Jeremy Clarkson gave his scathing verdict on some past Countryfile presenters, branding them “idiots”. The farming enthusiast and TV presenter took to social media to applaud the BBC show for making some changes.
He wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Sunday evening: “Has anyone else noticed how much better Countryfile has got in recent years? Tonight’s show is proper. No stupid people hugging trees and humming. Just proper farming stuff.” A fan replied to Clarkson, 65, in agreement, as they penned: “Watching now at a friend’s after giving it a miss for years, just thinking the same.” The former Top Gear star then hit back, taking a swipe at the BBC’s presenting team as he jeered: “It’s like they’ve got rid of the idiots.” As Clarkson continued to watch the programme, his criticisms increased. In a second Tweet, he wrote: “No wait. They’ve brought climate change into it. As you were.”
While the Who Wants to be a Millionaire host did not expand on who the “idiots” were that he was referring to, Countryfile features a rotating team of presenters.
Long-running host John Craven is joined by regulars including Adam Henson, Matt Baker, Anita Rani, Tom Heap, Charlotte Smith, Sean Fletcher, Margherita Taylor, Helen Skelton, and Joe Crowley.
Some notable presenters who have left the show previously include Julia Bradbury, Ben Fogle, Michaela Strachan, and Clare Balding.
Michaela Strachan has recently opened up about her “disappointing” departure from the show and whether she’d contemplate a return to the programme, which she hosted from 1999 to 2009.
Discussing her exit, Michaela said she has no resentment towards the producers and understands why the alterations were required.
She said: “I moved on then with a lot of presenters that they changed. I think the best way to update a programme is to change the presenters, so I didn’t have an issue with that at all.
“I think when you’ve done 10 years on a programme, you’re incredibly lucky to be on a programme for 10 years and do the variety of things that I did.”
I’ve done such a fantastic variety of items on Countryfile, so when I got moved on, I was totally okay with it,” Michaela continued.
“Obviously I was disappointed, you’re going to be disappointed, but if I was a producer that’s how I would update a show. If I wanted to make it fresh faced, the most obvious thing to do is to change the line-up of presenters and I don’t see how you can get upset about that.”
