Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Alastair Lockhart

Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper celebrate wildly as farmer's choir wins Britain’s Got Talent

Jeremy Clarkson and Clarkson’s Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper celebrated wildly after the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir won Britain’s Got Talent.

The former Top Gear presenter said seeing the group he put together win the famous competition was “the best thing ever”.

The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir became the first act of its kind to win the ITV talent show on Saturday, with the presenter, 66, looking emotional and applauding as they performed in the final.

Clarkson was seen reacting from the BGT studio on live TV as the result was announced, while Cooper and fellow stars of the reality show led the celebrations from the presenter’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog, in Oxfordshire.

Crowds at the pub could be seen leaping in celebration and embracing after the choir was awarded the top prize.

The pub posted a clip of the joyous reaction on social media, writing: “Scenes from @thefarmersdogpub. @thehawkstonefarmerschoir, @bgt 2026 champions #backbritishfarming.”

In a post on judge Simon Cowell’s Instagram, Clarkson told him: “That was incredible wasn’t it? I was genuinely nervous.

“The girl on the door said, ‘oh I’m not sure they’re going to win’, the odds were drifting, and I thought, no.

“These guys worked so hard, it’s the best thing ever Simon, thank you for having them.”

Cowell added: “Well you’ve heard it from me, you’ve heard it from Jeremy, and yeah, they did deserve it.

“Great winners, great finalists… thanks everyone for watching.”

After their win was announced, one of the choir’s members, Katryna Shell, told presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly: “We are the first-ever choir to have won Britain’s Got Talent.

“This is for all the farmers out there, for anybody that’s struggling, it’s not a taboo subject, if you’re not OK, speak up, this is for the farmers.”

The choir will receive a £250,000 cash prize and the opportunity to perform at the annual Royal Variety Performance.

Before their performance, the group described Clarkson as their “biggest cheerleader” and added they “couldn’t thank him enough”, while judge KSI, real name Olajide Olatunji, said he wanted to add their original song, This Is Home, to his Spotify playlist after they performed it.

During the final, Cowell said he had questioned their decision to perform an original song, but told them “it paid off” after their performance, calling it “absolutely stunning”, “heartfelt” and “joyous”, while fellow judge Amanda Holden was brought to tears.

Dog act Anastasiia and Salsa finished in third place, while drone display team Celestial finished second after a pre-recorded performance recreating moments from previous series of Britain’s Got Talent with illuminated drones.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.