Paul brings pleasures of rural life into your homes (From Cotswold Journal)

Paul brings pleasures of rural life into your homes

FORMER New Wave musician turned TV producer and director Paul Aitken starts strumming one of his favourite tunes - Blackbird - from the Beatles' White Album - and the choice is entirely appropriate.

Paul's Chipping Norton-based media production company, vptv, is launching a bold, new web-based TV station called Country Channel.

Appealing to rural communities and anyone with a keen interest in the countryside, www.countrychannel.tv is previewing this month before going live on June 1.

It is using the explosion in broadband uptake and technical improvements in web-based TV - viewers can see it in full-screen delivery on their computers - but it can also be seen by those with humbler machines.

The station, which has solid support from several regional and national broadcasters and presenters including Adam Henson of the BBC's Countryfile, Tony Francis and Wendy Nelson of ITV's Heart of the Country, and BBC presenter Rob Bonnet, is the realisation of a dream for Paul.

Born in Evesham, the 55-year-old spent half his life in London in the music and media business before giving up the rat race and moving back to the Cotswolds.

He set up his production company and studios in Chipping Norton some 18 years ago, using the Church-like Oddfellows building in London Road to full advantage. He has named the production suites after some of his favourite film directors - Spielberg, Gilliam, and Attenborough.

Having worked in the industry for so long, he decided to finally indulge his passion for all things rural and use his experience to good effect. "This is for people who live, work and play in the countryside," he said. "I want it to be a breath of fresh air.

"I moved out of London 24 years ago when I decided I'd had enough of Putney High Street. It was soul destroying. I wanted to see where the sky and land meet. The countryside means a lot to me and to so many others, yet it gets precious little coverage on mainstream TV."

The Country Channel will have a free strand for everyone called country matters, including farming issues, plus five others - equestrian, field sports, recreation, wildlife and country living - which are covered with a £24.99 per year subscription.

Field sports include hunting, shooting and fishing, recreation includes country shows and fairs, festivals, food, music and gardens, and even theatre and art. Wildlife covers rare breeds as well as farm animals, while country living will include organic foods and cooking, the environment, homes, and the Country Code. Also, there is a video box where people can send in their own contributions.

"We'll be showing country fairs, horse trials, horse racing from Chantilly in France, heritage events, steam trains, even village cricket which has a tremendous following. We're offering a service not available on broadcast TV. It's a more honest and ordinary approach along the lines of Alan Wicker and Cliff Michelmore," said Paul.

Paul's company did a four-hour internet broadcast as long ago as 1998, so the medium is no stranger to him and his team.

Also among the well-known names appearing on the channel is former three-day eventing star Lucinda Green, and breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull who will be doing a feature on bee-keeping.

Despite carving out a career as an independent producer in TV and media, Paul has held on to his musical roots. With the group The Band the new wave musician had a hit with Little Girl - he recently appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks nostalgia round dressed as a pirate - but now he plays with a bunch of middle-aged rockers called The Retros. The band is in demand and plays a gig a week.

Their latest CD is called Summer in the City. Shouldn't that be Summer in Chippy?