Amanda Holden says one problem has kept her from returning to Jeremy Clarkson’s farm

Amanda Holden has revealed why she has not returned to Jeremy Clarkson’s farm in Oxfordshire, despite living nearby and having visited in the early days of its rise to fame.

The television presenter, best known to many viewers as a long-serving judge on Britain’s Got Talent, said one issue has stopped her from going back to Diddly Squat Farm: the queues. Speaking candidly on Heart Radio’s Breakfast Show, the 55-year-old explained that while she enjoys Clarkson’s Farm and lives close enough to visit easily, the sheer number of people now flocking to the area has made a return less appealing.

Holden is one of several high-profile names with homes in the Cotswolds. She owns a four-bedroom thatched cottage near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire and shares the property with her husband Chris Hughes and their two daughters, Lexi, 20, and Hollie, 14. Her well-known neighbour Jeremy Clarkson, meanwhile, has become one of the most talked-about figures in the region since launching Clarkson’s Farm and expanding his local business interests through Diddly Squat Farm and The Farmer’s Dog pub.

Since Clarkson’s Farm first aired, visitor numbers around the area have surged as fans travel to see the places featured in the hit series. For many, Diddly Squat Farm Shop has become a must-visit destination, drawing long lines of people keen to experience the setting made famous on screen. But for Holden, that popularity has come with one clear downside.

Speaking about the issue, she said she had visited the farm in the past, very early on, but had not been back since because the queues were so big. Her comments offered a glimpse into just how dramatically Clarkson’s popularity has transformed the area, turning a local farming site into a major attraction.

Holden also joked about how she might avoid the crowds if she really wanted to go back. She suggested she could probably just walk across the field, before laughing that Clarkson might accuse her of trespassing and tell her to get off his land. Even so, she made clear that she is curious to return and see how much the site has changed, noting that there is now a whole new setup in place compared with the last time she visited.

Her remarks reflect the wider impact Clarkson’s Farm has had on the Cotswolds. What began as a documentary-style series following Clarkson’s attempts to run his Oxfordshire farm has grown into a major television success, bringing increased tourism, attention and business to the area. At the same time, that success has also created practical challenges, especially around traffic, queues and the sheer volume of visitors.

For Holden, the situation appears to be a mix of admiration and mild frustration. She made clear that she loves the show, but the crowds are another matter. It is a familiar tension for many locals who have seen the peaceful rural setting become far busier since the series turned Diddly Squat into a national talking point.

Although she has stayed away for now, Holden’s comments suggest she has not ruled out another visit in the future. And if she does decide to head back, she may well find an even bigger attraction waiting for her than the one she first encountered. With Clarkson’s Farm continuing to grow in popularity and the site evolving over time, the queues that kept her away may be a sign that Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds empire is only becoming harder to ignore.