Jeremy Clarkson Dismisses £100m Claim That Bill Gates Is Trying to Buy Diddly Squat Farm
Jeremy Clarkson has firmly dismissed online claims that tech billionaire Bill Gates is attempting to buy his Oxfordshire farm for £100 million, calling the widely shared rumours complete nonsense.
The former Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter purchased Diddly Squat Farm, formerly known as Curdle Hill, in 2008. Located near Chipping Norton, the 1,000-acre site has since become one of the most recognisable farms in Britain thanks to its starring role in Clarkson’s Farm.
In recent weeks, a wave of viral videos and social media posts have suggested that Bill Gates was preparing to purchase the land, with some claims alleging that companies linked to the billionaire were “circling” the farm. Several clips went further, framing the story as a symbolic clash between a traditional British farmer and one of the world’s richest men.
Mr Clarkson has now publicly addressed the speculation for the first time. Responding to a fan on X, formerly Twitter, he was asked whether a circulating video — purportedly featuring his voice — was genuine or the product of artificial intelligence. The user questioned whether the tone and delivery sounded authentic.
Mr Clarkson’s reply was characteristically blunt. “Everything on the internet is b*****ks,” he wrote, leaving little room for doubt about his view of the claims.
The rumours have emerged amid growing public scrutiny over farmland ownership and the increasing involvement of wealthy investors in agriculture. Mr Gates has attracted attention in recent years after becoming the largest private owner of farmland in the United States, controlling tens of thousands of hectares through a network of investment entities linked to Microsoft co-founder’s wider portfolio.
However, there is no evidence that any such interest extends to Mr Clarkson’s land in the Cotswolds. The farm remains under his ownership and continues to operate as both a working agricultural business and a filming location.
Filming for the fifth series of Clarkson’s Farm concluded last September, with the new season expected to arrive on Prime Video later this year. The show has played a significant role in shaping public conversations about British farming, rural regulation, and the financial pressures facing landowners — themes that continue to resonate well beyond the fields of Diddly Squat.