Jeremy Clarkson has addressed a rumour about Clarkson’s Farm that’s caused concern among viewers of the hit show.
Series four of the former Top Gear and Grand Tour host’s lifestyle series will be released later this month, and will catch fans up with the daily occurrences at his Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds.
Upon the release of the trailer earlier this month, it was suggested that Clarkson’s farmer sidekick and new millionaire Kaleb Cooper had left the show for pastures new.
The first look at new episodes introduced a new farmhand named Harriet Cowan, who was drafted in after Cooper left Clarkson “in the lurch” as he embarked on a solo live show that saw him share stories from his life.
Clarkson was set to address the speculation regarding Cooper’s Clarkson’s Farm future at a press launch for series four this week, but the hot weather has meant he can’t get away from the farm as he needs to tend to the animals.
Instead, the presenter shared a video in which he categorically revealed that Cooper, 26, has not been replaced by Cowan, a 24-year-old full-time nurse and farmer from Derbyshire.
“There has been lots of reports that Kaleb has been replaced – well, no he hasn’t,” Clarkson said on Instagram.
“What happened is this: he went away on his speaking tour for a couple of months, because he imagined that after four years, I’d be able to manage on my own.”
It turned out Clarkson struggled a lot more than expected and “made a complete mess of everything”.
He said: “I had to bring in a young girl called Harriet. Harriet is brilliant and looked after the fort until he got back.”
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Cooper became an instant star after Clarkson purchased the Diddly Squat farm in Chipping Norton, where Cooper already worked under the previous owner.
The farmer was kept on by Clarkson and quickly became his right-hand man as he showed the Top Gear star the ropes of running a working farm. He will appear in the final episodes of season four.
Cooper has been basking in the success of the Amazon programme – as well as the speaking tour, called The World According to Kaleb, he has also written several books, including It’s a Farming Thing, Britain According to Kaleb and The World According to Kaleb.
He previously revealed that he was once earning just 50 pence an hour due to the unpredictable nature of farming costs and profit margins. His dream is to one day own his own farm.
Cooper shares two children – Oscar, three, and Willa, one – with fiancée Taya, and announced in February that they were expecting their third child together in August.
Clarkson’s Farm returns to Prime Video on 23 May.
