Yahoo News Jeremy Clarkson was told planning row would make a great TV story
Clarkson's Farm has been one of Prime Video's biggest shows, with the former Top Gear host adjusting to farming life.
Jeremy Clarkson already knew a row over planning permission would make for a great storyline on his TV show Clarkson's Farm — because he got a heads-up from a fellow farmer.
The 63-year-old presenter took over the running of Curdle Hill Farm in 2019, renaming it Diddly Squat Farm as a nod to his lack of agricultural ability. He has documented his new career in his hugely popular Prime Video series.
As part of that series, viewers have seen numerous Diddly Squat planning battles, as Clarkson has met council resistance for numerous attempts to expand his business operation on the land.
In his latest column for The Sun, Clarkson explained that he got a tip that a planning dispute could be a great way to generate some drama for the second series of the show.
He wrote: "After the first series of Clarkson’s Farm aired, I went for lunch with a farmer friend who said: 'If you want a storyline for the next series, try getting planning permission for something'.
"I was a bit puzzled and asked what he meant by 'something'. 'Anything,' he replied. 'It doesn’t matter. Because I guarantee you’ll be turned down'."
Clarkson subsequently applied to turn a lambing shed on the farm into a steak restaurant, only to see his bid turned down.
"It was like I’d asked for permission to build Studio 54," said Clarkson. "As my farming friend had predicted, the council went berserk and did everything in its power to stop me."
Clarkson later took his concerns around planning all the way to the government, meeting with government ministers Michael Gove and Kemi Badenoch.
The third series of Clarkson's Farm will debut on Prime Video in May 2024, with a fourth series already commissioned by the streamer.
He can also be seen in the final crop of special episodes of The Grand Tour, in which he re-teams with his former Top Gear chums James May and Richard Hammond.
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