Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about the unusual items he plans to leave behind for his long-time co-stars James May and Richard Hammond when he dies, offering another glimpse into the dry humour that has defined their on-screen partnership for more than 20 years.
The television presenter rose to fame alongside May and Hammond as part of one of British motoring television’s most recognisable trios, first on the BBC’s Top Gear and later on Prime Video’s The Grand Tour. Their friendship, built on constant teasing and contrasting personalities, became a central part of both programmes and helped turn the three men into household names.
Away from the world of motoring, Clarkson has spent recent years building a different public image through his life in the countryside. He has lived in Oxfordshire since around 2008 and now runs Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington, as well as The Farmer’s Dog pub in Asthall, near Burford. His farming journey has been brought to a wider audience through Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video, a series that has helped spotlight the day-to-day pressures facing British agriculture.
Clarkson has also become one of the most outspoken high-profile voices backing farmers in the UK, frequently using his platform to discuss the financial and political pressures affecting the sector. In late 2024, he joined a protest in London against the new 20 per cent inheritance tax on farms valued at more than £1 million, a policy that came into force in April 2026 and has drawn strong criticism from parts of the farming community.
Now, with that tax change taking effect this month, Clarkson said he has been turning his attention to his own future arrangements. Writing in his latest Sunday Times column, the 65-year-old reflected on funeral plans, burial wishes and the contents of his will, combining serious planning with the sort of blunt humour for which he is well known.
Among the most memorable parts of his remarks were the items he said he intends to leave to May and Hammond. Speaking about May, Clarkson said he would leave him a cow, explaining that anything he gives him should be something James would find irritating. The comment appeared to fit perfectly with the long-running dynamic between the two presenters, whose friendship has often been marked by affectionate frustration and constant ribbing.
As for Hammond, Clarkson said he plans to leave him all of his trousers. It was another typically odd and comic detail, in keeping with the bantering relationship that viewers have watched for decades. The remark, reported by the Express, adds to the sense that even when discussing death and inheritance, Clarkson is determined to do it in his own distinctive style.
He also revealed that some of his friends will be left just 20 pence in his will, saying this is so they cannot claim they were forgotten. The line was another example of Clarkson mixing dark humour with personal reflection, turning what could have been a purely sombre subject into something more characteristically sharp and memorable.
While the comments were clearly made in jest, they also show that Clarkson is taking practical steps as he considers the future. With his health, his business interests and the changing financial landscape for farming all in sharper focus, his latest remarks suggest a man thinking seriously about legacy, but doing so with the same irreverent voice that made him famous.
