Reuben Owen Life in the Dales
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Our Yorkshire Farm’s Reuben Owen on new TV show Life in the Dales, his parents’ very public split, and relationship with girlfriend Sarah Dow

Reuben is back, attempting to grow his new heavy plant machinery business

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Reuben Owen, star of Our Yorkshire Farm, has now landed his own TV series on Channel 5 called Life in the Dales.

The good news came amid a turbulent time for the second-oldest child of Amanda and Clive Owen. His parents announced their very public split in June 2022, which subsequently led to the family show being cancelled.

Reuben recently broke his silence about his parents’ divorce (read below). Here’s everything you need to know about Reuben Owen’s new TV show Life in the Dales, what he’s said about his mum and dad’s split, and his long-term relationship with girlfriend Sarah Dow.

Sarah Dow, Reuben Owen, and Tommy McWhirter in farm gear for My Life in the Dales
My Life in the Dales stars Sarah Dow, Reuben Owen, and Tommy McWhirter, seen here in Reuben’s yard (Credit: Channel 5)

Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales on Channel 5

Reuben Owen – son of hill shepherds Amanda and Clive Owen – shot to fame appearing with his family on Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm. However, he’s now back on the channel with his very own TV series.

In Reuben: Life in the Dales, the now 20-year-old attempts to grow his new heavy plant machinery business with his best friends Tommy and girlfriend Sarah. The business is located in the remote Yorkshire Dales.

In the first episode (Thursday, April 25, 2024), we join the team at the start of Reuben’s second year of trading. This June, the friends have won a contract to restore life to an old fishing pond at a grand country estate in County Durham. All they have to do is excavate 6000 tonnes of silt!

At half an acre, it’s the largest dig the teenage team have ever attempted, and the scale is daunting. Hitting their two-week deadline is dependent on 17-year-old Sarah making hundreds of trips into the woods on a track dumper to shift the silt. But, when heavy summer rain turns the site into a slurry pit, Reuben fights to stop his 14-tonne digger being swallowed. The trio subsequently turn to a vintage bulldozer to keep the job on track.

Meanwhile, Reuben must keep up with business demands. As well as managing the pond dig, the team take on an ancient haulage yard where they can store and maintain their fleet. But with a derelict barn to clear and a pot-holed track to level, have the friends bitten off more than they can chew?

How many episodes is Reuben: Life in the Dales?

Season 1 of Reuben: My Life in the Dales is six episodes. Each episode is one hour long, and will air on consecutive Thursdays from April 25, 2024 at 8pm.

All episodes will be available on My5 after airing. Talking about his new series, Reuben says that he doesn’t see himself “as a TV star” and that he will just “stick to what I know – my diggers and machinery”.

He told The Telegraph: “But it’s nice that people have tuned in over the years, so when they asked if I’d like to do this, I thought, ‘Why not?’.

“It shows people what’s going on. It doesn’t really make a difference to us. We are just doing what we are always doing, but if people watching it on telly means bringing them a bit of happiness.”

The Owen Family on Our Yorkshire Farm
Amanda and Clive Owen with their children Annas, Violet, Edith, Raven, Clemmy, Nancy, Reuben, Miles, and Sidney outside on Ravenseat Farm (Credit: Channel 5)

Who is Life in the Dales star Reuben Owen?

Reuben Owen is the 20-year-old son of Clive and Amanda Owen, stars of Our Yorkshire Farm on Channel 5.

He grew up at Ravenseat Farm, the setting of the hit Channel 5 show. The billion pound estate-owned Ravenseat Farm is located in Keld, Swaledale. The series followed the family – hill shepherds Clive and Amanda, and their nine children – as they worked on the farm. Reuben was the family’s resident mechanic.

After Our Yorkshire Farm ended, Reuben appeared alongside his father in four-part series Beyond the Yorkshire Farm: Clive and Reuben. He also appeared alongside Helen Skelton and Jules Hudson for an episode of Winter on the Farm.

In the episode, Reuben helped the team replace a snapped belt on a vintage thresher machine in Barnsley. Despite admitting he “hated” thresher machines, Reuben’s fix was successful.

Reuben also runs a successful TikTok account @reubenlivingstoneowen with more than 50,000 followers. He usually posts videos of himself fixing dirt bikes and performing stunts at home on the farm.

How old is Reuben Owen?

Although a teenager when he started his new business, Reuben is now 20 years of age.

He was born on November 3, 2003, so will be celebrating his momentous 21st birthday in 2024.

Reuben is the second-oldest of the Owen family brood.

Reuben Owen speaks to camera
Reuben Owen has been on TV since 2018, when he was just 15 (Credit: Channel5.com)

Was Our Yorkshire Farm axed?

Our Yorkshire Farm was axed after five seasons. The announcement followed Amanda and Clive’s separation in 2022.

The show ran for five series between 2018 and 2021. Unfortunately, Channel 5 has not confirmed a new series of Our Yorkshire Farm.

