Brian May to front one-off documentary on badger culling

13 August 2024, 13:57

Queen guitarist Brian May with his beloved badgers inset — Queen guitarist Brian May is set to front a new doc. Picture: Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images, Getty stock

The legendary Queen guitarist believes the one-off documentary will "outrage viewers".

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Sir Brian May is set to lead a one-off documentary about badger culling.

The legendary Queen guitarist is a known animal activist and has been staunchly against the practice for many years and now he is about to front a show which he says will prompt as much "outrage" in viewers as the Post Office scandal".

Brian May: The Badgers, The Farmers and Me - which has been four years in the making - will air on BBC Two this month and will see the musician delve into the issue of badger culling present an alternative method of eradicating bovine tuberculosis without causing harm to other animals.

The Bohemian Rhapsody rocker told Radio Times magazine: "The story told in my documentary on badger culling, which has been four years in the making, will outrage viewers more than anything since the Post Office scandal was revealed.

"You’ll see the monumental failure of British authorities to deal with the terrible problem of bovine TB, and the tragically wasteful slaughter of cows and badgers. Our findings, tracking years of research, are revolutionary and shocking – some will say heretical. I believe they’ll eventually turn farming practices upside down."

The show - which will air on 23rd August at 9pm on BBC Two - will also see the Will Will Rock you him team up with veterinarian Dick Sibley and farmer Robert Reed – whose farm was chronically infected with bTB.

They've worked to eliminate the disease without badger culling and May's hopes to show the wider farming community that he’s found “the real source” of the disease’s spread so their policies will change.

May went on: "In the last 12 years, a quarter of a million badgers have been slaughtered, based on the belief that they spread TB among cattle. The testimony of farmers in my film is that this policy has utterly failed them. Rates of infection and consequent numbers of cows slaughtered are no better and, in some areas, worse than ever.

"In pursuing the tragic badger cull, which has always been morally indefensible, we believe that science has made one of the biggest and most costly mistakes in history – hanging on to a policy that, in time, will be seen as no more effective than burning those unfortunate witches."

Brian May: The Badgers, The Farmers and Me will air on Friday 23rd August at 9pm on BBC Two.