REVIEW: Clarkson's Farm, Series 1 Episode One 'Tractoring'

 REVIEW: Clarkson's Farm, Series 1 Episode One 'Tractoring'

Out of all of the shows on Amazon Prime, perhaps the most likely programme to exist is Clarkson's Farm. Jeremy Clarkson is hardly the most obvious candidate to become a farmer; he drives fast cars, cares little for the environment and thinks Greta Thunberg is a 'silly little girl'. It's not an obvious career choice for Clarkson, that's for sure.

It's no surprise, therefore, that it becomes clear from the very start that this isn't a serious farming show. The first thing Jeremy Clarkson spots, as he visits a tractor dealership, is a bunch of inappropriately named tractors. In particular, the 'Saville'. It's this kind of edgy and irreverential comedy that is the reason why myself and many others enjoy watching Clarkson's TV Shows. He isn't afraid to make these kind of jokes that other companies would avoid at all costs. He just says whatever comes to mind, giving an air of unpredictability that's missing from many other pieces of television. 

Less unpredictable is Clarkson's eventual choice of tractor. Because of course he goes for a Lamborghini. It's the kind of person Clarkson is, after all. Everything has to be big, and loud, and fast. I think he certainly plays up to this aspect a lot for camera, but who cares when it's this entertaining? It just never stops being funny seeing him make these kind of bold choices that come back to bite him, such as when he can't fit the tractor in the garage because it's too big, or discovers that all the warning lights are in German because the tractor came from Germany. 

Alongside these amusing moments, there are some interesting facts about farming. I was shocked when Clarkson broke down the costs of running a farm with his land agent Charlie Ireland, and they showed that it would cost a quarter of a million pounds for a farmer to own everything they need brand new. That seems like a crazy amount of money, especially when farmers often complain that they don't get enough money from selling their goods to the supermarkets. You kind of wonder how they ever manage to afford anything like this in the first place, as they surely must end up with hardly any money left after they have used up all their finances to buy the gear. 

As Clarkson points out, the farming equipment itself seems to possess an insane amount of potential danger. He visits a farm sale, where various pieces of equipment are being auctioned off to the highest bidder, and gives his own unique observations on the tools these farmers use. There's some wonderfully black comedy here, as Clarkson lists the ways farmers could die or seriously injure themselves using these tractor accessories. Although his point is kind of proven when he meets a man who chopped his own fingers off using this kind of stuff, which is quite a neat pay-off to Clarkson's musings.

As you'd expect, it doesn't take long before things start to go wrong for Jeremy Clarkson. For instance, at one point he wastes an entire day believing his tractor isn't working, only to discover the very next day that he'd just left the gearstick in neutral. It's such an amusing mess up purely because it's the kind of mistake that you wouldn't expect Clarkson to make as it's related to the motoring. He's spent his entire life driving cars and reviewing them for magazines, TV Shows and streaming, and yet he still accidentally places vehicles in neutral. The irony is strong here for sure. 

One of the best aspects of this first episode is the series regular Kaleb Cooper. He essentially acts as the thorn in Clarkson's side, telling him off whenever he gets the farming wrong and taking a direct and sarcastic approach to match Clarkson's bombastic personality. A particular highlight is when Jeremy Clarkson decides to use his own method with drilling the seeds, which ends up not giving them the straight tram lines needed to know where to water the land. Caleb's reaction to this is hysterical, as he suggests they place a sign indicating that Jeremy Clarkson was responsible for the job, and laments about how everybody in the nearby vicinity will be gossiping about it behind their backs. He really makes this show, owing to the fact that Caleb and Clarkson just work so well together. 

Overall, 'Tractoring' is a very strong start for Jeremy Clarkson's farming series. Containing many laughs and a likeable duo between Clarkson and farmhand Caleb, it's an easy watch from start to finish. I think Amazon might just be onto a winner.

What are your thoughts on the first episode of Clarkson's Farm? Let me know in the comments.