Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that the filming of Clarkson’s Farm has been paused due to an apparently deliberate helicopter interruption.
The TV personality, 64, shared an image on Instagram of a helicopter that appeared to be repeatedly circling his Diddly Squat farm in Chadlington, Oxfordshire. He wrote: “Filming paused till this f****ard buggers off.”
The image was met with delight by Instagram users, some of whom used the incident to riff on the controversy surrounding the farm and its expansion.
While it is not yet known who is seemingly interupting production of the series, Clarkson has been embroiled in an ongoing row with his Oxfordshire council over planning applications.
From extending the car park at his Diddly Squat farm shop to attempting to open a restaurant on-site, Clarkson has faced an ongoing uphill battle to expand his farm.
“Probably the council with a thermal camera to see if you are hiding another restaurant in the woods,” joked one viewer.
“Council is finding new ways,” added a second.
Others jokingly speculated about how the helicopter could be incorporated into the next series of the hit show.
One Instagram user quipped: “Season 4 Episode 1 at the missile auctions.”
“Coming soon, the Diddly Squat surface to air excrement launcher,” commented a second, while a third referred to Clarkson’s former Top Gear co-host and joked: “Is it James May?”
The incident comes after the show’s executive producer, Andy Wilman, revealed that Clarkson’s Farm could come to an end after its fourth season.
This is despite the fact that the third season is currently the most viewed series on Amazon Prime this year.
“I’ve got no feelings on whether there’s a [season] five or not,” Wilman told Deadline. “Jeremy’s the same. He’s like, ‘When we’ve got nothing left to say, let’s walk away.’”
Reflecting on why the show has been so successful, Wilman said: “Everybody wants to be in that little world because it’s a bit of a 1950s world where a big problem is a cow that’s in trouble, or a dam that’s not mended. Very little of consequence happens.
“It’s like an escape pod. Forget all your troubles and be on Clarkson’s Farm.”
The fourth season, filming for which was underway today before the helicopter’s interruption, is currently in production.
The Independent has contacted the local council and Mr Clarkson for comment.
