Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The former Top Gear presenter shared the news in the final episodes of the fifth series of Clarkson's Farm, which landed on Amazon Prime Video overnight.
Ahead of the new episodes, the 66-year-old warned fans they would make for "a difficult watch". "They're really, really difficult," he said in a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday evening, looking visibly upset.
In the final two episodes, the broadcaster is seen coming to terms with what he describes as an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer, after receiving the diagnosis in May. The diagnosis is revealed during a conversation with Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland as the trio discuss the farm's harvest. He describes the cancer as "aggressive", but says it was caught at a "really early stage".
Breaking off mid-conversation, Clarkson leans back in his chair and says simply: "I've got cancer." A stunned Kaleb replies: "No, you haven't. Where?" Clarkson responds: "Where it is is of no concern of anybody. I've known since May. I had a medical, you remember back in May. I disappeared off the other week and I had a biopsy and it is cancer and it's aggressive, but it's really early. I was praying we could get the harvest done and then I could go and get some treatment, but it's going to be slap bang in the middle."
Clearly emotional, Kaleb wipes away tears before telling his friend: "Look after yourself. If you need anything, just ring." Later in the series, Clarkson reflects on what has been an extraordinarily difficult year alongside Kaleb, girlfriend Lisa Hogan, Charlie and Gerald Cooper. "So we started the year and I had coronary heart disease and ended it with me with cancer," he says. "We can dwell as much as we like on all the bad things that have happened on the farm, but I think it's better now at the end of the year to focus on the things that have happened that are good."
When Kaleb asks when they'll know if the treatment has worked, Clarkson replies: "I don't know. I've got a blood test today. Not for another few weeks. Come on, cheer up. It probably did work." The programme then cuts to Clarkson lying in a hospital bed after treatment. "So we started season five with me in a hospital bed and we're ending season five with me back in a hospital bed," he says. "Some of the treatment has gone awry, let's say. I'm going to be here for a little while. I'm nil by mouth. I don't know what's going to happen."
Despite the uncertainty, Clarkson ends the episode with the dark humour that has long defined him. "What I wanted to say was, if this is all successful, I'll see you for season six. And if it isn't, I won't. Take care, everyone." Following surgery, Clarkson later updates Kaleb on his recovery, revealing doctors will not know whether the treatment has been successful until November. "I'm feeling good. I'm strong," he says. "They won't know if it's worked or not until November. They do blood tests and things. The prostate, 10 per cent of it is dead — the 10 per cent where the cancer is. They use ultrasound... like when you use a magnifying glass on a piece of paper in the sun. They do that with soundwaves and blitz it."
Despite his latest health battle, Clarkson has continued filming Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and has already begun planning the sixth series of Clarkson's Farm, which has been commissioned by Prime Video. Clarkson had given little indication publicly that he was battling cancer. Season five was filmed throughout 2024 at Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire, shortly after Clarkson underwent emergency heart treatment when doctors warned he was only days away from suffering a heart attack. Two stents were fitted at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital.
Writing in The Sunday Times at the time, he revealed doctors believed he had been just "days away" from becoming seriously ill. "It seems that of the arteries feeding my heart with nourishing blood, one was completely blocked and the second of three was heading that way," he wrote. He later said doctors had warned him he would have to make significant lifestyle changes, including reducing his "alarmingly high" cholesterol levels.
Clarkson rose to fame as the long-time presenter of the BBC's Top Gear before fronting Amazon's The Grand Tour. Since Clarkson's Farm launched in 2021, the series has become one of Amazon Prime Video's biggest hits, documenting the challenges of running Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire. Clarkson has also become a vocal supporter of farmers and attended a protest in London against the Government's move to introduce inheritance tax on farmland in November 2024. The sixth series of the show is due to air in 2027.
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information. You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
