Harriet Cowan starred in series four of Clarkson’s Farm and has since opened up about what Jeremy Clarkson was really like off-screen at Diddly Squat Farm
Harriet Cowan has shared her insights into what Jeremy Clarkson was truly like behind the scenes. The 25-year-old emerged as a standout figure in series four of Clarkson’s Farm after stepping in for Kaleb Cooper.
She resided in a caravan at Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire for 11 weeks, assisting the former Top Gear host in managing the land. The ex-full-time nurse captivated viewers with her extensive agricultural expertise and sharp-witted responses to the television personality.
Harriet, who left nursing to pursue farming and content creation, has now discussed Jeremy’s off-camera demeanour. Speaking on the Fed By Farmers podcast, she remarked: “It was a different dynamic, he was like a father figure when I was there. He was lovely.”
She continued by explaining how people were eager to express their opinions about Jeremy upon discovering her involvement in the programme. Harriet commented: “He’s like Marmite isn’t he?
“Off the back of the show people would always be like, ‘Oh I hate that guy,’ or ‘I love that guy,’ and I think he just doesn’t care, which is great.”
Harriet has previously mentioned she knew of Jeremy before joining Clarkson’s Farm, though she hadn’t watched any of his earlier programmes. She admits she “wasn’t really into the cars thing” during her younger years.
However, after being approached by Charlie Ireland, Jeremy’s land agent, she felt “intrigued” by the opportunity to feature on the Amazon Prime Video series. She characterises Jeremy as “very much like every other farmer I’ve ever met”.
In a conversation with The Times, she revealed that the former Grand Tour host was “very much willing to learn”. The 66-year-old presenter’s career took an agricultural turn in 2019 following the retirement of his farm’s tenant.
Jeremy had initially purchased the 1,000-acre estate in 2008, when Curdle Hill Farm was managed by a local resident. Upon deciding to take the reins himself, he rebranded it as Diddly Squat Farm and chronicled his experiences on screen.
According to Harriet, it quickly became apparent that Jeremy “wanted to do well by the farm”. She also quipped that the television personality possesses the “physique of a farmer”.
While Harriet stopped short of confirming a potential return to Clarkson’s Farm, she did reveal aspirations to purchase her own farm alongside partner James Booth in due course.
She continued: “I just want somewhere that’s mine that I can just say, you know, I want to grow store cattle and sell them for fat or whatever.
“I want it to be all mine, that I’ve done all that, and look at them and say, ‘I’ve done that’. So that’s the plan, a few very exciting new TV things coming off and YouTube I’m c**p at.”
