Nowt is taken out as brothers go viral - The Blakey Brothers

Martin freely admits he knows very little about how so many people have seen their videos and that he and Craig are just being themselves.

“It’s mind-blowing, but we leave all that other stuff to our two young guys, Dan and Sam, who look after the pages and sites. Everything we do is about the people and characters we meet; that’s what it’s all about,” says Martin, with his trademark grin. “It’s broadened our horizons so much, and by going to as many shows as we have this year, it makes you more confident; you feel you can walk into any room and speak to anyone without any rehearsals. The rural community in Yorkshire are the best people you’re ever going to meet. They welcome you in, and you talk to people as if you’ve known them years.”

“When we first started, we were wooden as hell,” says Craig. “We looked at what we had filmed, and then the penny dropped. We had been trying to rehearse – big mistake, for us – we never do a second take if we can avoid it now. There’s ‘nowt taken owt’ and it comes over a lot better.”

The idea of coming up with their own short videos started when Martin had captured a clip that turned viral. “A friend our ours, Katy, who knows about social media, suggested we should give it a go. Craig immediately said ‘no’, but the next time we were down in our wood, he had his five dogs in the back of his Gator, and as he let them out, they more or less knocked him over. I caught that on camera, sent it to Katy, and it got 300,000 views. Now this has become our life.”

On the face of it, their unique style of filming should never work. Largely, Martin speaks while holding the camera, which shows Craig, occasionally smiling, and a background showing where they are and their intended interviewee, but Martin is asking the questions. Craig comes into his own whenever it’s farm machinery or when he has a crack at Martin.

“Craig is tractors through and through; I’m more horses and now livestock. That’s why I’m at the back of the camera when we’re talking machinery,” says Martin. “What works is our brotherly connection. I know which buttons to press to wind Craig up; people love to see that, and we bounce off each other really well.”

“We also have our off days – and even that works out good,” says Craig. “When I snap his head off. He can get very grumpy!”

Craig and Martin have about 40 acres of land, which includes 16 acres of woodland and several fields around Church Fenton and Little Fenton, and also features some wildflower meadows. They take hay off their fields and spend time on their woodland, which they also used for getting their video act together. They both have their roots firmly embedded in farming.

“We’re from Ulleskelf,” says Martin. “From the age of ten I was watching tractors out of my bedroom window, Fordson Majors and how farmers were setting rigs. I’d go to Joe Cook’s farm, and we’d stack bales and load trailers, and Joe would come with a mini milk churn with sweet tea, ham sandwiches and plum pie. There was nowt like it.

“When I left school, I worked for Henry Easterby at Kirkby Wharfe on his 1000-acre largely arable farm and stud farm. I had a passion for horses. I’d work on horses in the morning and farm in the afternoon.

“The horse work came about when I was sitting on a horse called Leonora that took off with me in a field. I stayed on. The lady owner said I needed to start riding. I was too big to be a jockey, but I used to break horses in.

“Henry was the nicest, most laid-back chap, and being with him stood me in good stead. We had 100 mares to muck out. The yard had to be spotless. I was there fifteen years.”

Craig is unashamedly a tractor boy but started with a dairy farmer called Stan Thompson in Ulleskelf. “Stan had a milk round with a horse and cart. He had about 25 cows. I’d milk with him, all pails and pulsators. Stan and I were out all weathers delivering. Peggy, his horse, knew where to stop at every house. Stan also had pigs. I started mucking pigs out at 13.

“I moved to Geoff Marshall’s arable farm in Little Fenton and had the best time of my working life. He had 200 acres. I started ploughing using a Massey 575. The first combine I drove was a New Holland M133.”

Craig then moved into breaking tractors for spares, renting a little yard in Little Fenton, while still working for Geoff. This led to the farm machinery businesses Blakey Tractors, Blakey & Birdsall, and then Agrimech, latterly with Martin as a welder.

“We became the main sellers of imported, new combine belts. Our success was down to an old lad called Bill Clark, who had the cross-reference for all combine belts and their sizes.”

Craig still loves his tractors, and his collection includes a little Massey 35X.

“Mine was made in September 1964. They made the last in November that year. We’ve an International 956, which we use, and bought a Universal because I like the look and the smell of them. What I love when we film old tractors is opening that barn door slightly, squeezing through, and seeing what’s behind it – all that history.”

Craig explains why the tractor continues to be so important to farmers.

“Don’t ever forget what makes tractors different to cars. When you drive a tractor, you’re in there on your own for days and days on end, weeks and months – just you and your tractor. It becomes part of you. That’s what makes them special. That’s why you’ve got old farmworkers with a tractor on their drive or in the backyard; it gets you to where you need to be.”

And so does their Isuzu Trooper.

“We’re very fortunate to have a sponsor, York Van Centre, a great family-run firm who allow us to drive their truck. We’ve had a fantastic summer, and we’re now moving on to tractor runs and ploughing, young farmers and point-to-point racing – we love it all!” www.facebook.com/theblakeybrothers