Jeremy Clarkson has said countryside villages are ‘losing their soul’ as he criticised the loss of local schools, police officers and shops in some of the most rural areas of the UK.
Speaking on the new fourth series of Clarkson’s Farm, Clarkson – who was previously fired by the BBC after punching a producer – bemoaned loneliness in small villages as he discussed the frequent closure of local pubs.
The latest series sees Clarkson travel around various closed pubs as he seeks to purchase one alongside his farm, with the aim of revitalising it for the local community and selling stock from his Diddly Squat farm shop.
While having a drink in his own local pub, the former Top Gear presenter tells viewers: ‘Loneliness is a big issue in rural areas and part of the problem is villages losing their soul.
‘You don’t have a village doctor anymore. He’s in a health centre 30 miles away and you can’t get an appointment.
‘There’s no village bobby on the beat. There’s no village vicar, there’s no village shop, there’s no village school.
‘If we end up at a point where there’s no village pub then what is a village? It’s just some houses. Pubs are the hub and it should always be that way.’
Clarkson is said to have paid less than £1 million to purchase the pub he eventually opened as The Farmer’s Dog last year.
According to recent figures, six pubs closed every week in 2024, leading to around 4,500 job losses.
The pub in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire, was previously known as The Windmill.
The new series of Clarkson’s Farm features new farmhand Harriet Cowan, 24, taking over from popular sidekick Kaleb Cooper who is taking a break from the show.
The new farmhand has been described as ‘brilliant’ by her co-stars and seems to have kept things running smoothly while Cooper, who has been a staple on the show since it began in 2021, was temporarily away on a tour.
In the new eight-part series of Clarkson’s Farm, Jeremy and his team will battle with mother nature as it makes one of the toughest years ever for British farmers.
The show is set to return to the streaming platform on May 23, with two additional episodes released a week later on May 30, followed by the final two on June 6.
Clarkson previously announced that a fifth series of Clarkson’s Farm had confirmed, before the fourth was even announced, back in November.
In a clip posted online, a huge number five firework lit up the sky as he told his followers: ‘Over the years bright lights in the sky have been used to make many important announcements.
‘The birth of baby Jesus for example, but tonight they’re being used to make an announcement that’s even bigger than that.
‘Season 5 of Clarkson’s Farm is coming,’ the TV presenter finished, before pointing towards the gold number five.
He captioned the post: ‘It’s the 5th November… this just felt right, Clarkson’s Farm S5 is officially in production.’
