A new BBC programme follows Sir Brian May over a decade long journey to understand the bovine TB crisis and his opposition to the badger cull.
Providing a platform for numerous voices in the debate, the documentary will share discoveries and tragic stories, including one farmer who lost his entire herd to this devastating disease.
It will also highlight ‘the plight of badgers’, who Sir Brian argues are being ‘scapegoated’, with hundreds of thousands culled over the years.
For decades, the Queen guitarist has opposed the badger cull by organising marches, protests, and a petition.
Speaking about the new documentary, Sir Brian said he “came in to save the badgers”.
“I now realise that to save the badgers, you have to save everybody because it's a mess. It's a tragic human drama where people's hearts are broken.”
In 2016, he partnered with large mammal vet Dick Sibley and farmer Robert Reed, whose farm was chronically infected with bovine TB.
Together, they conducted what they claim is a groundbreaking four-year experiment to eradicate the disease, without culling badgers.
The experiment faced numerous challenges, but its supporters claimed success; the farm was declared TB-free without the culling of a badger.
Now, Sir Brian and the team believe that they could have identified the real source of TB spread among cattle.
However, the challenge remains as to whether they can convince the wider farming community, the scientific world and authorities to listen to and consider their findings.
‘Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me’ will broadcast on BBC Two at 9pm on Friday 23 August.
