The former Top Gear presenter first purchased Curdle Hill Farm back in 2008, later renaming it Diddly Squat Farm. What began as Clarkson’s personal experiment in agriculture quickly became the central focus of his hugely successful Amazon Prime Video documentary series, Clarkson’s Farm. Filmed in Chadlington in the Cotswolds, the show has charted both the challenges and triumphs of modern farming, while also turning some of its local characters into household names.
Among those who found fame through the series was Kaleb Cooper, a then 21-year-old farmhand from nearby Chipping Norton who appeared alongside Clarkson in the first season, released in 2021. Cooper’s straight-talking personality, passion for farming, and humorous clashes with Clarkson won over audiences almost instantly. Since then, he has featured prominently in all subsequent series, including the fourth season, which aired across May and June this year.
Now 27, Cooper finds himself balancing his agricultural roots with the demands of celebrity status. Speaking recently to The Sunday Times, he recalled the moment he realised just how dramatically his life was about to change.
“Six months into it, the director said to me, ‘Kaleb, you’re gonna be a massive celebrity,’” Cooper explained. “And the day after the show came out, I gained a million followers on Instagram.”
The sudden fame left him unsure how to proceed, so he turned to Clarkson for guidance. “I went to Jeremy and asked, ‘What do I do?’” he said. Clarkson’s response was characteristically blunt. “‘Kaleb, you’ve got two options. You go out there, make all the money you can, and then disappear in five years’ time. Or, you go for longevity.’”
Having opted for the second path, Cooper said his mentor followed up with a crucial warning. “He told me, ‘Right, OK, then you’ve got to be really careful what you do and what you don’t do.’”
That advice has stuck with Cooper, who has already begun turning down potentially lucrative offers in order to safeguard his long-term career. “When someone says, ‘Do you want to do an advert for a brand, the money’s great,’ I just think, ‘Probably not. I’d rather go sit on the tractor, actually.’”
While Cooper remains firmly committed to farming, his growing public profile suggests that his career is set for a major evolution in the years ahead. With Clarkson’s warning in mind, the young farmer appears determined to stay grounded, despite the pull of celebrity life.
Filming is already underway for season five of Clarkson’s Farm in Oxfordshire, with new episodes scheduled for release in 2026. Fans will no doubt be eager to see how both Clarkson and Cooper navigate their next chapter, as the unlikely duo continue to shine a spotlight on the realities of British farming.
