The new documentary Derek vs Derek from award-winning director James Dawson is coming to Bridport Arts, Bridport on 22 October 2026, as part of its UK-wide cinema release from 2 October. Set in the rolling hills of Devon, it tells the story of two neighbouring farmers who share a name but take different approaches to land use.
Set in the rolling hills of Devon, the film follows two neighbouring farmers, both called Derek, who take radically different approaches to farming, nature and the future of the British countryside.
Derek Banbury is a third-generation dairy farmer who believes in intensive farming and producing food ‘to feed the nation’, while next door Derek Gow, one of Britain’s best-known figures in species reintroduction, has decided to turn his entire farm over to nature.
They disagree, sometimes spectacularly, wild boar and beavers included. As tempers fray, wild animals escape and the land is transformed, the film charts the two Dereks’ often funny and turbulent relationship. In equal parts hilarious and moving, Derek vs Derek shines a light on the vital debate surrounding the future of rural Britain and how productive farming and nature restoration might work alongside each other.
