Farmer comic to perform at debut Oxford Farming comedy night

Scottish farmer and stand-up comic Jim Smith is set to perform at The Oxford Farming Conference’s first comedy night next year.

A sell-out at the Edinburgh Festival, the Perthshire beef and sheep farmer is unleashing his sketches on the quirks of rural life and realities of how country folk view the world to the Old Fire Station on 4 January, the second night of the 2018 Conference.

Jim started his comedy career when he was a member of Young Farmers, where he wrote the scripts for the organisation’s annual pantomime. Spurred on by friends, he later entered into beginner sessions at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow.

See also: Get the best from a second-hand Land Rover Defender

His take on the reality of farming versus Countryfile, the perils of young farmers’ dances and the challenge of finding a girlfriend when you work on a farm, have built up a big following, and he famously went viral after appearing on BBC Radio 4 with his retelling of Star Wars as a Fife welder.

“The Oxford Farming Conference is a fantastic and worthwhile event, and I am delighted to be the light relief amongst the more serious discussions over the three days,” said Jim.

“This could be a tough gig. Nothing like a room full of farmers and farming experts, but I am really looking forward to it, and no doubt they will recognise some of the rural ‘isms’ I have to share, which are found countrywide.”

The Oxford Farming Conference is due to be held at Oxford University on 3-5 January 2018. You can book tickets to Jim’s stand-up show on the Conference’s website.