Official Trailer
Rating: 8.5/10 | Genre: Reality, Comedy | Seasons: 5 | Episodes: 40 | Status: Returning Series
Starring: Jeremy Clarkson, Kaleb Cooper, Charlie Ireland, Lisa Hogan
So I just finished binging all five seasons of Clarkson’s Farm and honestly? It’s way better than it has any right to be. When I first heard that Jeremy Clarkson was doing a farming show, I thought it was going to be one of those celebrity vanity projects where a rich guy plays at rural life for a few weeks before getting bored. But this show is actually genuinely entertaining, and more importantly, it’s genuinely about farming. The guy actually tries. He fails constantly, sure, but at least he’s not phoning it in.
The whole premise is ridiculous on paper. Jeremy Clarkson, a man who famously hates hard work, decides to buy a massive farm in the Cotswolds and turn it into a business. And the show actually shows you how hard it is. There are no quick fixes or magical moments where everything works out. It’s just a lot of mud, a lot of setbacks, and a lot of Jeremy complaining while still pushing forward.
Season 1
Season 1 is basically Jeremy figuring out that farming is impossibly difficult and that he has no idea what he’s doing. The first episode has him just trying to operate a tractor, which should be simple but absolutely isn’t. Then he decides to get sheep, then he opens a farm shop. It’s all chaos, but it’s the good kind of chaos where you can tell the show is finding its footing.
The real star of this season isn’t Jeremy though. It’s Kaleb Cooper, this young local farmer who becomes Jeremy’s right hand man. Kaleb is patient, knowledgeable, and most importantly, he’s not afraid to tell Jeremy when he’s being an idiot. Their dynamic is what makes the whole show work. Without Kaleb, this is just a rich guy wasting money on a farm. With Kaleb, it’s a comedy about a guy slowly learning to do things properly.
By the end of season 1, the farm shop is open and Jeremy has made a grand total of 144 quid in profit. It’s hilarious and depressing at the same time. The season ends on a good note though. You can see that Jeremy actually cares about making this work, and that’s when you realize this show might have legs.
Season 2
This is where the show really finds its rhythm. Jeremy’s still making basically no money, so he decides to diversify. Cows, more crops, a restaurant attached to the farm shop. Everything goes wrong in different ways, which somehow makes for great television.
The cow episode is peak stuff. He gets these massive cows and they immediately escape because his fencing is rubbish. There’s this whole thing where the council is breathing down his neck about planning permissions and health codes. It’s mundane stuff that sounds boring but the show makes it actually funny because Jeremy is so genuinely frustrated by it all.
Charlie Ireland shows up this season as well, working on the farm, and she’s a good addition. The cast starts to feel more solid. You’ve got Jeremy the optimistic idiot, Kaleb the knowledgeable one, Charlie doing the hard work, and various council officials and neighbors trying to make Jeremy’s life difficult.
Season 2 is probably the best season honestly. It’s got the right balance of chaos and actual progress. The farm is starting to look like a real operation by the end of it. The restaurant is open. Things are happening. It feels like a turning point.
Season 3
After the good ending of season 2, season 3 opens with everything falling apart again. The council shuts down the restaurant. The weather ruins the crops. It’s genuinely frustrating to watch, which I think is the point.
Jeremy brings in pigs to try to turn things around. There’s this whole thing with trying to get planning permission for new buildings. The Christmas episode is nice but also kind of filler-y. This is where the show starts to feel a little repetitive. Jeremy has a problem, Kaleb helps him sort it out, something unexpected happens, repeat.
It’s still good television but it’s not quite as sharp as season 2. The novelty of watching Jeremy fail at farming has worn off a little bit. You start to see the formula. That said, the pigs are funny and the character interactions are still strong. It just feels like the show is spinning its wheels a bit while waiting for the next big thing to happen.
Season 4
Okay so in season 4 Jeremy buys a pub. This should inject some new energy into the show and it kind of does, but also it’s a lot of the same stuff we’ve already seen. Jeremy wants to do something new, there are obstacles, Kaleb helps out, Lisa Hogan (who runs the farm shop and is basically the voice of reason) is skeptical about everything.
The pub thing doesn’t really land for me. It feels like the show is stretching. We’ve got the farm, we’ve got the shop, now we’ve got a pub, and it’s starting to feel like Jeremy is just collecting businesses rather than running one successfully. There are some good moments but it’s more scattered than the earlier seasons.
