Jeremy Clarkson Hits Yet Another Roadblock in Clarkson’s Farm Filming
Jeremy Clarkson recently faced another setback while filming for his show, Clarkson’s Farm.
This delay occurred at the Sevington Inland Border Facility in Ashford, a site that processes customs paperwork for goods entering the UK from the European Union. Clarkson and his crew encountered this roadblock as they made their way to the Netherlands for a filming stint.
The delay turned out to be lengthy due to the bureaucratic procedures required for their filming equipment to be cleared. Jeremy Clarkson himself was outspoken about the hold-up, noting that “we had to leave the motorway and park up in a gigantic lorry park full of trucks from every conceivable European country.”
He also mentioned a friendly interaction with a Belarusian truck driver that ended with the gift of a hat.
The Sevington Inland Border Facility is a government-managed site built to manage post-Brexit trade checks. It can accommodate 1,700 lorries, and its creation is part of Britain’s strategy to handle the new customs environment. Such places became necessary after the UK left the EU, creating the need for customs declarations and other paperwork that wasn’t previously required within EU members.
Clarkson expressed his frustration with what he perceived as inefficiency at the facility, stating, “nothing was happening,” and more money seemed to have been “spent in this place on high-visibility jackets than the NHS spent on PPE during Covid.”
Despite these delays, Jeremy Clarkson is no stranger to production challenges. For instance, the filming of Clarkson’s Farm has encountered interruptions before, such as those due to aircraft noise at Clarkson’s pub, the Windmill. This location is near an RAF base, and flight activities there have previously forced the film crew to pause their work quite a few times. The show, which shines a light on the intricacies and everyday challenges of running a farm, has seen various hurdles, including council disputes over planning permissions that Clarkson often humorously incorporates into the show.
Kaleb Cooper, Clarkson’s co-star in Clarkson’s Farm, was there during the Sevington delay as well. Cooper, who has become a fan favorite, often provides a down-to-earth contrast to Clarkson’s sometimes impulsive approach to farming.
Clarkson’s frustration with bureaucratic inertia is not limited to this incident at Sevington. He has a well-documented history of critiquing government inefficiency.
The show’s previous seasons have boosted interest and awareness around British agriculture and the true extent of regulatory frustrations. On a broader scale, Clarkson’s series continues to draw attention to the realities of rural life in modern Britain. Interestingly, despite these hiccups, Clarkson’s Farm has been renewed for a fifth season, indicating its popularity and positive reception.
While the future remains to be seen, Jeremy Clarkson’s ongoing efforts to navigate these challenges keeps the conversation around bureaucratic efficiency and rural challenges alive. “We were simply waiting for someone in a cabin to stamp our form. And God did we wait. For two bloody hours.”
