Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales: Amanda Owen’s son returns for new series where he throws his dad Clive a 70th birthday party at famous Yorkshire pub
Reuben Owen returns for his Channel 5 series - Life in the Dales - where he will throw a big party for his dad’s 70th birthday at Tan Hill Inn - the highest pub in Britain.
Reuben Owen is back and joined by his friends, family and girlfriend Jess on his Channel 5 series Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales.
He has been running his heavy machinery business for four years as of this year and on the show, Reuben and his nearest and dearest continue to enjoy work and their traditional way of life in the Yorkshire Dales.
In the first episode of the series - which airs on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 8pm on Channel 5 - it’s the peak of summer and Reuben and the team are building a new sheep pen for a local farmer.
However, when sinking a gate post proves harder than anticipated the young boss, his girlfriend Jess, and workmates Capper and Sonny are left puzzled.
Meanwhile, Reuben’s younger brothers Miles and Sid work hard on an arduous sheep shearing course. They attempt to clip three sheep in under 30 minutes and win a prestigious Blue Seal Shearer’s certificate, dad Clive lends his expert eye and hopes his sons can make the grade.
Over on Jess’s farm, she and her dad David are also trying to shear their 300-strong flock for summertime. While a shepherd’s son himself, Reuben has never learned this traditional skill, as he prefers driving machines not clippers. But under Jess’s mentorship, he picks up the skill, and lends his six-foot-seven might to the shearing operation.
Reuben and Jess are also on a mission to throw Clive a 70th birthday party to remember, so armed with a truck-load of balloons they head to their local, Tan Hill Inn - the highest pub in Britain, where friends and family have gathered to celebrate.
We’ve watched Reuben grow up with his eight siblings on his parents Clive and Amanda’s remote sheep farm. Now, at the age of 22, he is blazing a trail for his like-minded friends, who have all chosen to live and work in the wild and rugged hills they grew up on.
They will build sheep pens for a fellow Swaledale farmer and dig an epic Cumbrian nature pond to encourage local wildlife as they are passionate about preserving tradition.
Dad Clive, and brothers Miles and Sid, also lend Reuben a hand when their busy farming calendar allows. Likewise, Reuben encourages his younger brothers when summer sees them learn to shear the flock.
Jess has a sheep and dairy farm to run, so Reuben helps tend the herd, and clip the flock in between jobs.
While they all love restoring vintage tractors, the friends also make time for adrenaline-filled fun, from riding restored vintage motorbikes, to racing renovated road sweepers across the Dales. And when spring brings the sunshine back, as a reward for jobs done across the hard winter, they take a hot air balloon glide above their idyllic home.