REVIEW: Clarkson's Farm, Series 1 Episode Two 'Sheeping'

 REVIEW: Clarkson's Farm, Series 1 Episode Two 'Sheeping'

When I uploaded my review of the first episode of Clarkson's Farm to my blog site, over a thousand of you viewed my thoughts on Jeremy Clarkson's latest venture. To put that into context, my review on the second episode of Marvel Studios' latest viral sensation Loki achieved a measly thirty two views, which is the complete opposite of what I would predict. It perhaps goes to show just how popular Clarkson's Farm has become; it's a strong format for a television series, taking this loud and outspoken individual and placing him in a situation where he is hopelessly out of his depth. There's just a lot of comedic potential in a premise like that, which is perhaps why so many people are talking about it including myself.

The typically light-hearted tone is reflected well at the start of this episode, which sees Jeremy Clarkson at a sheep auction where he can't understand a thing the auctioneer says. He jokes of how the simple art of nodding his head is resulting in him being able to acquire a sizeable flock of sheep. I'm sure it's probably a little more complicated than that, but these kind of irreverential Clarkson simplifications are always what have brought a sense of fun to shows like Top Gear and The Grand Tour. If he's not giving ridiculous exaggerations in his shows, Clarkson is often taking a simple action such as a nod of a head and turns its seemingly matter-of-fact nature into the butt of a joke. 

He learns that because sheep can jump over walls, he will have to put up some electric fencing, and Clarkson's methods here are just so typical Clarkson you can't help but laugh. He finds an easy way of putting up the fencing where he doesn't even have to get out of his car; all he has to do is simply stretch his arm out of the window with one hand on the steering wheel, and lay it across the field as he drives. Later when trying to add the electricity to the fencing, he accidentally electrocutes himself, which got one of the largest chuckles from me whilst watching the show. This is exactly what I was expecting when I read that Jeremy Clarkson was making a farming show for Amazon Prime. 

It's not all just things backfiring for Clarkson however. He does manage to solve his water problem, by laying pipes underneath his fields using his Lamborghini tractor so his sheep will have water to drink. A big chunk of the episode is spent with Clarkson trying to find a solution to getting water to his sheep, and so it's satisfying to see this search for an answer pay off later in the episode. We do, after all, want to see Jeremy Clarkson succeed, even if it is extremely funny to watch when he messes something up. 

He comes up with an ingenious solution when it comes to rounding up his sheep too. Due to the expense of a sheep dog, Clarkson decides to use a drone relaying the sound of a dog barking to herd the sheep where he wants them. This seems to work at first, and is something you could imagine being quite a clever alternative for farmers without a sheepdog. Unfortunately the sheep eventually stop following the drone's commands, and become unruly.

This forms the most entertaining part of the episode, as Jeremy Clarkson finds himself totally out of his element. The sheep jump over walls, run amok towards the local village and fail to fall for Clarkson's tricks when he tries to tempt them with food. It's hilarious watching the sheep just take no notice of him, but it later becomes quite touching when despite their obedience, Clarkson starts to show a caring side towards them. He's genuinely emotional when he has to take three of them to be culled because they're not suitable for mating; his face, as he drives away from the slaughter house, shows someone who has grown fond of them, in much the same way somebody might a dog.

Speaking of a dog, when Clarkson employs shepherd Ellen Helliwell he finally has a sheepdog on his farm. We don't get to see a great deal of the sheepdog here bar a few shots, and it would be nice to see more of the dog in later episodes, as I always like to see dogs on television, but you can tell Ellen Helliwell is a lot more used to dealing with sheep than Jeremy Clarkson. Whereas Clarkson made it look hard, Ellen Helliwell makes it look easy (although going by what we saw with Clarkson, I doubt it is). She seems to effortlessly get the sheep rounded up and where she wants them to be, and you can imagine she'll be a great help for Jeremy Clarkson moving forward. Perhaps we may even get to see her and Caleb interact?

Overall, 'Sheeping' is another highly entertaining episode of Clarkson's Farm. Seeing Jeremy Clarkson deal with these disobedient sheep proves to be a hilarious source of comedy, and his use of a drone in place of a sheepdog ingenious. This is a show that's proving to be exactly what you'd expect from Jeremy Clarkson running a farm, and a hell of a lot better than The Great Escapists.

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