Jeremy Clarkson has explained the meaning behind a Clarkson’s Farm “mistake” that’s confused viewers around the world.
The fourth season of the Prime Video series, in which the former Top Gear and Grand Tour host attempts to run a farm, drew to a close last week, with an episode that featured a moment that left fans scratching their heads.
In the eighth instalment’s closing moments, Clarkson shared his frustration over the “soul-destroying” year farmers have endured, at which point a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it photo of British politician Rachel Reeves flashed on the screen.
The moment has generated a lot of social media chatter, especially from those overseas, who theorised that the photo’s inclusion might have been an editing gaffe. Several people noted that they thought it might have been a “mistake”, with one sharing a Reddit post about the moment, titled: “Weird image flashes near the end of the last episode.”
Another viewer wrote: "While watching Clarkson's Farm on Prime Video, a still image of a woman flashed on screen for a split second. Likely an editing mistake. Anyone else notice this?"
But Clarkson has made it abundantly clear he very much intended to include the photo of Reeves, who is Labour’s Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Replying to one fan on X/Twitter who asked, “What kind of subliminal message is this?”, Clarkson replied: “She has f***ed the farmers.”
The inclusion of the photo, taken when Reeves delivered her Budget in October 2024 shortly after Labour leader Keir Starmer was elected prime minister, was a response to the government’s proposed 20 per cent inheritance tax hikes, which Clarkson previously said could be “the end” for farmers.
In November 2024, the presenter, 64, joined an estimated 10,000 to 40,000 people protesting against the hikes, with farmers urging the government to reconsider its plans to impose the tax on farmers who have a business worth more than £1m.
The photo of Reeves appeared during a voiceover in which Clarkson told viewers: “Tragically, we were not the only ones to be kicked in the teeth like this. Just about every farmer in the country was reeling because 2024 had been an absolute monster.”
As photos of himself and farm manager Kaleb Cooper appeared on screen, showing them struggling through the year, Clarkson said that “stoic optimism is what keeps the farmers going, fighting the odds, rolling with the blows, doing what they do to make food”.
He then repeated a mantra said to him by combine harvester operator Simon: “If you want to preserve a modicum of sanity, you don’t ask questions that you don’t want to know the answers to. Just concentrate on next year’s potential.”
Clarkson himself added: “You keep going because you believe next year couldn’t possibly be any worse.”
It’s at this stage that the photo of Reeves briefly appeared on screen.
Speaking toThe Times at the protests, Clarkson was asked whether part of the problem with the ongoing debate is that rural poverty is often hidden, meaning politicians and the general public are unaware of the hardships that farmers often face.
“Yes. And one of the problems we have on the show is we’re not showing the poverty either, because obviously on Diddly Squat, there isn’t any poverty,” Clarkson answered.
“But trust me, there is absolute poverty. I’m surrounded by farmers. It’s people with 200 acres, 400 acres. Way past Rachel Reeves’s threshold. They are f***ed.”
He revealed that Cooper’s temporary farm manager replacement Harriet Cowan wants to inherit her dad’s farm, but can’t as “there’s no money to pay her”.
“So she works on the farm four days a week and then is a nurse for three days a week,” Clarkson continued. “She never goes on holiday. She never has a night off, can’t go out. She’s got no money to spend.”
Jeremy Clarkson bans customer from his pub over price complaint
Jeremy Clarkson’s pub opening under threat in season finale of Clarkson’s Farm
Clarkson’s Farm star shares honest feelings about Kaleb Cooper
Harry Potter: Every actor cast in the new HBO TV adaptation
‘People thought I was dead’: Noel Edmonds on quitting showbiz for New Zealand
Real Housewife departs reboot after two seasons as show’s future remains uncertain
