Actor ‘upset’ at being compared with the journalist turned farmer and insists he has never been a south London gangster
Vinnie Jones, the actor, has revealed he is frequently accused of copying Clarkson’s Farm.
Jones said he finds it “upsetting” that Vinnie Jones In The Country, which airs on Discovery+, is often compared with Jeremy Clarkson’s hit show on Amazon Prime.
He told Radio Times: “Jeremy’s done a fantastic job raising awareness for farmers, but ours is a different little show. It’s a show without an agenda, and it’s not a farm show – it’s an in-the-country show.”
The former footballer went on to describe Sir David Attenborough, the naturalist and broadcaster, as one of his “heroes” and said he wanted the public to see the real him on his programme, which is now in its third series.
Jones said he had been made out to be a “lunatic” in the past.
“A lot of that I brought on myself with the drinking,” he told the magazine. “But I’m 12 years sober this April, and I wanted to show people what I actually do in my spare time.
“Yesterday, I sat for six hours just to see a kingfisher. I’m not a south London gangster, never have been.”
Jones said his love of the outdoors came from his father, adding: “He was always a passionate country man.
“I still remember finding my first lapwing nest in a field.
“If I were on Mastermind, my specialist subject would be British nature – not many people would beat me.”
Jones, whose first film role was in Guy Ritchie’s 1998 debut Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, stars in the director’s new action thriller, Viva la Madness, later this year.
Jones’s plans to build a shooting retreat on his West Sussex farm prompted concern among conservationists last year, who said they threatened protected birds.
The actor and former footballer lodged plans to create accommodation for guests to enjoy countryside sporting activities on Blackwool Farm, near Ebernoe in the South Downs National Park.
Under the plans, submitted to the park’s authority, redundant farm buildings, including two barns and a dairy, would be converted to guest bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms alongside a main reception and lobby.
However, a report seen by The Telegraph stated that a dead barn owl fledgling and a nest were discovered in one building, while another was likely to house roosts. A separate survey said several buildings were also used as day roosts or transitional or maternity roosts by bats.
Conservationists have claimed that the project threatens the protected barn owls and residents say the works would upset the tranquillity of the area.
