"It is also about making children really happy and providing them with content that is trustworthy, and some people use the word wholesome."
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Tractor Ted is ‘teducating' children Ms Heard says. Providing factual but entertaining information that has children immersed when watching it.
The show, which has been used in some nurseries to show to the children, previously took the form of teacher's packs and lesson plans which were sent out to bring farming into the education system.
Ms Heard is looking into returning this idea in 2026.
Through watching Tractor Ted, children as young as three have been correcting their parents on farming terms.
Ms Heard has had a mother tell her she said to her child ‘look at that tractor ploughing' to which the child has responded ‘that is not ploughing mummy, that is cultivating'.
"What is also fantastic is it started off being very boy orientated, our audience used to be around 85% boys and 15% girls, now it is around 60% boys and 40% girls," she said.
"We have got a lot of little girls loving Tractor Ted now as well."
The show has come a long way from where it began over 20 years ago. Starting with a shoestring budget and now involving a team which includes presenter JB Gill, narrator Matt Baker and a film crew which also shot Clarkson's Farm.
"We have always been led by the children rather than what adults want, and it is really interesting because it grew very much organically," she said.
Now, after speaking with JCB for a long time about what can be done to include the famous factory in the show, the team were ‘over the moon' to hear that there was an opportunity for it to help them produce this episode.
Ms Heard said: "It is the most incredible place ever.
"We were lucky enough the fly a drone actually inside the factory which has not been done before, we have got this one shot that goes down the whole production line and it is incredible."
Tractor Ted can be watched on Tractor Ted TV, Prime TV and YouTube.
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