An Unlikely Hero: What Clarkson’s Farm Has Done for British Farming

In this article, Daisy Culleton investigates how Amazon Prime Video’s documentary series, Clarkson’s Farm, has shone a much-needed light on the British Farming Industry.

Clarkson’s Farm returned to our screens this May for a highly-anticipated third season. Since its debut in 2021, the British documentary series —which follows journalist and former BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson as he attempts to run a 1,000-acre farm near Chipping Norton in West Oxfordshire —has become a fan favourite. In fact, with an astonishing 5.1 million views in its first week alone, season 3 of Clarkson’s Farm is already Amazon Prime Video’s most-watched series.

A photo showcasing farmland similar to that of Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm. Photo Credits: Kristaps Ungurs on Unsplash+.

The show’s success lies in how it seamlessly blends comedic entertainment with documenting the harsh realities of British farming. In the series Clarkson, who swaps his know-it-all Top Gear persona for that of a blundering amateur farmer, is supported by a quirky cast of characters who collectively provide viewers with a healthy dose of laughter. For example, young farmer and Clarkson’s side-kick Kaleb Cooper left viewers in hysterics in season one when he travelled outside of Chipping Norton for the first time at 22 years old.  Additionally, dry-stone wall specialist Gerald Cooper, with his thick and nearly incomprehensible country accent, has become the show’s unexpected shining star.

However, in between making viewers laugh, Clarkson and his castmates provide very real, and at times often harrowing, insights into how hard British farmers have to work. In season one Clarkson learns about the trials of tribulations of sheep farming and the hurdles that farmers have to overcome to sell their produce. As he battles with unpredictable weather, he also discovers the devastating impact that climate change is having on the farming industry. Season two follows Clarkson as he faces immense pushback from the local council while trying to set up a restaurant on the farm and as he uncovers the detrimental effects TB-infected badgers are having on British cattle. Meanwhile, the latest season – which focuses heavily on sustainable and regenerative farming – sees Clarkson taking innovative measures to generate a profit by farming the ‘unfarmed’, while he and his partner, Lisa Hogan, also unearth the tough side of being pig farmers.

A photo depicting British Cattle similar to that which are featured in Clarkson's Farm. Photo Credits: Jakob Cotton on Unsplash.

With each challenge that Clarkson and his castmates encounter, viewers are able to build a detailed image of the complexities and intricacies involved in being a farmer in Britain today. As a presenter of BBC’s Top Gear, Clarkson brought focus to the technological advancements in the motor industry, but as the host and owner of Diddly Squat Farm, he is shining a much-needed light on the unsung work of British farmers. In particular, he highlights how hard they have to work to generate even a small profit in today’s economic and physical climate. According to online supermarket retailer, Ocado, sales from their Best of British aisle grew rapidly week-on-week following the series’ return on the 3rd of May. Organic British butter, for example, experienced a 38% week-on-week sales rise. Martha Springham, produce trading manager at Ocado Retail, credited the show for this significant increase saying, “Programmes like Clarkson’s Farm show consumers just how hard Britain’s farmers work, so it's brilliant to see our customers supporting them.” The Norfolk Federation of Young Farmers, which gained 100 new members across 2023, also attributed its rise in membership to the show, with the group’s chairman, Benjamin Johnson, stating that the show has helped put “agriculture in the spotlight.”

Members of the farming community have openly expressed their admiration for the show. For example, Rob Rose of Rosewood Farm in Yorkshire told Live Frankly that “It was rather true to life… Clarkson presented the reality of farming – the experience, the conflicts, the highs and lows.” George Beach, Director of  Mudwalls Farm in Redditch, applauded Clarkson for diversifying public perceptions of farming: “he has shown the honest truth about how tough farming is to other audiences.” Sheep Farmer and Author James Redbank has been particularly vocal in his support. Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, after the first series aired, Redbank made the bold claim that  “Jeremy Clarkson has done more for farmers in one series of Clarkson’s Farm than Countryfile achieved in 30 years.”

Clarkson is a polarising figure in most social circles, but feedback, clearly tells us that, amongst the farming community, he is met with a surprisingly warm reception. However, you may feel about him, there is simply no denying that his present work with Clarkson’s Farm is producing a great deal of good, in particular for the British Farming Industry. One viewer on Rotten Tomatoes surmised the unitive power of Clarkson’s Farm perfectly, noting that “Clarkson’s Farm is, happily, a show that brings together both tribes: the Clarksonite and the Clarkson haters.”

About the author: Daisy Culleton is an American Studies and History graduate from the University of Nottingham. She has a keen interest in both Art and Environmental History. She also currently publishes, VNTG, a Substack newsletter that explores sustainable fashion.