‘Derek Vs Derek’: British Rewilding Doc About Warring Neighbors Tests Its “Unexpected” Protagonists In All The Right Ways
Derek vs Derek follows two Devon farmers who share a name but hold opposing views: Derek Gow champions rewilding, while Derek Banbury runs an intensive dairy farm. The documentary has shifted from a conventional rewilding story into a portrait of how neighbours with sharply different outlooks listen to one another, without the film taking sides.
Director James Dawson filmed over several years, but struggled to secure funding until support came from a Redford Center grant and crowdfunding. Made on a very small budget, the film follows Gow’s efforts to introduce wild boars and promote the return of wolves, alongside Banbury’s focus on making a living from farming. Their perspectives gradually move closer, and the documentary is gaining traction ahead of its first US screening.
In short
- Two Devon farmers named Derek hold opposing approaches to the land.
- The documentary follows their changing relationship without taking sides.
- Grant funding and crowdfunding helped bring the low-budget film to cinemas.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Rewilding can restore habitats, support biodiversity and bring back natural processes that intensive land use has disrupted. Gow’s advocacy for species such as wild boar and wolves reflects a case for taking ecological recovery seriously, even when it challenges established farming practices.
The case against
Intensive dairy farming supports livelihoods and food production, and farmers such as Banbury have to make their businesses viable under practical and economic constraints. From this perspective, rewilding proposals should account for impacts on working farms and local communities, rather than treating ecological goals as cost-free or universally appropriate.
Explained simply
Rewilding means restoring habitats and allowing natural processes to play a larger role in the landscape. In Devon, farmer Derek Gow supports this approach, including the return of some wildlife, while fellow farmer Derek Banbury runs an intensive dairy farm and focuses on earning a living from farming.
The documentary follows the two neighbours, who share a first name but have different views about how land should be used. Their conversations offer a look at how rewilding and commercial farming can sit alongside each other, and why those choices matter to people who live and work in the countryside.