Jeremy Clarkson has complained that he couldn’t see the solar eclipse from where he lives in the Cotswolds - as millions of Britons headed outside to watch the rare spectacle. The Clarkson’s Farm star, 66, lives at his 1,000 acre Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire with his partner Lisa Hogan.
Eclipse Missed by Clarkson
On Wednesday night, sun-gazers across the UK turned out to witness the moon gradually cover 96 per cent of the sun, with some parts of the country falling into near total darkness. As celebrities like Romeo Beckham, Ronan Keating and Myleene Klass praised the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, Clarkson shared his irritation that he couldn’t view it.
Sharing a photo of the sun as a bright white blob across his fields on Instagram, he raged: “So annoying. We didn’t get the eclipse in Chipping Norton.” The next partial eclipse will be in 2050, and the next total one will be in 2090.
Harvest Woes Continue
His frustration comes days after he revealed his harvest is “f**ked” following months of drought and relentless heatwaves. Sharing a screenshot of the BBC weather forecast for Chipping Norton, he wrote: “Harvest already f***ed. May as well just enjoy it now.”
The weather forecast showed highs of 29 degrees, while Monday’s (10 August) weather would peak at 24 degrees in the area, with no rainfall predicted as England prepares for its fifth heatwave of the year. Last week, it was reported that the “completely brutal” extreme conditions this summer could lead to 2026’s harvest being the worst on record.
Impact of Climate Change
According to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), the exceptionally hot, dry spring and summer could have cut the country’s cereals and oilseed harvest by 2.5 million tonnes compared to earlier forecasts, costing UK farmers as much as £390 million. It’s not the first time Clarkson’s Cotswolds farm has been negatively impacted by rising temperatures made more severe by climate change.
Speaking at his summer party last year, Clarkson admitted that it looked likely to be his ”worst year ever” for the farm. The motoring enthusiast said that his team had been struggling with a “shocking” harvest due to the 2025 heatwave, saying: “I mean, if there are any farmers here, they’d tell you the same thing. Last year, it was the second worst recorded ever, and we think this year is going to be even worse because it just hasn’t rained.”
Clarkson added that his farm manager Kaleb Cooper had been on high alert that day as it had rained for the first time in four months. “He’s sitting waiting for the moisture levels to drop so that he can get cracking because we know that we’re on for a shocking harvest this year,” he said.