Lisa Hogan becomes more prominent this season and she’s honestly the best part of it. She’s the actual voice of reality on this show. When Jeremy has a stupid idea, she says it’s stupid. And she’s right. Watching her and Jeremy bicker is more interesting than watching him try to renovate a pub.
Season 4 is fine but it’s the weakest so far. It feels like the show is running out of ideas and is just adding more complications to keep things interesting. There’s a health scare with Jeremy that’s played for jokes, which feels a little off for a show that’s usually pretty grounded about real problems.
Season 5
Season 5 doubles down on the pub stuff and also brings in some technology angle. Jeremy gets worried about working so hard and wants to modernize the farm with new equipment and systems. This is actually kind of interesting because it shows that he’s learned something over the past few years about making things more efficient.
That said, this season also feels like it’s going through the motions. There are funny moments but they’re getting fewer and further between. The novelty of Jeremy Clarkson being bad at farming has definitely worn off by now. The show is at five seasons and forty episodes. That’s a lot of content about a man on a farm.
The cast is still good and the relationship between Jeremy and Kaleb is still the heart of the show, but it feels like the show is starting to repeat itself. How many times can we watch Jeremy try something new and mess it up before it gets old? We’re definitely past that point.
That said, if you like Clarkson and you like seeing him suffer, you’ll probably still enjoy it. The man is doing actual work now instead of just complaining about doing actual work. That’s character growth I guess.
The thing about Clarkson’s Farm is that it’s not a show that’s going to blow your mind. It’s not going to change your life. But if you’re looking for something that’s genuinely funny and kind of relaxing to watch, it’s solid. The first two seasons are the strongest, season 3 is good, and seasons 4 and 5 are getting a bit tired but still watchable.
It’s definitely worth your time if you like Clarkson or if you want to watch someone actually fail at something for five seasons straight. Just go in knowing that this is comfort viewing, not prestige television. Are you the type of person who can watch someone mess up the same things over and over again and still find it entertaining, or does that drive you crazy?
Episode Guide
Season 1 (8 Episodes)
Episode 1: Tractoring (8.5/10)
Jeremy Clarkson embarks on his path towards muddy misery and potential ruin by running his own farm.
Episode 2: Sheeping (8.1/10)
Jeremy decides to get a flock of sheep, not realising the added complications these high-maintenance animals will bring.
Episode 3: Shopping (8.6/10)
Jeremy Clarkson decides to open a farm shop to sell his own produce. This sounds like it should be easy. It isn't.
Episode 4: Wilding (8.4/10)
Jeremy Clarkson decides to become a naturalist.
Episode 5: Pan (dem) icking (7.9/10)
As Covid-19 puts Britain on lockdown, Jeremy suddenly finds that his biggest worries aren't all related to the upcoming lambing season.
Episode 6: Melting (8.3/10)
Jeremy discovers why British farmers are always complaining about the weather. It's mostly because it never does what they want it to do.
Episode 7: Fluffing (8.4/10)
As the drought drags on and the harvest time gets closer, Jeremy and his motley crew have a fearsome list of jobs to complete.
Episode 8: Harvesting (8.8/10)
After months of hard work Clarkson's farm arrives at a make or break moment; harvest time.
Season 2 (8 Episodes)
Episode 1: Surviving (8.3/10)
Jeremy Clarkson sets out to diversify, as a way of increasing his annual profit (£144 last year).
Episode 2: Cowering (8.4/10)
Jeremy's new herd of cows settle in, but soon reject the fence that keeps them in.
Episode 3: Schmoozing (8.3/10)
Faced with Council powers that be, Jeremy uses two of his greatest skills: diplomacy and respect for red tape.
Episode 4: Badgering (8.4/10)
Jeremy Clarkson comes face to face with his nemesis: the badger.
Episode 5: Council-ing (8.5/10)
The day of the Council's decision on Jeremy's restaurant arrives.
Episode 6: Counselling (8.4/10)
The fall-out from the Council's decision continues to fall out.
Episode 7: Scheming (8.6/10)
Jeremy's restaurant idea is re-born, and there's not a moment to waste.
Episode 8: Climaxing (8.6/10)
Secret preparations accelerate for the opening of Jeremy's restaurant.
