A FARMING family in Thirsk could become television celebrities now a production company has chosen them to be the subject of a documentary.

Sparky Television, based in Northallerton and makers of Real Life Productions, spent a week at Stoneybrough Farm filming Mrs Jean Green, her husband, Stephen, and their daughter, Sarah, going about their lives.

Mr Green, aged 72, moved to the farm when his parents bought it in 1944, and Mrs Green, who is 49, was born at the farm when part of the land was used to house an army camp during the Second World War.

What makes them special and caught the imagination of the production company is the fact that they use old-fashioned machinery and methods to farm their 54 acres.

They also refuse to sell their land to housing developers even though the sum they have been offered for it could allow them to retire.

"It was enough so we could live like kings and queens," said Mrs Green "but you can't buy happiness and we're not for sale."

The Greens are a familiar sight in Thirsk as they travel around on old Massey Ferguson tractors, the oldest of which dates back to 1948 and runs on a combination of petrol and paraffin.

While some may see the vehicles as museum pieces, the Greens believe they are more reliable than modern machines.

"I don't like these mod cons; I like the old fashioned ways," Mrs Green explained. "On a small holding like this the big new tractors are too big and numb and cut the ground up; these little ones don't and can get into small areas.

"You start them on petrol and, when they get warmed up, switch to paraffin. About 20 years ago I stripped one down right to the crankshaft and rebuilt it. It's still running today and it's very reliable."

They are also against using chemical fertilisers on the farm. "We put old fashioned cow muck back on the land. As much as we have got, we plough back into the land and it works wonders," said Mrs Green.

While they rent out some of their land, they keep a number of cows and two rescue donkeys on the rest, and also have two dogs and 14 cats.

All of the cats have their own names and characters, including one which is 25 years old and a younger one called Minimoggs, who likes to ride on Mrs Green's shoulders as she pedals her bike.

Mr Peter Lovel, director at Sparky Television, has called his documentary A Dying Breed, and he hopes it will make a series, but a company is yet to be found to screen it.

There has been some interest and details have even been sent to Hollywood director Chris Columbus, who worked on the forthcoming Harry Potter film.

Mr Lovel said: "They're set in the old ways, going to the farm is like stepping back in time. They're wonderful characters that people will really love."