Adam Henson praised the “hysterical” Amazon Prime Video show and branded Jeremy Clarkson a “very good storyteller”, but spotted one issue with the series.
BBC Countryfile star Adam Henson thought Clarkson’s Farm was “hysterical”, but was also quick to point out to prospective farmers tuning into the hit show that the trade “isn’t all that bad”.
On an unearthed 2022 episode of Stompcast with Dr Alex George, the farmer and TV presenter, 58, heaped praise on the Jeremy Clarkson-led Amazon Prime series, saying it reached a “whole new demographic”.
The show’s potential impact on the farmers of the future may be a lot less desirable, however, as Adam believes the focus on the tough side of farming throughout the series could discourage people from trying their hand at a job in agriculture.
Adam said: “I thought it was hysterical. I think he’s a very good storyteller. I thought it reached a whole new demographic of people to learn about the countryside.
“I don’t think it encouraged anybody to get into farming because it made it out to be completely grim. For the listeners, anybody who’s thinking about farming, and that’s all you’ve watched, it isn’t all that bad. There are some real highlights of farming.”
Dr Alex responded by saying the popular series “got people to watch it” who may not have previously been interested in a show about farming, and they might then proceed to tune into a show like Countryfile.
The youth mental health ambassador suggested that Clarkson’s Farm and Countryfile viewers appear to have an understanding of how “amazing” the profession is, “even though” the job is undoubtedly hard.
He opened up about his own love of farming, saying: “There’s something about like, you know, doing things that are difficult are often worthwhile in the end because you feel like, ‘I’ve really achieved something’.
“And I mean, as I said, I’ve been surrounded by farming. It wasn’t my upbringing, but I’ve seen farming around me, and I loved it when there’s, like, hay season, bailing and all that kind of thing.”
Dr Alex spoke about how rewarding it can be once farmers reach that “moment” when they can take a step back and look at what they’ve grown, and realise that their sheep are there because they’ve “farmed the land”.
The former Love Island contestant also said he “could appreciate from a distance” how rewarding it must be to say, “I have grown this”, and that these animals are here because “I look after them”.
Gushing to Adam that there’s “something really amazing about that”, the Countryfile star said: “There absolutely is. And you know, it is very rewarding. And it can be hard work, and it can be very challenging.”
Clarkson’s Farm, which is hosted by former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, finished its third season earlier this year, but the Grand Tour star said it could be a “rough year” for Diddly Squat Farm ahead of season four.
He said they faced a “dilemma” in June amid claims that it would be almost impossible to produce enough food if the Government continues on its Net Zero trajectory.
In his latest column, he wrote: “It’s very important that we have the ability to feed ourselves, but we simply cannot do that when the main mission is to achieve Net Zero.”
Clarkson continued: “This old-fashioned system means the soil is turned over, so the weeds are buried and, owing to a lack of sunshine, die,” adding farming is either “kind to the sky or kind to the soil”.