Family butchers RJ Balson and Son will appear on an episode of the BBC’s Escape to the Country, showcasing life in the Dorset countryside.

The programme will be shown on BBC One on Tuesday at 3pm and sees BBC presenter Jonnie Irwin don his hat and apron at the butchers to become a sausage maker.

Richard Balson, who is the 26th generation of his family to be in charge at the butchers on West Allington, said: “The film crew came to the butchers in June and we taught presenter Jonnie Irwin how to make sausages.

“We would love for people from Bridport and the surrounding areas to give the show a watch and learn more about us as England’s oldest butchers. We turn 500 years old next year.”

RJ Balson and Son was first established in Bridport in 1535 and they have remained in the town ever since.

The business has survived more than 50 recessions, the Industrial Revolution, two World Wars and the rise of supermarket and internet shopping.

Back in January the butchers were also the star of a BBC documentary about Britain’s oldest family businesses.