Clarkson's Farm (2021) Review: The Joke Is on Clarkson

Is Clarkson’s Farm worth watching?

Yes. Clarkson’s Farm is a rare reality series that is both laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely enlightening, turning a celebrity’s farming misadventures into a sharp look at how hard British agriculture really is. The best reason to watch is that the joke is almost always on Jeremy Clarkson, with his young farmhand Kaleb Cooper cast as the long-suffering voice of reason. The reservation is that the later seasons lean more on business schemes and planning rows than on farming itself, and some scenes feel more staged than spontaneous.

What is Clarkson’s Farm about?

Jeremy Clarkson, the former Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter, decides to farm the land he owns in the Cotswolds himself rather than leave it to a contractor. With enthusiasm, oversized machinery and almost no knowledge, he takes on crops, livestock, the weather and a shop to sell what he produces. Helping him, and often despairing of him, are Kaleb Cooper, a young local farmer who knows far more than his boss; Charlie Ireland, the patient land agent who keeps an eye on the finances; and Clarkson’s partner, Lisa Hogan.

Clarkson’s Farm is a British reality series in English, made for Prime Video and first released in 2021. This review covers seasons 1 to 5, 40 episodes in total; the show is ongoing.

Kaleb Cooper, the unlikely star

The series works because it refuses to make Clarkson the hero. His grand plans and impatience are constantly undercut by people who actually understand farming, and none more so than Kaleb Cooper. Cooper’s deadpan exasperation, blunt put-downs and obvious competence made him one of Britain’s most unlikely television stars, and his dynamic with Clarkson, part mentor and part mocking younger brother, is the show’s comic engine.

Charlie Ireland is the quiet counterweight, delivering bad news about yields and margins with the calm of a man who knows it will be ignored. Lisa Hogan brings warmth and a sensible streak to the ventures she runs alongside the farm, and a supporting cast of neighbours and local workers, including a dry-stone waller whose accent often needs subtitles, gives the show a real sense of community.

A comedy that teaches along the way

Beneath the jokes, Clarkson’s Farm is surprisingly educational. Viewers learn about soil, crop prices, lambing, subsidies and the sheer financial precariousness of small farms, and the series lets hard numbers land at the end of each season. It is shot with a strong sense of place, with seasons changing across the fields and weather as the real antagonist. The result has done more than most documentaries to change how many British viewers think about farming and food.

The editing is sharp, and the series knows how to build a running gag across episodes, from failed machinery to animals that will not cooperate. Clarkson’s persona, blustering and self-mocking, is used to explain complex issues without lecturing.

Where the formula shows

As the show has gone on, it has shifted from learning to farm towards running businesses, and disputes with local planners and new ventures sometimes take focus from the land itself. Some sequences feel set up for the cameras, and Clarkson’s political asides will irritate viewers who dislike his public persona. The quality remains high, but the charm of the first season, with its sense of genuine discovery, is hard to repeat.

Who should watch Clarkson’s Farm?

It suits almost anyone who enjoys British humour, rural life or reality television with substance, and it has won over plenty of viewers who never liked Clarkson on car shows. Forty episodes across five seasons is a substantial commitment, but the first season works perfectly on its own. There is strong language and some scenes of animal birth and death that are part of farm life. More comedy series are gathered on the same shelf.

If it wins you over, try these:

• The Traitors for another British reality hit driven by big personalities.
• The Office for the scripted version of a boss who is sure he knows best.
• Ghosts for gentle, character-driven comedy set in the English countryside.

The verdict

Clarkson’s Farm is funny, affectionate and eye-opening, with Kaleb Cooper and the farm’s supporting cast keeping Clarkson’s ego firmly in check. The later seasons are a little less fresh, but this remains one of the most entertaining and unexpectedly important reality series of recent years.

Rating: 4.5/5