Tomorrow, Derbyshire will be in the spotlight on BBC TV's Countryfile – and The Derbyshire Magazine's wildlife photography columnist Villager Jim will play a starring role.
THE phone call came like a bolt out of the blue. The producer of popular TV show Countryfile wanted to talk to Derbyshire wildlife photographer Villager Jim.
"It turns out that a friend of the show's presenter Helen Skelton was following me on Facebook and suggested they get in touch with me," explains Jim. It was an OMG moment for the modest 48-year-old, who came off the phone in a stunned state to tell his wife the news.
"The producer asked if they could come up to do a recce. They liked what they saw and came back the next week to film. It was absolutely brilliant. They started filming at 8am and stayed until 7pm – all for five minutes of footage!"
However, Villager Jim, who fiercely protects his anonymity, was suddenly forced to make a major decision about appearing on television.
"They agreed to call me Villager Jim in the programme so I was happy with that, even though some people will see my face now. Everyone knows me as Villager Jim and that's how I want it to stay."
Without wishing to give too much away, Jim lives in Foolow with his wife Jo and children Henrietta, 16, and Oscar, 11.
His photo diary column started in the Derby Telegraph's sister publication The Derbyshire Magazine in January and coincided with his work surging in popularity – much to his delight.
"I can't believe how things have taken off since January," says Jim. "That's when I started my Villager Jim Facebook page. It's got 14,000 followers in six months and just seems to be exploding."
The secret of Villager Jim's success lies in the fact that he does far more than post wildlife shots online. He gives the birds and animals names, paints their personalities and shares stories about their lives and how he connects with them.
"People seem to love the adventures of Villager Jim. They don't want to read a caption saying 'this is a badger', they want to read about 'Barry the badger'. I just seem to have hit a nerve with this. I've created something that people love."
The light-hearted way Jim shares his daily wildlife stories and images has won him legions of fans, and the Countryfile team are the latest in a long list of admirers.
"They came to film at my house for tomorrow's show," says Jim. "The whole programme was based in the Peak District."
Things couldn't have gone better for the BBC film crew as far as Jim was concerned. "I have some great tits in the garden with babies and the birds feed out of my hand. One of the adult birds, Georgie, landed on my hand when they were filming.
"The idea was that I would talk about how to get a good photo to tie in with the launch of Countryfile's photography competition. How great is that?
"They went to Chatsworth, too, and filmed a friend of mine who has a farm at Great Longstone, Linda Wood. Linda hasn't even got a computer but she loves her animals. She made great TV. They filmed Susie, her cow who was heavily pregnant. Susie gave birth after the crew left and Linda decided to name the calf after me. It was a girl so she called it Villager Jemima!"
Jim is still pinching himself. The last six months have been a rollercoaster ride of unimaginable success, all sparked by a hobby he loves.
"I started taking pictures when I moved to Foolow seven years ago," says Jim, whose day job involves running accommodation website www.peakdistrict online.co.uk.
The hobby grew and grew. "Wildlife is utterly my passion."
Jim noticed people liked his pictures – a lot – and it sparked his idea for the Villager Jim brand.
He launched a range of greeting cards featuring his animal photos in January and they have taken off, too.
He says: "I've sold 60,000 cards and have them in 200 outlets in and around the Peak District, including Chatsworth's shop, and around the country.
"I had three copies of a book featuring my photos specially published a while back, sent one to the Duke of Devonshire and got an amazing letter back. I went on to do a photo book about the wildlife at Chatsworth. The Duke has given me access to private areas of the estate to take pictures."
Ultimately, what makes Villager Jim's work so popular is that he seems able to capture the human aspect of the animals or birds that cross his path. His most popular greetings card is one featuring his black Labrador, Dilly, asleep with her head on the side of the sofa after a walk.
"That's the image I'm most proud of. It went viral in the US with more than five million views.
"It is now on a range of tea trays, cups, and table mats and is the best-selling product line for the company manufacturing them."
For Jim, the success of his photos mean he can use his passion for wildlife to build a business – and make the most of Peak District life.
"The place we live is one of the most beautiful parts of the world, never mind the country. You can take the beauty for granted.
"There is tremendous variation in landscape and I love the villages in the area where I live. A particular magnet for wildlife is the magnificent network of dry stone walls all around us. I often take pictures at Longstone Edge, Foolow, Bakewell, Chatsworth, Baslow and, most of all, the country lanes that few people go down."
Jim's latest TV success is not his first. Two years ago he won a BBC Springwatch competition thanks to a starlings picture chosen from 50,000 entries. "The BBC has also used one of my images of a bee for the front cover of its nature website."
But it all comes down to this: "I want to grow the following for Villager Jim and to simply hear people say how much they enjoy my images. That, for me, is worth more than money."
Follow Villager Jim's daily adventures at www.facebook. com/villagerjim and see his photos every month in The Derbyshire Magazine. Countryfile is due to be screened on BBC 1 at 7pm on Sunday, July 6, but the time may alter due to Wimbledon.
