Matt Baker, well known as the presenter of Countryfile, has shared the deeply moving experience he had while filming his new podcast, Matt Baker’s Petcast. The show features celebrity guests joining Matt in his caravan to discuss their cherished pets and the significant impact these animals have had on their lives.
During one particularly emotional recording, comedian Susan Calman recounted the painful experience of having her cats euthanised during the pandemic and the distress of being unable to accompany them into the vet’s room. Matt described the scene, saying, “Susan Calman had us all in tears when she talked about having her cats put down during the pandemic and not being allowed into the vet’s room - it was really emotional.”
Despite the sadness, Susan soon lifted the mood with her characteristic humour. Matt explained, “But it wasn’t all sad as within minutes she was doing West-End style singing, telling me that she has a musical introduction for all of her cats - whenever they walk through the door, she sings their intro theme tune. It was hilarious,” as he told Woman’s Weekly.
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The podcast has featured other notable guests, including Clare Balding, Bill Bailey, and the Seaman family, David and Frankie. Reflecting on the appeal of Petcast, Matt observed, “It’s such a lovely thing because people love to talk about their pets and you see a completely different side to them.”
Matt’s conversations on the podcast come shortly after he experienced the heartbreaking loss of his own border collie, Bob. In May, he publicly shared his grief in an Instagram post, stating, “It’s with a very heavy heart that I’m letting you know our wonderful Bob is no longer with us.”
He added, “Bob was a brilliant dog; he was there for me with his gentle soul as the ultimate companion through some of the greatest chapters of my life, from raising our kids to all the changes we made on our family farm. It’s broken my heart, but I feel hugely grateful to have had him in our lives and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for everything he’s taught me and brought to our family.”
Although Bob passed away late last year, Matt initially kept the news private, explaining, “I didn’t feel I could talk about it publicly because I found it really difficult. It was hard enough coping with the loss without then having to deal with all of the wonderful support from other people.”
Since then, Matt has welcomed a new border collie named Ted into his home. Announcing Ted through a series of social media updates, Matt has received an outpouring of warm responses from followers. Comments included, “Ted Baker, he’s going to be a class act,” and “Oh my goodness, @mrsnicolabaker he is BEAUTIFUL!” Another follower wrote, “Oh darling Ted. He will heal and bring much happiness, what a lucky boy to be sharing his life with you.”