Jeremy Clarkson calls village meeting in Chadlington to address "gossip"

  • Video report from ITV News Meridian's Mary Stanley


Jeremy Clarkson has held a meeting in Chadlington, after there was gossip in the village over the future of his farm shop.

The hour long meeting, which took place on Thursday evening (9th September), saw Clarkson questioned on various topics.

During the meeting at Memorial Hall, the TV Personality revealed plans to convert his lambing shed into a restaurant, which he says would be cheaper than nearby restaurants.


Watch: Jeremy Clarkson told ITV Meridian the purpose of the meeting was to dispel gossip in the village.


This move would require planning permission, something which has not yet been granted.

He also addressed the issue of the large volumes of people seen visiting the Diddly Squat farm shop, which has seen shoppers travel from across the county and queue for hours to purchase goods.

Residents in the meeting said Mr Clarkson was trying to control the number of people visiting the farm in the future.

Read More: Jeremy Clarkson's farm shop sparks traffic concerns as visitors flock to Chipping Norton


Watch: Residents told ITV Meridian they hoped the meeting would let Jeremy build some bridges in the local community.


Clarkson's business is the subject of a Amazon Studios series known as "Clarkson's Farm".

He originally bought the farm in 2008 and it was run by a local, but when he retired in 2019 the TV presenter decided to see if he could run it himself.

The show, which captured his experience, quickly broke records on Amazon to become the companies highest rated series on the platform.


Watch: Fans and press gather around Jeremy as he walks into the village hall.


When the meeting ended many residents said they felt like they had been won over.

Resident Maggie Jackman said:

"It went very well, he was very entertaining. A lot of people were completely won over.

"When we got to valid points about short-term and long-term solutions, that's when we came up with some very sensible ideas. So, we just have to watch the space.

"I'm waiting to see if he puts words into action. Actions speak louder than words, so let's see how it goes."