Amanda and Clive Owen share nine children. (Channel 4)

Amanda and Clive Owen might have split years ago, but the former couple celebrated a milestone birthday together in the latest episode of Our Farm Next Door as they made family plans for the future.

The More 4 series stars split in 2022 after 22 years of marriage, but continue to live and work together at Ravenseat Farm while renovating the farmhouse next door that they will eventually move into as a family home for their nine children.

In Monday’s episode of the documentary series following their renovation and farming life, a big day was on the cards for Clive, who was turning 70. Despite no longer being together, Amanda shared that she had plans in place with the children to make the day special for her ex-husband.

She said: “It’s Clive’s birthday soon. He’s 70 years old. He really will not like me mentioning that. We’re not big into the birthdays, but it is a special day.

“I don’t know how Clive feels. Sometimes he says he’s feeling his age, and other times he’s as sprightly as old. He’ll get his cake, I think he’ll probably put in a request for his favourite tea, but yeah, the kids enjoy it.”

Clive Owen celebrated his 70th birthday at the farm.

Amanda later gave Clive a motorbike jacket for his birthday, while the youngest daughters, Nancy and Clementine, handed over their gifts of decorated sheep’s horns. The family also made him a meringue roulade birthday cake.

Reflecting on his birthday and life on the farm, Clive said: “I’m very, very fortunate to still be well and still be doing things. Life’s been great. I definitely feel privileged to have led the life (I have), of course, absolutely. It’s such a strange thing to come out of a mining village in South Yorkshire and to end up here. The journey that has been is quite remarkable.”

He added of his hopes for the future: “The most important thing in all of this is the kids. It would be lovely to think that some of the children would take over farming here at Ravenseat. It would be lovely if my great-grandchildren were here in 100 years. But whether they will, who knows?”

Clive and Amanda Owen continue to live and work together.

Earlier in the episode, Amanda took Nancy and Clementine to buy their first sheep and allowed them to check over the potential buys before haggling with the dealer.

She said: “Everybody is growing up at a rate of knots, and everybody is taking on more responsibility. Hopefully, as time goes on, we’ll maybe take more of a back seat and hand over a little bit more control to the younger ones.”

Amanda admitted she had faced some criticism over her family’s work ethic: “Let’s be honest, go back a couple of hundred years, children were very much a part of business. Nowadays, I’ve had people frown at me and say, ‘You breeding a workforce?’ I’ve thought about that, it’s sunk in, and I’ve thought, bloomin’ heck, am I working these guys too hard?

“No, I’m not, is the answer. My kids have their tasks and their chores to do, and it’s all for the greater good, it’s all for the bigger picture. It’s not a game in other words. Imagine if you can take a joy and a pleasure in doing something that actually is of use. That takes it to a whole different level.”

Our Farm Next Door continues on More 4 at 9pm on Mondays.