Jeremy Clarkson says divide over Diddly Squat farm is between people with house ... trends now

Jeremy Clarkson has blamed the countryside divide between people with a house name and those with a house number for the split in opinion over his Diddly Squat farm and shop. 

The 62-year-old broadcaster owns and runs the farm in the Oxfordshire village of Chadlington, the process of which has been documented for the popular Amazon Prime Video series Clarkson's Farm. 

Ahead of the launch of the show's second series next month, Clarkson revealed that a number of locals are still less than impressed with his foray into farming - but others support him bringing business to the area.  

'In a way, the village is divided. It's difficult to say how many people support us in the village and how many don't,' he said. 

'Some of it, I'm sure, comes from my past, and driving quickly around corners while shouting, and they didn't find that appealing. 

'As far as the farm is concerned, it's split pretty neatly between those who have a house number – you know, 22 Oak Avenue or 3 Grove or whatever – who tend to support us, because we bring business to the area and jobs for their kids. 

'Some of them are more than happy to go have a nice pint with a lovely view just up the road. So that works.'

But he continued: 'If they've got a house name, they tend not to like us, because they tend to have moved here from London quite recently, and they don't want crowds of people coming to the farm shop, so that seems to me to be the split. 

'That's about as tightly as I can put it.'

Clarkson bought the farm in 2008, but only took over the running of it himself in 2019.

The former Top Gear presenter received a poor reaction from some villagers after he expanded his farming business to include a farm shop and restaurant - which were later ordered to be closed after two planning applications were rejected by West Oxfordshire District Council - leading to considerable traffic congestion around the area as fans of the TV presenter flocked to visit.

Clarkson also revealed the outcome of a meeting he held with the locals, during which his lack of farming credentials and celebrity status were scrutinised.