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Belfast Telegraph

Outstanding in his field... tractor boy Julian all revved up for Farmer's Bash

But now he's experienced a trailer of a different kind — pulling one while driving a tractor. The local TV legend was given a crash course in driving the farm machinery for a stunt to promote the Farmer's Bash Weekender at Boucher Playing Fields. Julian will appear on the first day of the festival to introduce some of the acts, as well as starring with his own DJ set. He said: 'When I saw I was having a trailer in the back of it, I nearly died because I thought: 'How am I going to manoeuvre that?' 'But, surprise, surprise, with the guy showing me what to do, I didn't do too bad.' That man was Co Down farmer Michael McGreevy, who enjoyed banter with the presenter for a YouTube video filmed by FarmFLiX. Julian added: 'I mean, when I was standing beside it looking up at it, I thought: 'Oh my God!' But once I got into it and I was shown the right levers and knobs, I was a bit more confident... it was in a field and I wasn't going to knock too many things over. Nobody died!' He will be keeping it country for his star turn at the Farmer's Bash next month. But not with his music — he's going to dress the part instead. He explained: 'I'm doing an hour of DJ bangers, which the public should like, but the only country twist will be the gear I'm wearing for it. I'll be looking for a sort of farmer-ish checked shirt and jeans and everything — and I'll have a cowboy hat as well.' He is as busy as ever, having left UTV four years ago, but remains modest about his status as a 'national treasure'. He said: 'No, I don't (think I am), but people tell me that I am, and, I mean, that's very nice, you know? It's nice to be told that, it's good people are always pleased to see me and everything. 'When you think about it, it was nearly 35 years doing that job four nights a week, and also doing my job with Air Canada at Heathrow. 'It was running about between the two. It was like breakneck speed the whole time. 'Thank goodness I am still busy, I'm very lucky that people still want me to be at things and host things, and now the DJing is such good fun to do because people love a good bop with good, hard music, and they enjoy that. 'Carolyn Stewart helped me a bit, because I wasn't very aware of how to do the mixing and everything. But she taught me a bit. But what I have learned is actually, when there's a good crowd there, and the music is banging, if you don't get the mix quite right, they don't notice.' He's also working on his autobiography. He said: 'It's been talked about, and I've got a couple of chapters written, but I've been so busy recently that I haven't had any more time. 'I would need to go away somewhere and write over a weekend or something to get some more chapters in. 'There's a lot to tell. And, I mean, I've seen a lot of life in my careers and I've had a lot of great experiences which are good to talk about. So, I might get round to it yet, and when you live in Northern Ireland, it is warts and all, you know. 'I mean, there's so much that happens that some people would be quite shocked at, but it's just part of the way life has been. 'In both careers, I was in the thick of it, really, in the airline industry and also on UTV, because I got to meet quite a lot of stars, which was good.' That includes one of the acts appearing at the Farmer's Bash, Boyzlife, pop duo Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden of Boyzone and Westlife fame, who Julian mentions during his innuendo-filled tractor ride video. Other big names at the two-day extravaganza include The Kaiser Chiefs, The 2 Johnnies, The Coronas and B*Witched. He added: 'I'm looking forward to seeing Boyzlife, because when I was at UTV they were in quite a lot. 'I used to have 'Julian' mugs in those days and one of the guys, every time I saw him, he asked me for another one. So I think he's got a good collection. 'I'm looking forward to meeting them and a brave few of the acts that are going to be there. I don't know quite yet who I'm going to be introducing, but we'll suck it and see, as they say in the best places.'