Richard Hammond has finally broken his silence on the long-running rumours that he was banned from Jeremy Clarkson's Cotswolds pub, The Farmer's Dog. The 56-year-old presenter spent more than two decades alongside Clarkson and James May on Top Gear and later The Grand Tour before their final episode aired in 2024.
Hammond's Response to the Rumours
In a new DriveTribe video on YouTube, Hammond was asked whether the rumours were true. He quipped: "Actually, do you know, I think I am. I think I am, and if I'm not, I've always said I want to be."
Hammond had previously admitted he has never actually visited The Farmer's Dog, revealing that getting himself banned was part of the appeal. Speaking on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X last year, he said: "No, I haven't [been to Jeremy's pub]. I want to go and get banned. So I've got to summon the energy to do that. I don't think it'll be that difficult. I think he's already banned James."
Background on The Farmer's Dog
After The Grand Tour ended, Clarkson bought The Windmill pub in Oxfordshire and transformed it into The Farmer's Dog. The pub is an expansion of his Diddly Squat farm project, which is featured in his Prime Video series Clarkson's Farm, which began in 2021. When the pub opened in August 2024, reports claimed Clarkson had barred both Hammond and May from visiting.
May Also Jokes About the Ban
James May has also joked publicly about being unwelcome at the Oxfordshire pub. The trio continue to tease one another despite bringing their long-running television partnership to an end.
Hammond's Personal Life Updates
Hammond's comments come as reports claim he has splashed out on a £1.9 million bachelor pad in Wales following his split from wife Mindy and the death of his father. According to reports, the former Grand Tour presenter paid cash for the six-bedroom Georgian manor house, which boasts four bathrooms, a tennis court, an iron-and-glass orangery, a wine cellar, a boating lake, several stone outbuildings and a modern double garage.
The 56-year-old had been renting a farmhouse after moving out of the Grade II-listed Bollitree Castle in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, which he shared with newspaper columnist Mindy during their 23-year marriage. His former wife remains at the £7 million mock-Gothic estate, which the couple bought in 2008.
