James May takes swipe at Jeremy Clarkson as he refuses to appear on Clarkson's Farm
Top Gear host James May has ruled out an in-person appearance on Clarkson's Farm and taken a swipe at his former co-star Jeremy Clarkson in the process as well
James May has ruled out an in-person appearance on Clarkson's Farm. The hit Amazon agricultural series is headed up by his former Top Gear co-star Jeremy Clarkson, and while James has been seen on the show in the form of a Zoom call, he isn't keen on the idea of getting in on the action in person.
The TV star has actually been to the filming location of the programme, which started airing in 2021, and had previously been in talks for a proper appearance, but has now decided that it is not for him. He said: "Well, I have been there [Diddly Squat Farm] because we have had various meetings in the old days there, but I've never done any farming, no."
"I have had a little cameo in the show [Clarkson's Farm] when I was on Zoom, advising him [Jeremy Clarkson] about pubs, but no, I don't particularly want to do farming.
James then admitted he doesn't know anything about farming, and claimed that neither does Jeremy. He told the Oxford Mail: "I don't know anything about that. I mean either. I'm not sure he does either, though, you know."
It all comes after Jeremy seemingly cut ties with James and their other co-star, Richard Hammond, for good in a professional sense. The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host, 65, became known to millions as part of the trio when they began presenting the BBC's flagship automotive programme in early 2002. What followed was a solid television partnership that endured across more than two decades' worth of broadcasting.
After leaving Top Gear, the three of them landed another hit with The Grand Tour, but they all filmed their final episodes for that last year, when they visited Zimbabwe and ended it where it had all begun almost a decade earlier. The company behind their television ventures as a trio was known as W. Chump & Sons, and had been active since 2015, with Andy Wilman serving as their producer.
It also looks likely that a fifth series of Clarkson's Farm could be in the works following the runaway success of Jeremy's agricultural series. When The Grand Tour came to an end, fans were left in tears over the finale of the travel programme, which had seen the three television favourites travel across the world for nearly 10 years.
But in September, it became apparent that documents filed at Companies House indicate the 'voluntary winding up' of the company, and it shut down with £24,087,100 on the books. If split equally between the four men involved, this would give them just over £6 million each.
This all could be seen as a sign that the trio have no intention of working together again as a trio of presenters. The Mirror contacted representatives for comment. Meanwhile, James, who is currently on the road with his Explorers - The Age of Discovery Tour, recently explained that while he had intended to retire, he has in fact been busier than ever.
Speaking to The i, he joked that he’d been thinking about his retirement since he was a teenager, but admitted that he’s currently having the busiest year of his working life for a long time.
He told the publication: “I've failed at retirement. I've been thinking about my retirement since I was a teenager: 2025 was going to be my trial retirement year, but I've been accepted to speak at a couple of history festivals and charity events."
He added: “I've got two TV series, and then I'm doing a live show in Australia, New Zealand and around the UK. This is the busiest year I've had for about a decade. I haven't had a day off in months.”
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