In an age of Zoom interviews, communication tin exist fraught at the best of times. Only throw in a linguistic communication barrier and what hope accept nosotros got?

However, my interviewee is not Castilian, French or Italian. He'south not from a far-flung country or another continent birthday. In fact, he'southward just on the other side of the Irish Sea and we both speak English. Merely still, he can't understand my gloriously guttural accent!

The interviewee? None other than Jeremy Clarkson.

Jeremy Clarkson has tillage and sheep. \ Charlotte Martin

To be fair, I speak a mile a minute when I'm nervous and/or excited.

"Lisa could interpret. Information technology'south similar having Lisa in the room," Jeremy remarks of our linguistic challenges, referencing his Irish gaelic girlfriend, actor Lisa Hogan.

I suggest nosotros endeavor Google translate.

And then sets the tone for an interview brindled with barrack and ball-hopping (although I'm sure this plough of phrase is wasted on my new friends).

The screen in front end of me reveals a very country sight indeed. Jeremy and Kaleb Cooper, who helps Jeremy run his farm, sit on opposite sides of a chessboard, a stove in the background.

I remark on the rustic view. Their reply is that it'south raining torrentially and water is pouring in nether the door of this farm building.

Jeremy holds his index finger and thumb about 2 inches apart to demonstrate how much h2o is on the floor. Kaleb squelches his foot to reinforce the point.

It'southward almost like beingness there. If Irish Country Living were in that location though, I would most certainly be getting a spin in Jeremy's Lamborghini tractor.

Jeremy Clarkson'southward new farming show will launch on xi June on Amazon Prime Video. \ Charlotte Martin

You see, the broadcaster, best-known for Acme Gear and The Yard Tour, has swapped machine-centred programmes for tractor-focused ones. I'm here to discuss his new evidence, Clarkson'south Farm, which launches on xi June on Amazon Prime number Video.

Getting in gear

Jeremy's farm is in the Cotswolds, a designated Expanse of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in south-cardinal and southwest England. He has 1,000 acres which, to brainstorm with, was primarily in tillage, but now he'southward added some sheep to the mix – more than on that afterwards.

Buying the subcontract in 2008 was more than of a happy coincidence for Jeremy, rather than a lifelong dream.

He jokes that it happened so quickly it wasn't fifty-fifty a dream the day before he bought information technology. Land rarely comes up in the expanse and when it did, he decided to snap it upward.

Even so, with a local human running the farm, Jeremy hadn't much to practise with it. That is until this man retired in 2019 and Jeremy decided to have a go at farming himself while charting his venture for a new TV prove.

A journey that'southward sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant and sometimes downright baffling.

Jeremy admits himself that he didn't realise the work involved in taking on the farm.

"I actually thought you put seeds in the ground, weather happens, food grows and and then I continue a skiing vacation. Y'all sell it [the ingather] and so: 'Oh, I've got all this money and information technology's vivid.'"

Jeremy Clarkson wanted to use his new evidence to demonstrate the realities of farming. \ Charlotte Martin

Throughout the prove nosotros run across the broadcaster struggle with various aspects of his new undertaking – cue Kaleb and some others coming in to help. There are teething problems, similar putting in tramlines wrong and a lack of lambing experience – issues all farmers are familiar with but he'southward optimistic regardless.

"The thing is, I could sit and moan nearly the weather, Brexit, COVID-nineteen and all of the other things that have come along to make life difficult – and they did make life difficult – but there were also some incredibly enjoyable times."

Turning to Kaleb he states: "We've had some adept laughs. And on a summer's evening, driving the tractor along – I wouldn't bandy it for the world."

Kaleb is in his early 20s, farms locally and has his own contracting business organization.

He was working on Jeremy's farm with the man who previously ran information technology, hence why he was called back in to aid with the solo run.

Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper. \ Charlotte Martin

In many means he's the complete opposite of Jeremy, who has travelled the globe over. Kaleb makes no basic of the fact that he's a home bird.

Irish Country Living jibes that once the prove airs Jeremy may accept to find a replacement, as Kaleb will exist a celebrity. The response puts the idea to bed.

"The funny thing is," Kaleb muses, "I never get out Chadlington, Chipping or Heythob, and then I guarantee I'm non going anywhere."

"He'due south never been to Ireland," Jeremy remarks, unperturbed.

"I've never been to Ireland, no," Kaleb agrees. "So I'thou not going anywhere."

Everyone is being told: 'Farming'southward terrible, farming'due south destroying the environment, farming's poisoning us.' It's not true, information technology's not happening

Even though he'due south almost ane-tertiary of his historic period, Kaleb is Jeremy'due south go-to homo for anything farming and Kaleb doesn't give him an like shooting fish in a barrel time either. He's a bit like Richard Hammond and James May (Jeremy's motoring evidence co-stars) rolled into ane. Simply peradventure better able to handle him.

