Clarkson's Farm, Season 2

[Mr. Dazzle]

Also - the guy who was chairing the planning committee; I don't think you could have got someone who looked more like a stereotypical council employee if you'd tried Cheap shiny grey suit, awful comb over, tie that only reached down to his mid riff....

[Scud]

I watched this last night.
I’m sure there must be some sort of come back for Clarkson over councillors actually commenting about his personality. Surely planning process is a set of rules and guidelines that must be impartial whoever is applying?

[Mr. Dazzle]

It’s not really about him though - I’m struck by the impact of the community here. I found myself getting wound up by planning processes and petty people. Petty people will be petty, but when you see the livelihood of dairy and pig farmers at risk - I think Clarkson has shone a very bright light on some stuff that needed highlighting.

Further on this point.

You obviously only see snippets...and the snippets the editors want you to see at that...but it seems that the main objections come from people who want to use the countryside but not contribute. The guy who's spearheading all the campaigns is a painter from what I can work out, he likes having his quiet countryside to walk in.

The farmers on the other hand are the people who actually do the upkeep. Nothing in this AONB is actually natural after all, as Clarkson pointed out its all maintained by the land owners. And its those land owners who supported JC?

[cheb]

Don't forget, these are the same farmers, God Bless Them, that leave shit all over the roads in the summer. You know, the nice biking roads.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Meh, I struggle to get annoyed about that TBH.

Roads are for transport first and enjoyment second. Boring, but true. I'd rather they didn't do it sure, but I don't feel I really have a leg to stand on when complaining about it.

[Dodgy69]

Watched 2 more last night. Still great TV enjoyed by myself, wife and 23yo Tom. He's appealing to multi gens which tells it's own story.

[cheb]

Meh, I struggle to get annoyed about that TBH.

Roads are for transport first and enjoyment second. Boring, but true. I'd rather they didn't do it sure, but I don't feel I really have a leg to stand on when complaining about it.

If you were a real biker you'd be outraged.

[Hoonercat]

From only 94 pledgers though, that's not bad going TBF!

I just watched the planning permission episode. Does make you wonder at the impartiality of planning committees. Well it would if you'd previously given merit to the idea they're impartial

They are 'considered' to be impartial! it's quite obvious in Jezza's case they are not, at all, not even close!

To be fair to them I think they might have just got tired of him from previous things he had done, when he opened the shop I don't think anyone expected it to be so busy and it does cause actual traffic problems. Also he did build a lambing "shed" and then just give up with sheep which if you are cynical does seem like he had an ulterior motive in building the shed.

Finished watching the series yesterday and had a look on Trip Advisor for reviews. Comments about hot food being served in the old lambing barn directly behind the shop (these reviews were made after the small barn cafe had been shut down), as well as a burger van and several stalls selling produce. Bins overflowing, no running water in the portaloos which were filthy, rubbish blowing all around the car park etc. Not quite the picture that was presented in the series.
He's now sold all the adult cows and told the council he no longer wants to open a restaurant.
I enjoyed the series though, some great characters and something of an eye opener as far as the plight of farming is concerned.

[Horse]

I watch it mainly because Clarkson looks like he will definitely have a cardiac arrest live on telly.

looking at his latest pictures, you might well be right!

No need to do him down. You could have chosen a picture with him looking his best.

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[Greenman]

Finished season 2 last night. Agree completely with the story telling points made.

I guess it is easy and quite lazy to make this about him though: rich, obnoxious oaf can’t build a his new sand pit and fill it with toys.

It’s not really about him though - I’m struck by the impact of the community here. I found myself getting wound up by planning processes and petty people. Petty people will be petty, but when you see the livelihood of dairy and pig farmers at risk - I think Clarkson has shone a very bright light on some stuff that needed highlighting.

Probably a bit knee-jerky, but my wife (who is a vegetarian) suggested we stop buying meet and milk altogether from supermarkets, so last night I’ve signed up with a local milk/produce delivery scheme….and in a minute, I’m off to the local farm ( real lack of butchers near me) and load up on meat.

If Clarkson could start a series on nursing shortage next that would be aces

Clarkson for PM...

[Dodgy69]

Best series I've watched in a while. Series 3 is go.

