Since its debut in 2021, Clarkson's Farm has reaped significant success, following the initially hapless Jeremy Clarkson as he attempts to manage a Cotswold farm. The series typically revolves around one of Clarkson's new, often ill-conceived ideas, such as launching a farm shop or a farm-to-fork pub. It also highlights the challenges British farmers face due to their dependence on weather, with floods and droughts impacting Clarkson's annual yield.
However, reviews for the Prime Video series, which releases episodes 1-4 on Wednesday, have criticised it for relying on the same format. Benji Wilson of The Telegraph noted, 'You can only laugh at someone slipping in cow pat so many times.' He acknowledged that the show's cyclical nature, reflecting agricultural seasons, is both a blessing and a curse. Wilson wrote, 'The series can cleave to the pattern of the seasons, telling gratifying stories of sowing and reaping, gestation and new birth. But it also means that, as the show goes on, it has to avoid repeating itself.' He added, 'These are all stage-managed catastrophes, as they have always been on Clarkson's Farm. The thing with a stage-managed catastrophe, however, is that if it is managed well enough, it's still very funny.'
Jack Seale of Radio Times gave the series 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as 'more of the same' but with a gentler Clarkson following his health scare. Clarkson was found to have severely narrowed coronary arteries and was told he was 'days away from death.' In a teaser, he struggles physically on the farm, becoming breathless while cutting down a Christmas tree. Seale wrote, 'It's not quite more of the same, though. Clarkson, or at least the version of himself he presents in this series, has softened over time. Throw in a reminder of his mortality... and it's time for a new Farmer Clarkson to emerge.' He concluded, 'It's the usual larks, then, but with a gentler edge. Fans of Top Gear back in the day would not recognise the Jeremy Clarkson seen here fighting back tears when his favourite pigs are loaded on to the truck that only does one-way journeys – but Clarkson's Farm is healthier than ever.'
Ben Dowell of The Times also awarded four stars, noting that while the series feels 'scrappy' at times, that reflects the unpredictability of farming. He remarked, 'But if series five feels scrappy at times, that's because farming is a profession whose events cannot be planned. And this is not a show to shy away from the realities of rural life. Later episodes will take a properly dark turn.' He questioned, 'Is Clarkson's heart still in this? While his cardiovascular system remains under strain, you have to say yes, simply by looking at how his eyes well up whenever there's a porker nearby or watching his smiling face as a remote-controlled tractor does its thing.' Dowell added, 'So while there are moments when you feel he is winging it, Clarkson winging it is still deliciously funny.'
In the trailer for series five, Clarkson issues a sobering health update after being rushed to hospital. The streaming giant confirmed the series will premiere on June 3, with episodes 1-4 available that day, followed by episodes 5 and 6 on June 10, and the final two on June 17. Clarkson had previously claimed he was 'days from death' after experiencing excruciating chest pains at his Cotswolds home in 2024. He was taken to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where doctors found one of his arteries was 'completely blocked' and inserted a stent. Discussing the incident with farmhand Kaleb Cooper, Clarkson says, 'You've got three arteries in your heart to keep it pumping, my heart was not getting any blood.' He concedes his 'doctor wants him to stop talking, and Amazon want him to stop talking,' but health concerns take a back seat as he tackles a new driverless tractor, wayward sheep, and an invasion of travellers at his local pub.
Kaleb, intrigued by the expensive new machinery, tells Clarkson, 'That's basically taking my job.' But moments later, the state-of-the-art tractor breaks down in the middle of a field, prompting Kaleb to quip, 'That went well.' Clarkson also introduces his new flock of 'Easy Care' sheep, to which Kaleb responds, 'No sheep is easy to care for.' He is proved right as the pair struggle to control the animals. Later, Kaleb is told his wife-to-be Kaya is in labour, but he opts to finish his chores before joining her, stunning Clarkson, who urges him via walkie-talkie, 'S***, you've gotta go!' Kaleb replies, 'No, not yet, I'll finish this field quickly,' prompting an astonished Clarkson to look at the camera and ask, 'You did hear that?'
Elsewhere, Clarkson's pub, The Farmer's Dog, faces a spate of issues, adding to the chaos of the new series.
