Clarkson’s Farm has been a massive hit for Amazon Prime. The first season aired in 2021 and we’re now into the fourth, showcasing Jeremy Clarkson’s transition from being a city slicker to a prominent face of Britain’s agricultural industry.
Across each season we’ve seen Clarkson wrestle with the steep learning curve, back-breaking work, and the unending challenges facing British farmers, and there’s been a certain magic to seeing him develop into a bona fide farmer.
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Along co-stars Lisa Hogan, his partner, farm manager Kaleb Cooper, land agent Ireland, and a motley crew of locals and fellow farmers, Clarkson has cultivated yet another massive winner in his long-running history of hit TV shows.
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The latest season, however has come in for criticism online for focusing largely on his latest rural venture: The Farmer’s Dog.
Opened in August 2024, the pub is a stone’s throw from Diddly Squat Farm in the village of Asthall near Burford. It’s been a huge success, with empty seats in the place being a rare sight since its opening, with locals and Clarkson fans flocking to try out the largely-British-stocked grub and booze.
Focusing on the pub’s renovation and opening rather than the farming has ruffled a few feathers amongst fans, however.
The farming wasn’t entirely sidelined, with episodes detailing Clarkson’s struggles in the absence of Cooper, who’s been off on his own celebrity adventures, hiring a new farm assistant in Harriet Cowan, and yet another difficult harvest following a mild winter and heavy rain.
Nevertheless, the pub-centric storyline has been heavily criticised on Reddit.
"I watch the show for the farming not seeing someone redecorate a pub... boring a*s season,” said one Redditor.
"I think the show would be a lot more interesting if they focused more on the farm, and less on the pub and other outside activities," said another.
"Even when the farming was the main focus before the pub was even mentioned, or taken seriously, it felt secondary or rushed," opined another disappointed fan.
Another claimed the ‘pub arc felt incredibly forced, artificial and staged’.
Over on X, Clarkson posted: "Series 4 of Clarkson’s Farm. Who do we like most? Endgame? Or Richard Ham?" And leapt on a comment alluding to those criticisms.
"Talking about the tv show, i enjoyed more when it was more farm related. The pub was as overwhelming to you as for us lol,” an X user replied.
Clarkson issued a pithy, 11-word retort: "I know what you mean but the pub IS farm-related.
He raises a fair point, given how intrinsically linked his businesses seem to be - and the modern issue many farmers face in diversifying to survive, whether through pubs and ice cream shops to campsites or pumpkin patches.
While some have found it a diverting element to Clarkson’s newfound passions as a rural denizen, with a season five already confirmed, it seems there's plenty of scope for the action to return to the fields.
Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity
Rachael Davis