Jeremy Clarkson has opened up on the ‘bleak’ situation surrounding one of his businesses, as he admitted that ‘things are pretty terrible’ in a candid admission
Television personality Jeremy Clarkson has disclosed that “things are pretty terrible” as he voiced concerns about the future of one of his ventures. Following an extensive and illustrious career in motoring journalism with Top Gear and The Grand Tour, Clarkson captured a new following through his highly popular Amazon Prime programme Clarkson’s Farm.
In 2024, he launched a pub, The Farmer’s Dog, in Asthall, near Burford, Oxfordshire, to complement his Diddly Squat Farm operation, but he describes the outlook as “pretty bleak” for this segment of his commercial interests.
Clarkson expressed anxiety over the increase in business rates, mirroring the concerns of fellow celebrity publican Tom Kerridge.
Writing in the Sunday Times, he noted: “The chef Tom Kerridge said the rates on his burger joint in Marlow would go up from £50,000 a year to £124,000. ‘What’s the point in being open?’ he asks reasonably. At my pub, the Farmer’s Dog, things aren’t quite that bleak but they’re still pretty terrible.
“The rateable value would shoot up from £27,250 to £55,000 and when you factor in the national insurance rise, which has upped our wage bill by £42,000 a year, we’d be up a gum tree.”, reports the Express.
“Because how can you pass this on to customers when they have a £2billion gas bill to pay and they can’t get there anyway because of the new drink driving rules.”
This follows news that Clarkson has secured victory in a car park planning dispute at his pub, formerly known as The Windmill. Permission to park at the location, which boasts 170 spaces, was already in place.
The pub has attracted numerous visitors since appearing on Clarkson’s popular Amazon Prime programme.
West Oxfordshire District Council indicated that off-road parking provision should be made available to prevent vehicles from stopping along the A40 or the route towards Asthall.
Clarkson purchased the establishment for £1million shortly after encountering the proprietor in 2023. The property encompasses five acres of land.
The television personality has also revealed that his medication is “eating” his muscles in a candid disclosure about his wellbeing, though he confessed he’s reluctant to take the necessary steps to “counteract this”.
The ex-Top Gear presenter’s revelation emerged in a recent newspaper piece where he offered his views on an “actual car”, specifically the new Mercedes-AMG CLE Coupé.
Clarkson chose to discuss the New Year and our supposed inability to maintain our resolutions, including the aspiration for “living clean”, a lifestyle philosophy he believes “simply isn’t worth the effort”.
He also mentioned his use of the weight loss injection Mounjaro and how he “absolutely must” undertake a particular activity – commonly linked with New Year’s resolutions – to “counteract” a specific adverse effect.
The 65 year old penned in the Times: “The human being is a flawed design. We have the intellectual capacity to work out what is good for us, but most of us can’t be bothered to do anything about it.”
