Jeremy Clarkson explains why he bought his farm in 2008 despite never farming in his life

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Jeremy Clarkson explains why he bought his farm in 2008 despite never farming in his life

He bought his 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds back in 2008 and had no idea it would become the subject of a hit show 15 years on

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

If you've watched Clarkson's Farm, you'll know that Jeremy Clarkson is by no means a farmer - that's the beauty of it.

But this does pose the question: why on Earth did the broadcaster by the 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds back in 2008?

Watch him explain why here:

Clarkson fans and critics alike have been full of praise for the Prime Video series, in which the former Top Gear presenter trades in flash cars for costly livestock as he tries - and invariably fails - to run his Diddly Squat farm in Chipping Norton.

Both informative and highly entertaining, viewers have laughed and learned as the 62-year-old immerses himself in the world of farming alongside the likes of Kaleb, Lisa, Charlie and Gerald.

But when Clarkson bought the land 15 years ago, he never expected the purchase to form the basis of a hit farming show.

The second season of Clarkson's Farm dropped on Amazon Prime this month.
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

"I mean, the truth of the matter was that land almost never comes up for sale round here," he told LADbible. "And 2008 was the big financial crash, and this came up for sale, and I just thought, 'Nobody's making more land, so it's as well to buy it.'

"And it was going, nobody would call it cheap, but cheaper than you'd imagine."

Asked what the going rate was for land in the area, Clarkson said: "Dunno, 11,000, 12,000 an acre around here.

"So many people are moving out from London - but it was a lot, lot, lot, lot, lot less then. So I just thought, may as well get it."

And what an investment it turned out to be, with the purchase forming the foundation of arguably the best show he's ever been involved in - and one that he loves making.

Even when the idea for Clarkson's Farm was eventually formed though, he never expected it to be so popular.

"I thought Clarkson's Farm would serve up gentle disappointment to fans of The Grand Tour," he said.

"They'd watch the first one, maybe the first three, and that would dwindle to nobody watching.

"And then obviously the first inkling that all was well was there was a Guardian review the day after it aired, which said it was appalling and dreadful and an insult to farmers, and I thought, 'The Guardian hate it - I think we're on to something here.'"

Jeremy Clarkson had no inkling to start a farming show when he bought the land.
Lily Alice / Alamy Stock Photo

Fans who have binged through the second series will be delighted to hear that a third season is on the way, and you'll be relieved to learn that he hasn't mastered farming yet.

"I'm still crap at it," Clarkson admitted. "I'm just not practical."

His straight-talking farm contractor Kaleb agreed with this assessment.

"He's never gonna be a farmer," he told LADbible.

"He's got a little knowledge now, which is very f**king dangerous. Very dangerous that."

Featured Image Credit: Prime Video

Topics: Celebrity, Jeremy Clarkson, TV and Film, Clarkson's Farm

Jake Massey
Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

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