The trio made their TV career and friendship back in 2002 on BBC series Top Gear
Jeremy Clarkson seemed to snub one of his long-term friends during a recent interview regarding his new business venture – his pub, The Farmer’s Dog – and claimed only one of them would be visiting.
The pub opened on Friday, August 23, and saw hundreds of punters queue up to see what the TV star had done to the refurbed building in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire.
The Farmer’s Dog is an expansion of his Diddly Squat farm project, which is explored in his hit Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm which began in 2021, alongside his farm shop where people regularly flock to buy his latest items
Clarkson has said he plans to sell his own Hawkstone lager as well as produce reared on his nearby farm at the pub, enticing fans to spend as much time possible in the pub.
However, he recently admitted that he feels co-star and friend James May would not be making a trip to the pub, despite their long-term career together.
Clarkson, May and Richard Hammond are known for co-hosting BBC motoring programme Top Gear, until 2015, then moving on to The Grand Tour in 2016, which recently finished filming.
Reflecting on the final Grand Tour, Clarkson told multiple press: “I think it was emotional, but the weird thing is… who am I saying goodbye to because we use exactly the same crews and producers on the farm show as we do on the cars show?
“So I basically said, ‘Well, that’s it, everyone, see you Monday on the farm’.”
When touching on whether he will miss May and Hammond, Clarkson admitted: “I can see them whenever I want,” before noting that May will probably not make the trip.
“James probably won’t, but Richard will. I talked to Richard only yesterday. We’re mates and we’ll still see them. We couldn’t possibly have imagined we’d be together 22 years when we started out. And so it’s a wrench, thinking, ‘God, we’re never going to do that again’.
“But by the same token, I don’t have to go through Terminal 5 (of Heathrow airport) quite so often.”
GB News went along to the opening of the pub and discussed with Clarkson what differences he thinks his new project will have on British farmers after he pledged to only use British produce: “A tiny pinprint. But if everybody does it…
“I keep thinking if farmers get together – because you can buy a pub for chicken feed these days – get together and they share the workload it might work. I’ll let you know in a year.”
The inside of the pub welcomes punters with a levitating tractor and piano, being warm and welcoming to those who want to try the newest beer and the local produce.
Prices of the items may be a little out of range for some – £60 jumpers and £1.50 pickled eggs – but the most interesting thing about The Farmer’s Dog is how Clarkson has taken a rundown British business and created a popular enterprise.
Touching on whether new Prime Minister Kier Starmer is allowed to the pub, Clarkson bluntly replied: “No, he’s banned. Actually, he’s the first person to be banned. He’s actually on a board in the hall, he’s banned.
“I thought you were running a news operation. He hasn’t done much to endear himself to me yet. We’ll have a look at farming (though). It might turn around, you never know.”