Season 3 (8 Episodes)
Episode 1: Unfarming (8.3/10)
We return to Diddly Squat to find the farm in turmoil. The Council has shut down the restaurant, the weather is making planting crops impossible and costs are on the up. Jeremy needs to formulate a new plan to get his farm through the year.
Episode 2: Porking (8.5/10)
Jeremy sets to work getting the farm ready for its newest residents, some Sand and Black pigs. Meanwhile Kaleb is annoyed when he spots someone else drilling in his fields.
Episode 3: Jobbing (8.3/10)
It's Christmas time on the farm and Kaleb gives Jeremy a festive surprise. However their relationship becomes strained as they bicker while getting on with the farms winter jobs.
Episode 4: Harrowing (8.4/10)
Jeremy treats Kaleb to something he hopes will help with his farming, and Lisa and Jeremy discover just how tough being pig farmers can be.
Episode 5: Healing (8.6/10)
Spring has sprung and rejuvinated Jeremy's farming the unfarmed idea, as he takes on multiple new projects to try and turn a profit from his unused land.. And there are some one week old arrivals to the farm to lift everyone's spirits.
Episode 6: Mushrooming (8.4/10)
Jeremy's mushroom empire begins to appear all consuming as he struggles to keep on top of his newest venture and Kaleb and Charlie are off to London for a very important meeting.
Episode 7: Parking (8.2/10)
Team Diddly assemble for a much needed building project and Jeremy brings in the Chairman of the British Deer Society to help with the deer management issues on the farm.
Episode 8: Calculating (8.4/10)
Harvest time arrives and is tenser than ever, as Jeremy and Kaleb find out how profitable both Jeremy's new projects and Kaleb's arable farming have been this year.
Season 4 (8 Episodes)
Episode 1: Solo-ing (7.8/10)
Kaleb and Lisa are both away and Jeremy has been left to run the farm on his own. Help is soon needed, and the arrival of a new farmhand to ease the burden gives Jeremy space for some strategic thinking.
Episode 2: Pubbing (7.8/10)
Jeremy has found a promising pub, Diddly Squat’s newest arrival teaches him a thing or two about farming, and the ageing Lamborghini has competition.
Episode 3: Crawling (7.8/10)
Relentless wet weather puts the crop planting in crisis, Kaleb returns to find another farmer on his patch, and while his pub search continues, in an effort to dry the soil Jeremy gets to grips with a new piece of kit.
Episode 4: Cottaging (8/10)
There’s a big new arrival at the farm, a much smaller one down in the pig pens, and it looks as though the pub search might finally be over.
Episode 5: Endgaming (7.8/10)
It’s the middle of May, the livestock are heading out to graze, and while the goats are going high-tech, the cows are getting a bull-friend. If only progress with the pub was as positive.
Episode 6: Splurging (7.8/10)
With his pub plan finally taking shape, Jeremy heads to his first cattle market to buy up some beef. But calling in the experts to help get the pub off the ground, Jeremy soon discovers the costs are only just beginning.
Episode 7: Hurrying (8.1/10)
A diary cock-up turns the pub into a pressure cooker, and the start of the harvest runs Jeremy ragged. Team Diddly Squat will have to dig deep to get both across the line.
Episode 8: Landlording (8.1/10)
It’s bank holiday weekend and the pub opens for business. Whether it stays open for business is another matter. Back at Diddly Squat, the harvest results come in and the curtain falls on another farming year.
Season 5 (8 Episodes)
Episode 1: Operating
A health scare sees Jeremy looking for ways to make life at Diddly Squat less stressful. A new breed of sheep might help, but his new pub might not.
Episode 2: Storming
Jeremy hatches a plan for the pub's first festive season, kicking off in style when the Farmer's Dog hosts a gig by one of Ireland's biggest bands. Elsewhere, farmers from across the UK gather to protest the government's latest tax hikes.
Episode 3: Tripping
It's the new year and Jeremy decides Diddly Squat needs a bold new direction. Diving headlong into the world of high-tech farming, he takes Kaleb on his first ever trip abroad to find out how it's done.
Episode 4: Updating
Autonomous farming arrives at Diddly Squat. Which is just as well, because there are problems at the pub, and with the pigs.
Episode 5: Decapitating
Episode 6: Frazzling
Episode 7: Sickening
Episode 8: Reaping
Where to Watch
Stream on: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads