Hannah Hauxwell An Extraordinary Life

Hannah Hauxwell first appeared in a Yorkshire television documentary about the plight of farmers in the Dales. The response from viewers was so great that a further two films were made about her over the ensuing years. In 'Too Long a Winter' (1973), Hannah gamely struggles to maintain her farm in the North Yorkshire dales.

Her battle to survive alone on an isolated farm with no electricity or running water - and in abject poverty - made her the nation's most unlikely celebrity. In 'A Winter Too Many' (1989), 16 years have elapsed since the last film and a combination of fading health and a series of devastatingly bitter winters culminates in Hannah being heart-wrenchingly driven off her beloved farm. In the last documentary, 'Innocent Abroad' (1991), Hannah, at the age of 65, goes travelling for the first time in her life.

She retraces the steps of Victorian maiden ladies as her grand tour of Europe commences in Paris and along the way takes in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy, before arriving home in opulent splendour on board the Orient Express.