Charlie’s lecturing Jeremy, and the Kaleb “country bumpkin” gags are starting to wear thin, but the trip abroad to see the future of farming technology provides a saving grace for Clarkson’s Farm season five.
It’s now five seasons into Clarkson’s Farm, and we all know the drill. Jeremy attempts straightforward farming tasks and fails miserably; Kaleb then proceeds to get angry with Jeremy for his inability to execute these tasks. Jeremy presents a money-making idea to Charlie, who responds with a list of government legislation to dissuade Jeremy from the idea.
Despite the feeling that I’ve seen parts of this season in previous years, the show is still very watchable. Jeremy is as entertaining as ever, although some of his co-stars are starting to run out of steam as they begin to come across as slightly one-dimensional.
Farming as must-see TV
The problem for Prime Video at this point is it needs to bring fresh content to the show to keep the cash cow rolling. Clarkson’s Farm is one of the UK’s most streamed shows and now boasts two real-world attractions that thousands of fans flock to each year.
However, executing this is difficult, as there is only so much that occurs on a farm that can feature in a TV series.
To mitigate this, the majority of the first four episodes of Clarkson’s Farm season five cover matters off the farm; these include Jeremy and Kaleb’s trip abroad, the budget protest in London and happenings at The Farmer’s Dog pub – which first appeared in season four.
Business at the latest offshoot of Diddly Squat, is an interesting watch, but from an easy viewing perspective rather than representing anything particularly groundbreaking. Although it highlights a key point where season five falters compared to its predecessors.
Season five does feature a few touching real-world farming stories, which showcase the issues of farming, but we are no longer experiencing these issues through Jeremy, whose pub and beer business have skyrocketed in recent years.
This issue leaves season five lacking the real-world impact of the earlier additions. Seasons one and two especially provided the sentiment that although the protagonist was a multi-millionaire TV personality, the issues he was highlighting were issues for many farmers across the UK.
Now it feels many of his struggles could only be experienced by a multimillionaire TV star who also happens to own a farm with a shop and pub attached.
A silver lining
The standout moment of season five is unquestionably episode three, during which Jeremy and Kaleb take a trip abroad to see the technology and farming practices that could launch Diddly Squat into the future.
I won’t reveal too much, but the innovative agricultural practices displayed provide a breathtaking window into the latest techniques in efficient and sustainable farming. It’s a must watch for anyone interested in agriculture and a must watch for anyone not captivated by farming, because this is likely how your food will be produced in the coming decades.
Overall, Clarkson’s Farm season five just about warrants a positive review despite the feeling that it was milking the content a tad dry at times. However, for its continued ability to propel farming into the public discourse, it must always be commended. Roll on season six.
