Jeremy Clarkson believed his television career was finished after leaving Top Gear, but an unexpected hit about his rural life completely transformed his fortunes.
The unexpected success story
For the past four years, Prime Video subscribers have been thoroughly entertained watching Jeremy Clarkson navigate the challenges of running Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds.
The series, which launched in 2021, quickly developed a loyal fanbase who adored watching the former Top Gear presenter tackle the amusing obstacles and regular mishaps of farming life.
Clarkson's Farm features a supporting cast that has become nearly as popular as the main star himself, including Kaleb Cooper, Charlie Ireland, Gerald Cooper, Harriet Cowan, and Clarkson's partner Lisa Hogan.
Revealing the career doubts
Veteran producer Andy Wilman recently disclosed that Clarkson had serious doubts about ever achieving another successful television series following his departure from the BBC motoring show.
During Wednesday's broadcast of The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, Wilman admitted they never anticipated the programme would become such a phenomenal success.
"That was absolutely out of the blue," Wilman revealed. "Jeremy never thought he was going to have another hit, you know? We were done."
When Dominic Byrne praised the programme's quality, Wilman explained that their existing contract with Amazon for Grand Tour meant they needed to keep creating content, which led to separate projects.
Executive scepticism and eventual triumph
Wilman shared how executives initially tried to talk Clarkson out of the farming concept, recalling: "Jeremy went, 'I want to do life on my farm.' And if I had a quid for every exec who rang me and went, 'Can you talk him out of that?'"
The producer confessed he even telephoned the broadcaster to warn that nobody was enthusiastic about a show focused on rural life, though he admitted he couldn't blame those who expressed doubts.
According to Wilman, Clarkson himself worried the programme might turn out to be "the most boring thing" ever produced.
The unexpected chemistry and characters featured in Clarkson's Farm ultimately proved crucial to its success, with Wilman admitting: "We didn't see that cast coming."
Spinoff success and international expansion
The programme's massive popularity has launched spinoff opportunities, most notably for farmhand Kaleb Cooper, who is currently filming his own series in Australia.
The new four-part Prime Video show will see the television personality swap Chipping Norton for life in the southern hemisphere.
Speaking about his upcoming adventure, Cooper said: "I spend most of my time with the most travelled man in the world, so I got brave and booked my first ever flight to see what all the fuss was about. Australia here I come!"
He added enthusiastically: "And Australia, you'll be gaining a new farmer for a couple of months as I discover if I can make my farming contracting business go international."
