Clarkson’s Farm bosses refuse to cancel Jeremy after Meghan Markle criticism
Amazon Studios have defended their decision not to cancel Clarkson’s Farm following a spectacular backlash against show star Jeremy Clarkson last year after he penned a toxic article about Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
The wildly popular rural reality show has been an unexpected hit for Amazon Prime - the streaming service that supplies films and TV shows to subscribers. The series follows 63-year-old Jeremy as he tries to build a successful business out of a farm he bought in Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire.
Jeremy’s partner Lisa Hogan, 48, and business associates Kaleb Cooper, 25, and Charlie 'Cheerful Charlie' Ireland star in the show which has run for two seasons so far. But last year, Jeremy sparked a furious backlash when he wrote an article in The Sun where he expressed a wish to see 42-year-old Meghan "paraded naked through the streets" as he dislikes her so much.
The poisoned column led to ITV to consider cutting their ties with Jeremy over hosting Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? While Amazon themselves reportedly decided to cancel The Grand Tour - the car show that Jeremy hosts alongside James May, 60 and Richard Hammond, 53.
Amazon are standing beside Jeremy Clarkson despite him opening a can of proverbial worms last winter (Getty Images)
Jeremy wrote a toxic article about Meghan Markle that sparked calls for his cancellation (Getty Images)The future of Clarkson’s Farm also looked to be in question as some reports suggested Amazon planned to only air episodes of both The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm that had already been filmed before cutting ties entirely with Jeremy in 2024. But now bosses have confirmed Clarkson’s farm will go ahead with a third season.
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Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival at the EICC, Fozia Khan, unscripted lead, UK Originals for Amazon Studios and Dan Grabiner, head of originals for UK and Northern Europe, Amazon Studios, said the show is a “phenomenon” and has had an “impact” on the agricultural and farming industries.
While bosses remarked they were “shocked and disappointed” following Jeremy’s article about Meghan, but argued they made the decision to carry on production as there is “so much more to the show than Clarkson”.
Clarkson's Farm has proved to be insanely popular for Amazon (Tom Wren / SWNS)In February it was reported by Deadline that Clarkson’s Farm became "Amazon Prime Video’s most-watched original show in the UK" when it began streaming that month.
Jeremy himself had defended the analogy he had used of parading Meghan naked through the streets as a dated reference to the fantasy drama Game of Thrones. In a 2015 season five episode of the HBO series, an evil queen was stripped and forced to walk through the streets of a city while the public were invited to hurl insults and excrement at her.
He also denied speculation he had been fired as the host of Who Want’s To Be A Millionaire?, tweeting in March: “So many kind messages about today's reports. But relax... I have not been sacked as host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.”
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