Harriet Cowan, who became a fan favourite on season four of Clarkson's Farm, has opened up about working alongside Jeremy Clarkson at Diddly Squat Farm, describing him as "a father figure that didn't know anything about farming."
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Express, the 25-year-old former nurse, who joined the show as Kaleb Cooper's temporary replacement while the farm manager went on a nationwide theatre book tour, reflected on her time at the farm. She was introduced to viewers during the fourth season and became known for her quick wit, banter with Clarkson and her agricultural expertise.
Following her mid-season departure, fans called for her return despite Kaleb's eventual comeback. Clarkson, the former Top Gear presenter, assured that the door was open to Harriet and jokingly thanked her for "saving his life" with the intense farm workload.
Learning from a Father Figure
Harriet said: "It was interesting at times," before labelling Jeremy "a father figure that didn't know anything about farming." She explained: "He's a very similar age to my dad, but he was the opposite of my dad because my dad's the one that has the knowledge and we sort of learn from him. So it was sort of like, I had to take the reins on that a bit and, to be fair, as far as it goes, he listened to everything, and he learned so much."
Praising the TV presenter's progress, she added: "I've genuinely thought, now he is such a great farmer and he can actually, somewhat do some farming. So I feel like we're winning in that respect."
The 25-year-old also admitted that Clarkson's eagerness to learn surprised her: "Obviously being a completely different generation, we are very different people. He's pretty much an old man, and you feel like, as a young female, to go out there and have to teach him what to do in an industry that's traditionally male-dominated, it was very empowering, it was."
An Empowering Experience
Harriet continued: "The fact that he just took it all on his chin and listened and learned. I mean, if it was the other way around, he'd be teaching me about cars, and I wouldn't have a clue. So, I feel like when you're in the industry, you sort of learn as you go, and he definitely did. He took in everything that was said and learned from it."
The interview comes alongside the Choose British Peas campaign, in which Harriet discussed the nation's pea consumption, which has fallen to its lowest level in 50 years. She told the Daily Express: "It's so important for me to keep pushing these kinds of campaigns because this is the thing that's going to keep us as a country self-sufficient. Being so self-sufficient and eating British food, and the peas campaign was no change, to be fair. That was the same sort of thing. It's just, it was so interesting for me to see how the country has changed itself and stopped eating so many peas. And it was sort of interesting to be like, well, 'why has that happened and what can we do about it?'"
