Clarkson’s Farm

Vorlage:Short description Vorlage:Use British English Vorlage:Infobox television Clarkson's Farm is a television documentary series about Jeremy Clarkson and his farm in the Cotswolds. It was first broadcast by Amazon Prime Video in 2021.Vorlage:R

Diddly Squat Farm

The farm was formerly part of the Sarsden estate in Oxfordshire. Jeremy Clarkson bought about a thousand acres in 2008 including Curdle Hill Farm. The fields were mostly arable, growing a rotation of barley, rape and wheat. These were farmed on a contract basis by a local villager called Howard but he retired in 2019. Clarkson then decided to try farming the land himself.Vorlage:R

The farm was renamed "Diddly Squat" by Clarkson to indicate its lack of productivity, as diddly squat is slang for "a thing of little value or significance".Vorlage:R

Cast

Jeremy Clarkson, a motoring journalist, television presenter and author who became famous as the host of Top Gear.Vorlage:R Having moved to Oxfordshire, he became part of the Chipping Norton set.

Gerald Cooper - specialises in the construction and maintenance of dry stone walls, which form the boundaries of fields on the farm. His conversations with Clarkson are amiable but incomprehensible due to his strong local accent.Vorlage:R

Kaleb Cooper, a young farm worker who farms on his own account locally but was engaged by Clarkson to assist him, mainly with tractor driving. He is experienced and proficient and so advises Clarkson on the technical details of tractor use. But he has rarely left the locality and so is shown to be uncomfortable when visiting the big city of London. Lucy Mangan said that he was "This Country's Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe to the life ... but with endless practical intelligence replacing the Mucklowes’ gormlessness."Vorlage:R Suzi Feay observed that, as Kaleb was only aged 21, many of Clarkson's references went over his head. For example, when discussing Kaleb's experimentation with different hairstyles, Clarkson asked whether he'd tried a Phil Oakley and had to explain the reference to the Human League singer's lop-sided hairstyle in the 1970s.Vorlage:R

Ellen Helliwell, a shepherdess engaged by Clarkson to tend the flock of sheep which he acquired to graze his set-aside meadows. Her duties are shown to include lambing and shearing.

Lisa Hogan, Clarkson's girlfriend. She is an actress but assists Clarkson with the farm, especially by running the farm shop.

Charlie Ireland, a professional agronomist and land agent who advises Clarkson on farm management. He understands the agricultural aspects of the crops, the complex details of government regulation and the financial consequences. Rachael Sigee, writing for the i newspaper, described him as "chronically sensible ... a stickler for the rules who delivers increasingly bad news with the politely firm manners of a parish vicar."Vorlage:R

Episodes

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Reception

On Farming Today, Clarkson said that he listens to the BBC programme's podcast. The opinion of the active farmers interviewed was favourable,Vorlage:R Vorlage:Quote

Joel Golby reviewing for The Guardian, said that Clarkson's verbal signalling of his jokes by lowering his voice was tired but that the format, in which his blunders are corrected by no-nonsense country folk, works well, "It's simply, just ... really good TV".Vorlage:R Lucy Mangan wrote a different review for The Guardian a week later, but only gave it one star out of five. She was tired by Clarkson's role as an ignorant buffoon and called the show "wearisome, meretricious rubbish ... The series amounts to less and less as time goes on."Vorlage:R

Anita Singh reviewed the show for The Daily Telegraph. She liked the apparent authenticity of Clarkson's involvement in the farming, "...when you see Clarkson despairing at his crop failures, or yelping with delight when he helps to deliver a lamb, it feels genuine." She liked the supporting players, such as Kaleb and Charlie, and that "Clarkson’s gone soft, and it makes for surprisingly good viewing."Vorlage:R

Suzi Feay gave the show five stars in the Financial Times. She especially liked "...some of rural England’s more surprising characters ... Clarkson’s Farm features some unique types that are rarely spotted on screen."Vorlage:R

Following the release of the show on Amazon, the show was a popular success online, being rated five stars on Google.Vorlage:R Hundreds of fans went to the farm shop on 19 June hoping to meet Clarkson and other members of the cast. This caused considerable congestion, a three hour traffic queue and police attendance to control the crowds.Vorlage:R