[JamJar]

They are 'considered' to be impartial! it's quite obvious in Jezza's case they are not, at all, not even close!

To be fair to them I think they might have just got tired of him from previous things he had done, when he opened the shop I don't think anyone expected it to be so busy and it does cause actual traffic problems. Also he did build a lambing "shed" and then just give up with sheep which if you are cynical does seem like he had an ulterior motive in building the shed.

Finished watching the series yesterday and had a look on Trip Advisor for reviews. Comments about hot food being served in the old lambing barn directly behind the shop (these reviews were made after the small barn cafe had been shut down), as well as a burger van and several stalls selling produce. Bins overflowing, no running water in the portaloos which were filthy, rubbish blowing all around the car park etc. Not quite the picture that was presented in the series.
He's now sold all the adult cows and told the council he no longer wants to open a restaurant.
I enjoyed the series though, some great characters and something of an eye opener as far as the plight of farming is concerned.

So just like the sheep he has only had the cows for one series which was the allegation made by the locals.

[DefTrap]

So just like the sheep he has only had the cows for one series which was the allegation made by the locals.

Chicken and Egg or Cow and Dinner in this case.

No value keeping small herds of beef cows if you can't make any money on them, wasn't that the point? Selling to supermarkets seems like a race to the bottom in quality and standards.

[Hoonercat]

So just like the sheep he has only had the cows for one series which was the allegation made by the locals.

He's blaming the council for not allowing him to sell their meat. I thought the original idea for the cows was to stop him having to use chemicals on his fields?

[The council order] means I’ve had to sell all my adult cows, which were going to be used to make the beef, leaving only their calves in the fields. Except they’re not in the fields. Without parental control, they are in my flower beds, my orchard, my neighbour’s drive and all over the A361.

Sounds like a nightmare for the locals.

It seems that when the small barn cafe was closed by the council until proper inspections could be carried out (after filming had finished), he started serving food in the big lambing barn. He was given 6 weeks to remove all cooking equipment, tables, chairs etc but Clarkson gave up on the idea, saying he would have needed 6 months to comply.

[Rockburner]

It does come across as '6 of one, half a dozon of the other'.

Clarkshon likes to ride-roughshod over the legal minutiea because he's too lazy to do things properly* (like most of us in all honesty), mainly due to the legal minutiea being just that - tedious and over-complicated.

That leads to legalistic people seeing him in a negative light and developing a subjective cant to their decision making**.

Which leads to Clarkson being boorish and riding roughshod over the legal minu.... etc etc


Endless loop of 'men behaviing badly' which makes for what passes as good tv these days.



* how hard is it to put up a fence properly?

**: the 'farmers-collective' thing was quite rightly cited as being something the local council should be fully in favour, and fully in support of, and yet because Clarkson was involved, the restaurant (and collective) was denied.

[Pirahna]

I've watched it all, the whole restaurant thing is very contrived. I'm surprised a man in white coat didn't give him a sealed envelope from the producers. I recognised the chef, she's been on a couple of series of the "Great British Menu" and is reasonably well known.

Series 1 was better because he was splashing his own cash not Amazon's.

[weeksy]

which makes for what passes as good tv these days.

woah there just a second....

[Mussels]

A fair bit of the boorish behaviour is probably to make the series more interesting, I'm not surprised some of the locals oppose him as he'd probably turn it into a theme park if he could.
I was surprised when he genuinely hurt himself, maybe he'd planned smaller injuries.
Aside from his stunts he is genuine at times and it shows the struggles some farmers have to survive, I don't think anyone else has made the Brexit problems for farmers as clear.

[DefTrap]

**: the 'farmers-collective' thing was quite rightly cited as being something the local council should be fully in favour, and fully in support of, and yet because Clarkson was involved, the restaurant (and collective) was denied.

Victim of his own notoriety. He's spent the last 20 years acting the fool, breaking the rules, messing about and being provocative to make "lad's-TV". And yeah you can see why the locals are proper frit of what he might try and do next. People queuing round the block to catch a glimpse of reality-tv-farmers and buy a 20 quid t-shirt is the outcome apparently.

[Hoonercat]

Series 1 was better because he was splashing his own cash not Amazon's.

I did wonder about that, having read somewhere that the production costs were £4.5 million per episode