Dorset's secret soldiers and George Hosford on the failing TB system

From secret Dorset saboteurs preparing for Nazi invasion to the 19th-century TB tests still dictating modern farming,  February’s BV podcast is a deep dive into two stories that will linger long after you’ve listened.

 

TB Testing and the Farming Treadmill

'We’re not getting anywhere – and arguably it’s getting worse again.'

Dorset farmer George Hosford is in conversation with Jenny, taking apart the current bovine TB testing regime – a system first devised in 1890 and still at the heart of national policy: 'It’s two steps forward, one step back.'

George explains how the skin test can miss up to 25% of infected animals, why movement rules undermine progress, and why newer blood tests are still entangled in red tape.

From cattle movements to vaccine development, from bulk tank milk to badgers, this is a lucid, unsparing look at a system farmers feel trapped inside.

 

The Secret Army Beneath Our Fields

'They were prepared to do something very dangerous – probably suicidal.'

Historian Dr Will Ward tells Jenny the extraordinary story of the Auxiliary Units – Dorset men recruited in 1940 to hide underground and wage guerrilla war if the Germans invaded.

Drawn from the gamekeepers, farmers and poachers who knew every hedge and hollow, these patrols trained in secret bunkers, ready to sabotage railways, airfields and supply lines behind enemy lines.

'They were told they only needed two weeks’ worth of supplies – because they weren’t expected to last longer.'

Many never spoke of it again. Some went on to join the SAS. For decades, their story remained almost entirely hidden.

 

From Dockside to Dorset: The Art of Good Coffee

'Coffee is just an ingredient, like flour. You can buy the best coffee in the world and make the worst cup from it.'

Jenny visits Giles Dick-Read at his Sherborne roastery to discover how green beans from Brazil become the perfect moka pot brew.

From metal detection and de-stoning to why your grinder matters more than your machine, Giles explains the craft behind a proper cup – and why freshness is everything.

 

This episode takes two stories from February’s BV, available to read online here, and explores them in far greater depth than a page or two can allow.

The BV – named Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.