The documentary *Derek vs Derek* follows two Devon farmers with opposing approaches: Derek Gow is restoring his land to nature, while Derek Banbury runs an intensive cattle and crop farm. Initially presented as neighbours locked in a bitter dispute over rewilding, food production and environmental decline, the film becomes an unexpectedly warm portrait of how shared humour, determination and a love of animals help them find common ground.

Filmmaker James Dawson began by documenting Gow’s rewilding project, including efforts to restore beavers and other species, but changed direction after meeting Banbury. Gow condemns intensive farming and ineffective conservation bureaucracy, while Banbury insists that large-scale agriculture is essential to feed a growing population and says he will not change after 50 years in farming. Their contrasting personalities and arguments, including a dispute over fire-safety arrangements for a film screening in Banbury’s barn, provide much of the documentary’s humour and human interest.