Jon Richardson has a busy few months ahead – after being announced as a new teacher on Waterloo Road, the comedian is also taking centre stage in More4 show A Yorkshire Pub with Jon Richardson.

It restoration series features Jon trying to bring The Plough in Fadmoor, North Yorkshire, back to life. He’s not doing it alone, though, oh no.

He’s getting to know the local rural community and hoping they’ll lend some elbow grease. The boozer dates back to 1792, and it’s safe to say that Jon has got his work cut out. Attempting to restore it to its former glory, has he bitten off more than he can chew?

A Yorkshire Pub: Can Jon Richardson make it work?

Jon says of his venture: “I love pubs so much that I turned my garage into one. It didn’t scratch the itch so now I’ve ended up owning one. Or a share of a crumbling one, anyway.

“When I first heard about The Plough, I had to go and see it and then when I met the amazing people working to rescue it, I couldn’t resist getting involved.”

“Like a good pint, they are lively and cool with good heads on them. They make you feel better about the world.

He adds: “Pubs are the beating heart of their communities and we’re, hopefully, going to have a great time bringing The Plough back to its former glory. I know it’s going to be hard work, but I’m ready to roll my sleeves up and watch other people getting their hands dirty.” That’s the way to do it!

If you’re a fan of Clarkson’s Farm, getting to see the warts and all of running a business, you’ll love this.

Bringing a Yorkshire pub back to life

One thing Jon Richardson wanted to be sure of was that the local community was involved. He became a shareholder in Fadmoor Community Pub Limited and found a team. Jon was delighted when people wanted to muck in.

Jayne Stanger is the Senior Commissioning Editor for Channel 4. She says: “This is a dream commission: a much-loved comedian with a passion.”

She praised the “fantastic community brimming with brilliant characters, plus a mission to save one of the most-cherished British traditions – the humble local pub.”

Colette Foster, CEO of Full Fat TV, said: “We’d been reading about the decline of pubs. However it was the rise of community pubs halting that decline that really inspired us.”

She explained that “locals [are] buying pubs at risk of closure and repurposing them to offer services for the entire community as well as a pint”.

“We were delighted when Jon said he wanted to invest in The Plough, allowing us to follow him and the Fadmoor community as they bring this special local in a spectacular part of Yorkshire back to life.”

Keeping it in the community

While famous for telling jokes, Jon is taking the task of restoring the pub seriously.

One of the local community who will be involved is Peter Jones, the Chairman of the Fadmoor Community Pub Limited. He said: “We have a lot of work to do to renovate this derelict pub, which has been closed for 14 years.”

They intend to “bring it back to life as a thriving community pub at the heart of this village”.

“We look forward to sharing this journey with Jon and More4 viewers,” he says. “Especially as Jon has offered to buy the first round when we open!”

Cheers to that.

Read more: Joanna Page announced as host of brand new ‘warm-hearted’ BBC show Shift the Thrift

A Yorkshire Pub with Jon Richardson will air on More 4 in 2026.