Clarkson's Farm has lost its charm and it's obvious why
Enjoying Clarkson's Farm has always been a dirty little secret I prefer not to advertise, now more than ever.
Jeremy Clarkson is an undeniably controversial figure who is charismatic enough to make shows about farming and cars – two subjects I don't particularly care about – pretty damn enjoyable.
I watched the first series with my dad in 2021, and was surprised to find that I thought it was fantastic. I enjoyed the second and third seasons too, but this recent fourth season on Amazon Prime sadly doesn't quite hit the spot.
The main problem in this new instalment is that it's repetitive.
We've seen Jeremy struggle with tractors before and be suckered in by making expensive and unnecessary purchases. It's not dull watching, but it does feel a little lazy.
Perhaps it's just reality that, after years as a farmer, Jeremy is still an amateur, facing the same issues as always, and can't invent new ones to entertain viewers.
Even when he tries to buy a pub, it feels like the same old tools used in the previous seasons, like when he opened the Diddly Squat Farm Shop or tried to make a open a restaurant.
Even a new character doesn't change things up.
The fourth chapter in Clarkson's farming epic opens with a character introduction. Farmer Kaleb Cooper is busy on tour, given his fame from the previous seasons, so Jeremy hires Harriet.
The young farmer from Derbyshire fills Kaleb's shoes as farming expert and as the person to challenge Jeremy in every interaction.
While Harriet seems like a sweetheart and is an incredibly capable farmer, her role in the show feels underdeveloped, and as soon as Kaleb returns in the third episode, she's off again.
I'd have much preferred to see her in more episodes, watch her get comfortable in front of the cameras, built up more of a rapport, and butt heads with Kaleb, but alas she was gone in a flash.
Frustratingly, Harriet isn't the only underdeveloped part of this new series. In fact, it feels a bit like a theme in the first few episodes.
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Usually, the show does a good job of pulling on viewers' heartstrings, and on more than one occasion has had me sobbing – I'm thinking of the poor piglets squashed by their mum while trying to stay warm.
Sadly, my heartstrings remained unpulled.
We're introduced to the runt of the piggy litter – adorably named Richard Ham(mond) -who may have to be castrated or slaughtered because of his teeny-weeny size.
However, the meeting is nothing more than a plot device so Kaleb can tell a bonkers story about a piglet being castrated by a woman who used her teeth.
At first, it seemed that the introduction to Richard was an attempt to make viewers connect with the animals – like Pepper the cow in previous seasons – but it just felt like an awkward addition for some cheap jokes that didn't make me care about the pig.
As in every season, the Amazon Prime series did make an effort to shine a light on important issues that affect the farming community and will likely spark conversations among viewers.
While discussing how best to slaughter some animals, Jeremy finds that his local abattoir has shut down, and he will now have to pay a fortune just to have his animals turned into produce. He discovers that it is now predicted that by 2030, all abattoirs will be gone, making it impossible for UK livestock farmers to operate.
While on a hunt for a pub, he also learns about the dire state UK pubs are in when he is told most in the local area are for sale and in the past 25 years, a third of pubs have closed their doors forever.
Harriet also speaks about the male loneliness epidemic and reveals she knows several farmers who have taken their own lives for several reasons, including loneliness, poverty, and restrictions that make their work incredibly hard.
Giving a platform to all of these issues is vital, and seeing Jeremy dig into the root of some seriously scary issues affecting the future of farming is one of the best parts of the show.
The final episode did have its moments, and it finally felt like some fresh storylines were being explored with classic Clarkson's cheekiness and fun.
In the fourth episode, Jermey finally finds a pub he wants to buy, but frustratingly finds it's on a popular dogging spot, lovingly nicknamed 'the A40 bum club'. More Trending
Images of glory holes in loos, a sign saying 'Roger my colon', and Jeremy finding knickers and condom wrappers in the woods, finally felt like the light, fresh, surprising humour that made the early seasons so easily entertaining.
But then the episode ended.
In the look ahead to the second part of the season, things don't look super promising with some 'significant' news from Charlie and some mating cows.
However, the last episode gave me at least a little hope that the season might find its feet again and get back into a more natural swing that feels less staged and repetitive and just good old entertainment.
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