After Clive and Amanda’s marriage breakdown, Clive announced his intention to “step back” from the show. He shared his desire for son Reuben to go “on his own” with Channel 5.

In April 2023, he said: “I think he is going to go on, on his own because he doesn’t want me holding his hand.”

Who is Reuben’s girlfriend?

Reuben is working alongside his girlfriend Sarah Dow and best friend Tommy McWhirter on his new business venture. Reuben met girlfriend Sarah through Tommy.

Sarah has appeared in several TV shows with her boyfriend, including Our Yorkshire Farm, Our Big Yorkshire Christmas, and Beyond the Yorkshire Farm. During an episode of Our Yorkshire Farm, it was revealed that Reuben was “terrified” of Sarah in the beginning as he “was not a natural charmer”.

However, several years later, the couple are going strong, and Reuben spends a lot of time at Sarah’s family home.

The trio – all teenagers when they embarked on the heavy plant machinery business – grew up locally and are planning a permanent career in the outdoors.

According to Reuben’s Instagram, Reuben and Sarah started dating in December 2021. They regularly share pictures together, often getting down and dirty together. And, by that, we obviously mean at work on the farm!

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A post shared by Reuben Owen (@reubenowen74)

How tall is Life in the Dales star Reuben Owen?

Amanda Owen’s son Reuben is tall! In fact, he is by far the tallest member of the Owen family. He is 6ft 6in, which towers over his mum, who is 6ft 2.

Of course, fans of the family will know that Amanda is a former model.

When did Amanda and Clive Owen split up?

Amanda and Clive are no longer together. They announced their split in 2022, after 22 years together.

At the time, Amanda said: “Clive and I are sad to confirm that we have made the difficult decision to separate. This hasn’t been easy, but we both believe it’s the right choice for the future of our family.

“Although we are no longer a couple, we continue to work on the farm and co-parent together, with our number one priority the happiness and wellbeing of our children.”

She later blamed “pressures” on their marriage breakdown, while Clive admitted to having a “massive part to play” in his marriage ending.

However, the pair have remained working on the farm and being doting parents to their children.

Our Yorkshire farm
Amanda and Clive share nine children together (Credit: Channel 5)

Reuben breaks silence on parents’ marriage split

Ahead of his new series airing, Reuben spoke in an interview about his family. Although the nine Owen children had yet to speak publicly about their parents’ marriage split, Reuben said it was “not a big deal” for the family.

Speaking to MailOnline, he said: “It’s quite simple really. Everyone gets along great. It’s not really changed for any of us, if you get me.”

Reuben explained his parents had gathered the family together when breaking the news about their split. He added his seven younger siblings were “not fussed” by Clive and Amanda’s divorce.

He said: “Everyone makes it work. Beyond that, it’s not my business. All I want is for them to be happy. That is all that matters. They are happy and that’s what counts.”

Reuben also said that growing up on a farm has helped him and his family have a “plough on” attitude to life. He said: “Mum and dad were both there, working away, together, doing something with the cows. That’s how it is. Nothing has changed in that regard.”

He added: “They just get on with it. They are both the same, really, they get on what whatever jobs need doing. Great role models, really, brilliant. Farming away, out in the rain and snow. They are really tough, the pair of them.”

In fact, Reuben had nothing but good things to say about his parents and childhood, adding: “It was a grand childhood. I couldn’t imagine a better place to grow up. It was great fun.”

How many children do Amanda and Clive Owen have?

Amanda and Clive Owen share nine children – with the youngest and oldest being 15 years apart.

Daughter Raven is the eldest at 22. She recently graduated from York St John University after completing her biology degree.

Reuben is the second oldest at 20. He is followed by Miles, 16, Edith, 14, Violet, 12, Sidney, 11, Annas, nine, Clemmy, seven, and Nancy, six. That’s a LOT of nappies.

Amanda and Clive Owen smiling
Amanda and Clive announced their split in 2022 (Credit: Channel 5)

Is Clive or Amanda dating anyone else?

After Clive and Amanda announced their split, neighbours reported that Amanda had allegedly “grown close to a cameraman” on the set of Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm.

One local told The Sun: “There’s been a persistent rumour in the Dales for ages that Amanda had grown close to a cameraman on set. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Clive had got wind of them.”

However, Amanda and Clive insisted there was “no suggestion of an affair” and called the claims “scurrilous mischief-making from bored locals”.

Now, nearly two years after their split, Amanda is said to be dating businessman Robert Davies. According to reports, his wife was left “devastated” after he left her for the star. Amanda and Robert have been described as “inseparable”.

Amanda has not confirmed the relationship, however there are multiple pictures of the pair together.

Read more: Amanda Owen’s son Reuben pays tribute to ‘really tough’ mum following split from husband Clive

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Reuben: Life in the Dales starts on Channel 5 at 8pm on Thursday, April 24, 2024.

What do you think of Reuben Owen and his new TV show Life in the Dales? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.


Helen Fear
TV Editor