Many people are criticizing this show already (see the horrendous Lucy Mangan review in the Guardian), but seem to have either not watched the series or completely misunderstood Jeremy Clarkson's goal. Clarkson is a mostly useless tool on his farm and he makes decisions seemingly guided by blind luck and assumption...which is utterly on brand and perfectly reflects the real challenges of farming.
While he spouts a few typical Clarkson-esque utterances that might irk a sensitive viewer, he largely serves the purpose of highlighting an amazing supporting cast of real farmhands and farmers. His efforts in cocking about turn into genuine appreciation and respect. It seems that he set out to make this show hoping to highlight the difficulties of farming, but in actually facing some of the harshest realities in a tragic year for agriculture, Clarkson seems to surprise even himself with how much he learns.
I would by no means consider him a true farm manager yet, but his show was an excellent experiment in detailing the real lives of farmers with more natural, entertaining, and heartwarming stories. He has made overly manufactured television in the past (though great entertainment), but instead, creates a show in which the real personalities of everyone involved with running a large farm are showcased.
People like Kaleb, Charlie, Gerald, Ellen, and Kevin are the highlights of the series, and rightfully so. Jeremy Clarkson will always have enough charisma to draw viewers, but it's the interactions with his friends and colleagues that kept me watching. In unsurprising fashion, Clarkson spends considerable time lambasting government regulation and restriction, but for once it feels much more like he is at least somewhat voicing the pleas of other farmers in regards to the very real consequences of sustainable agriculture. Anyone who has ever worked a farm will enjoy the schadenfreude of Clarkson's naivety; it brought me back to my time as a kid working my uncle's land. But we can all laugh and empathize with his year in a recognizably arduous and important profession. As a TV presenter of motoring shows I have always found Clarkson to be entertaining, but in "Clarkson's Farm" he finds a great group of people during one of the most disastrous year's in recent human history who, together, create a series that presents the watchable realism of a lovely, virgin farmer.
While he spouts a few typical Clarkson-esque utterances that might irk a sensitive viewer, he largely serves the purpose of highlighting an amazing supporting cast of real farmhands and farmers. His efforts in cocking about turn into genuine appreciation and respect. It seems that he set out to make this show hoping to highlight the difficulties of farming, but in actually facing some of the harshest realities in a tragic year for agriculture, Clarkson seems to surprise even himself with how much he learns.
I would by no means consider him a true farm manager yet, but his show was an excellent experiment in detailing the real lives of farmers with more natural, entertaining, and heartwarming stories. He has made overly manufactured television in the past (though great entertainment), but instead, creates a show in which the real personalities of everyone involved with running a large farm are showcased.
People like Kaleb, Charlie, Gerald, Ellen, and Kevin are the highlights of the series, and rightfully so. Jeremy Clarkson will always have enough charisma to draw viewers, but it's the interactions with his friends and colleagues that kept me watching. In unsurprising fashion, Clarkson spends considerable time lambasting government regulation and restriction, but for once it feels much more like he is at least somewhat voicing the pleas of other farmers in regards to the very real consequences of sustainable agriculture. Anyone who has ever worked a farm will enjoy the schadenfreude of Clarkson's naivety; it brought me back to my time as a kid working my uncle's land. But we can all laugh and empathize with his year in a recognizably arduous and important profession. As a TV presenter of motoring shows I have always found Clarkson to be entertaining, but in "Clarkson's Farm" he finds a great group of people during one of the most disastrous year's in recent human history who, together, create a series that presents the watchable realism of a lovely, virgin farmer.