'We vlog about rural life to celebrate our county'

The Blakey Brothers have amassed a large following documenting North Yorkshire life
- Published
In a world of niche content, it's hard to predict what could capture the internet's attention next, but two North Yorkshire farmers might have cracked the code.
Church Fenton residents Martin and Craig Blakey have gained a dedicated social media following by sharing an often humorous glimpse into rural life.
The siblings' first video was shot by Martin, 62, capturing the moment Craig, 64, was nearly knocked over by his dogs - and it racked up nearly 300,000 views.
Six months and nearly 11 million page views later, The Blakey Brothers, as they're known on their channels, have even established themselves with a catchphrase - "Live it, walk it, talk it, there's nowt' like Yorkshire".
Their Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages have a combined following of more than 40,000 people keen to catch up on the brothers' latest escapades.
On average, they gain around 500 new fans a day from "all corners of the globe", including Brazil and New Zealand, according to them.
From driving vintage tractors to attending country fairs and feeding livestock, each video covers different aspects of life in the Yorkshire countryside.
They also showcase a sibling dynamic which will be familiar to many, at any age.

The pair were convinced to start vlogging by a friend
"I'm very good at winding him up," Martin says of his older brother.
"They say never work with family but we do get on - we have our moments."
Describing themselves as "born and bred in God's Own County", the brothers fondly recall getting up to mischief as part of Church Fenton Young Farmers Club.
Having worked in agriculture for most of their lives, they were talked into vlogging by friend Dr Katie Dean, who now works as their media manager.
"We were a bit wooden when we started, but we've got more relaxed and we just talk as normal, and it works," Martin says.
Each brother has his own particular interest; Martin is the wildlife lover with a background in working with horses.
His older brother, much to his dismay, is a tractor enthusiast.
"Craig does go on about them quite a lot," he jokes.
"We've been told by our admin that we need to shorten the videos up a bit because when Craig gets going on, they can almost get like a mini series."
His brother counters: "Tractors mean something to a lot of people; for some people, it was the best job they ever had.
"The first tractor, the smell of it, the oil, the diesel, it all means something, all over the globe."

Martin and Craig champion the farming community in their content
The pair also use their platform to raise awareness for local causes, particularly those that affect the farming community.
"Every corner they turn, there seems to be problem. It's tough for a lot of farmers at the minute and we'll take those causes on," Craig explains.
They've also filmed promotional content to fundraise for schools, charities and other local organisations including MacMillan Cancer Support and Leeds East Airport.
At the moment, the brothers are enjoying their newfound internet fame.
Any plans for the future don't currently extent beyond more videos sharing their love of rural life, and taking each opportunity as it comes.
"We're happy, we just love doing it" Martin says diplomatically.
"More tractors," Craig adds, hopefully.
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