"You've no idea how difficult it was to exit and do the job I needed to practise with no tramlines," Kaleb chastises Jeremy of a previous mistake. "I was very angry. I treat the place similar my ain place when I'thousand here and and then when he messes it up similar he did, I was very, very angry. I'one thousand surprised the door stayed on my tractor when I close it."

"We're all friends once again now – just," Jeremy grimaces.

In spite of having a male co-star to bounce off, Jeremy is quick to indicate out that Clarkson'due south Farm won't exist like Pinnacle Gear or The M Bout. There'll be no tractors crashing or on fire (thankfully).

Actually, even amongst the humor, Jeremy wanted to evidence something specific and serious.

"The ultimate thing is to say: 'This is farming. It'due south nowhere about as bad equally y'all go along being told.' Anybody is being told: 'Farming'south terrible, farming's destroying the environs, farming'south poisoning u.s.a..' It's non true, it'south not happening. Maybe in America or China a little chip, just it certainly isn't happening in the UK and I'thou damn sure information technology isn't happening in Ireland either.

"To bear witness that, for the most part, farmers practice expect after the land, they do expect after their animals and they do await after nature. I wanted to do something that says: 'This is how information technology works.' Then I idea, well, if I put myself in the role of the farmer that increases the likelihood of information technology being commissioned. Therefore we can get lots of people watching a programme near where their food comes from."

Open road

It is the theory of this author that there are two types of farmers: machine heads and livestock heads.

I put this to Jeremy and Kaleb.

Before the caption is finished both are in understanding that Kaleb is a machine caput. Of course, given his motoring history, 1 would naturally put Jeremy downwards as machine head also. But when he started his flock he got very fond of sheep.

"I hated them to showtime with," Jeremey reflects, "and so I liked them, then I hated them again."

"It was a honey-hate relationship," Kaleb interjects.

But in the end, machines win out. No surprise really.

"I much adopt barley, OSR (oil seed rape) and wheat to sheep," Jeremey concludes. "And I wish I'd listened to Kaleb who said: 'Don't get sheep, don't get sheep.' I've learned my lesson now: don't farm sheep."

At one bespeak Jeremy has to cull three ewes and we see a very different, perhaps unseen sensitive side, to him. Although, he's not cracking to admit information technology.

Jeremy Clarkson. \ Charlotte Martin

"Nobody likes killing animals, you'd have to be a psychopath to say: 'Ya I want to impale a sheep, a cow, a horse or whatever.' That's mental," Jeremy exclaims. "So of course I wasn't going to bask this and I didn't enjoy it. But they had to get, they had bad backs. And no, I didn't relish it. But all the lambs went off too and I ate them. I trousered the money and ate them. It was a short-lived emotional feel."

Given his level of fame and fortune, could Jeremy really exist happy running a farm and a subcontract store? He opened Diddly Squat Subcontract Shop a brusque time later on taking on the subcontract.

The respond: a resounding yes!

"I really like information technology. I hateful, I got so fed upward with terminal five at Heathrow Aerodrome," Jeremy explains. "I was going through there 3 times a week. I checked in for a flight and they said: 'Where are yous flying to?' And I said: 'I've no idea. I don't know where I'm going.' Information technology got to that point.

Jeremy Clarkson. \ Charlotte Martin

"I turned to Richard Hammond and said: 'Where are we going?' You just get on a aeroplane and it lands somewhere hot and sticky. And you lot don't really know where yous are. Whereas farming, you get up and Kaleb rocks upwards in his toy tractor every morning time."

"Don't listen to him," Kaleb cautions.

"It is a toy tractor," Jeremy insists.

"I take a Claas and he has the horrible Lamborghini that he drives around in," Kaleb offers past way of an caption.

Despite the teasing, Kaleb is complementary (in a style) of Jeremy'southward farming skills.

"I hateful, at the start he was useless," Kaleb says, not sugar-blanket anything. "But the good thing about it is he has an involvement in the farm. Anyone can go to a job and say: 'Oh God, here we go.' But he gets up in the morning and says: 'Right, what are nosotros doing today? What'due south the wheat like today? That pelting last night really affected things.'

"He has an involvement in information technology. That's the main thing you need when y'all're farming – or on any job really. I'chiliad hoping in the future he'll get ameliorate at connecting a tractor to a cultivator and stuff like that, so that I don't have to do that for him – but I tin't see that happening for at least x years."

"By which fourth dimension I'll be too old to exercise it," Jeremy laughs.

"And and then I'll be doing it again for you, with your stair lift getting into the tractor," Kaleb finishes.

In the end, despite Kaleb's joking, Jeremy is convinced he's a farmer. If non by work than by way of his attire – he has a check shirt on – and his machine. He drives a 15-year-old Range Rover with a rusty tailgate and it'south filled with animal feed, and then he reckons he must be a farmer now. Nada flashy or shiny.

He has a item fondness for Kenmare, Co Kerry, and reckons his car would fit in well there. I bladder the thought of season 2 in Republic of ireland but it'southward struck down.

Linguistic differences.

Read more

Podcast: drawing grass and dumping stones

From Ballyfin to bionic legs