Kaleb Cooper has dismissed the suggestion Jeremy Clarkson could hand the reins of Diddly Squat over to him when he decides to leave farming behind him.
The 25-year-old farmer has become a household thanks to his time on Clarkson’s Farm, offering advice, a helping hand and, more often than not, bemusement at Clarkson’s actions.
As a Chipping Norton local, Cooper – who recently revealed he and the Grand Tour host suffered their “biggest ever fall-out” while filming the upcoming third season – was the saving grace Clarkson needed when he first stepped into farming in order to keep Diddly Squat afloat.
However, since taking over the running of the farm, Clarkson has shared firsthand with Clarkson’s Farm viewers the trials and tribulations that have plagued his tenure.
Throughout the first two seasons of the show, Clarkson documented how ruinous sheep, adverse weather, battles with the local council and many more challenges quickly derailed his farming journey.
But it would’ve arguably been a lot worse without Cooper’s aid at Diddly Squat, leading to the young farmer being quizzed in a new interview as to whether or not he feels Clarkson should one day hand the local farmer the keys.
Kaleb Cooper joined Jeremy Clarkson in the show’s first season
AMAZON
“What? Are you joking? No way!” Cooper slapped down the suggestion when probed by The Times.
“I don’t want anything I haven’t earned myself,” he insisted. “Everything I’ve got I’ve worked b****y hard for, but I don’t want or expect anything beyond that.”
Cooper’s staunch opposition to being handed the chance the rule the roost at Diddly Squat comes just weeks after Clarkson confessed he’d toyed with the idea of quitting the project altogether.
Following a rollercoaster few years since he’s been at the helm, Clarkson said: “I’ve tried farming conventionally and it didn’t work. I’ve tried diversifying and that hasn’t really worked either.
“And I’ve tried with sheep and pigs and cows and that has been a bit of a disaster as well. So I arrived at a crossroads. And was not sure which way to turn.”
He continued in his Sunday Times column: “I could sell the farm and earn far more from the interest than I do from growing bread and beer and vegetable oil. “
However, he conceded that he “likes having it and for very good reasons”, primarily the fact “there are no death duties on farmland” which has proved a positive with his children.
Clarkson did muse, however, that it would be “heartbreaking” if he didn’t take action to try and reverse fortunes on the farm, although he was stuck as to know exactly what.
Another reason why Cooper may turn down the opportunity could be because of his jam-packed work diary – despite the fact filming for Clarkson’s Farm season three wrapped recently.
Jeremy Clarkson runs Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire
PA
Cooper has recently released his second book, The World According to Kaleb, and is doing the rounds promoting his work.
He also runs his own contracting business and is juggling all of that alongside preparations for a nationwide tour next year.
Clarkson’s Farm fans will know all too well the daunting task that lies ahead for Cooper who confessed throughout the Amazon series he very rarely leaves the comfort of Chipping Norton and Chadlington.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
