The broadcaster has faced criticism for extreme comments about Meghan Markle.
Jeremy Clarkson’s future at Prime Video remains undecided, execs said yesterday, as the broadcaster teased “fantastic news” ahead for his popular farming documentary series.
The presenter has been one of streamer’s biggest names since his BBC contract was axed in 2015, following a “fracas” with a member of the Top Gear production team.
Since then, rival motoring show The Grand Tour and zany Clarkson’s Farm have achieved great success on the platform, but the future of those shows was thrown into doubt by another controversy earlier this year.
Clarkson was fiercely criticised for a column in The Sun, where he expressed his “hatred” for Meghan Markle, adding she should be “made to parade naked through the streets” while “crowds throw lumps of excrement at her”.
The piece became regulator IPSO’s most complained-about article of all time, with Clarkson issuing an apology soon after.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival yesterday (via Deadline), Prime Video’s Head of UK Unscripted Fozia Khan said the streamer had been “shocked and disappointed” by the column.
“There are lots of discussions going on but the thing that’s important to say is there is so much more going on to [Clarkson’s Farm] than Clarkson,” she added.
On whether the farming series would continue past its third season, which was contractually obliged prior to the column’s publication, the executives were non-committal.
“No decisions have been made,” said Dan Grabiner, Prime Video UK’s Head of Originals. “It’s a very complex topic but we are not interrupting production of the current season.”
He continued: “I can’t tell you what a phenomenon this show is and the impact it’s had on the agricultural community.
“We get messages from farmers around the world who just love the show, saying they’ve never really seen their world reflected properly on screen before. It’s a hell of a lot bigger than Jeremy Clarkson.”
Yesterday evening (24th August), Clarkson shared the following message on social media platform Twitter – which was recently rebranded as X: “Stand by for some fantastic news from Clarkson’s Farm.”
There’s no further details yet on what exactly the news might be, but unsurprisingly, many fans have speculated he could be hinting at a renewal for season 4.
Despite the controversy surrounding Clarkson, the second season of the comedic docuseries performed strongly for Prime Video, becoming its most-watched original show in the UK since Barb Records began.
Clarkson’s Farm is available to stream on Prime Video. Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Prime Video and pay £8.99 a month after that.
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