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Clarkson’s Farm


David

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16 minutes ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

You know that's two different people, right?

Of course I do, but how many times in the old Politics thread and the new Coronavirus thread have you seen people say, 'I don't read [insert paper]' 

A lot of people tend to only read stuff that affirms their point of view and the first 'review' of Clarksons Farm was clearly written by someone that not only didn't watch it but has a history of knocking Clarkson.  It literally wasn't worth the time spent reading it, provided zero insight into the programme and was a classic example of media bias.  

At least the Guardian, for some reason, have now taken the time to publish something that despite still knocking Clarkson acknowledges the merits of the show.  It took them long enough ? and maybe the overwhelming positivity elsewhere in the media was starting to make them look like they were pushing opinion and had an axe to grind. 

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I've not seen it, and my only thing putting me off searching it out is my general belief that everything Clarkson does is highly scripted. I heard an interview with him and it sounded very scripted, 100% different to how you describe the program itself.

If it's scripted to sound like it's off the cuff, I know I'll hate it.

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8 minutes ago, GboroRam said:

I've not seen it, and my only thing putting me off searching it out is my general belief that everything Clarkson does is highly scripted. I heard an interview with him and it sounded very scripted, 100% different to how you describe the program itself.

If it's scripted to sound like it's off the cuff, I know I'll hate it.

Everything you see on TV is scripted, including the news, better not put the TV on at all to be safe ?

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24 minutes ago, David said:

Everything you see on TV is scripted, including the news, better not put the TV on at all to be safe ?

Yes, but you describe it as very unscripted. If it's scripted to sound unscripted, that sounds terrible to me.

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8 minutes ago, GboroRam said:

Yes, but you describe it as very unscripted. If it's scripted to sound unscripted, that sounds terrible to me.

It will be scripted as in, Jeremy the camera crew will be down on Monday, what we’ll do is film you learning how to drive the tractor. 

I mean there’s one point this Kaleb side kick even had the camera crew in audible stitches. 

You’re missing out on something that’s both entertaining and educational unlike the Covid topic on here!

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16 minutes ago, GboroRam said:

Yes, but you describe it as very unscripted. If it's scripted to sound unscripted, that sounds terrible to me.

comes over as a bit of a mix really.  My wife hates him but reluctantly likes this series.  Quite good fun if you can put to one side the prejudices he has earned over the years.

you may remember the often repeated phrase on TG, 'but I had a plan'.  He does that here but without fail it is the wrong plan.  no giggling sidekicks just a ballsy partner who takes no .....

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51 minutes ago, GboroRam said:

I've not seen it, and my only thing putting me off searching it out is my general belief that everything Clarkson does is highly scripted. I heard an interview with him and it sounded very scripted, 100% different to how you describe the program itself.

If it's scripted to sound like it's off the cuff, I know I'll hate it.

Numerous reviews start along the lines of, 'I don't usually like Clarkson but...'

It is different to his usual Top Gear/Grand Tour stuff, but it does have to be scripted to a point - it goes through a whole year on his farm so he's probably condensed what he's done into a few days of filming.  The end result is very good though, you'll see a different side to Clarkson, learn about farming (in a non nerdy, interesting way) and have a few laughs with some good characters along the way.

If you really, really don't like Clarkson (as the first Guardian reviewer clearly didn't) your mind is probably made up before you start and you'll hate it.  But for everybody else, its ranged from good to excellent.  

I've watched it twice.  I binge watched it when it came out then I went back a few weeks later and watched it again.  I can't remember the last time I did either of those things.

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1 minute ago, maxjam said:

Numerous reviews start along the lines of, 'I don't usually like Clarkson but...'

It is different to his usual Top Gear/Grand Tour stuff, but it does have to be scripted to a point - it goes through a whole year on his farm so he's probably condensed what he's done into a few days of filming.  The end result is very good though, you'll see a different side to Clarkson, learn about farming (in a non nerdy, interesting way) and have a few laughs with some good characters along the way.

If you really, really don't like Clarkson (as the first Guardian reviewer clearly didn't) your mind is probably made up before you start and you'll hate it.  But for everybody else, its ranged from good to excellent.  

I've watched it twice.  I binge watched it when it came out then I went back a few weeks later and watched it again.  I can't remember the last time I did either of those things.

I actually don't mind Clarkson. I think of him as a caricature character, played for laughs. I doubt he's quite the same in real life as he comes across on screen. I mostly liked TG, although the later episodes had started to feel a bit tired and the format was a bit same-y.

But I know it's irrational, I know without seeing it I can't make a real view - but the interview I heard of him felt very staged, and everyone describes it as very genuine and unscripted. So I'm immediately turned off by it.

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Eventually got through the series. Persevered with than raced through it.

I stick by my original 'meh' verdict.

Essentially Jeremy Clarkson is crap at farming which you learn immediately (and probably already knew). Each episode then focuses on a new way for him to be crap - planting crops incorrectly, messing up damming a stream, getting stuck in mud, opening a farm shop without planning permission, spending a fortune on an unsuitable massive tractor. Top Gear style 'unscripted scripted' crap but in a new setting. This was entertaining in about 1998 before we knew that Clarkson is a character, not a real person. 

At the end of the series it's revealed he only made a profit of £150 for the year and I think we're meant to feel sorry for all the hard work he's done that's gone unrewarded.  Maybe if he didn't make so many mistakes and listened to the other characters he might have made more money. It's a shame because there's many farmers without his resources that struggle to break even, even when conditions are good and they do things right, so this punchline doesn't really serve anyone well.

The supporting cast are a mix of trophy wife, unintelligible local, young farmer and farming guru. All people one recognises but only Charlie feels anything more than a stereotype. The episode where we're meant to laugh at Caleb being a fish out of water in the big city was a particular low point. Naturally Clarkson doesn't really listen to them much, because that's his whole thing, and again this is just a repeat of the last 20 years of Top Gear.

There's redeeming aspects - Jeremy makes decent, if not original points about farming legislation and the environment and the Goodfellas parody in the last episode was incongruous (in a good way) and a good bit of editing but it's mainly in those moments where it's Jeremy talking, not Clarkson that the show is interesting.

I think ultimately though it's main point is meant to be farming is hard. No poo Jeremy. Doing it as a beginner in lockdown with crap weather is even harder.

As background noise/easy watching filler it's good. A programme to watch every second intently? Not for me. Second series? Go for it - I need more content to have on when I'm doing the ironing.

6/10.

 

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8 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

At the end of the series it's revealed he only made a profit of £150 for the year and I think we're meant to feel sorry for all the hard work he's done that's gone unrewarded.  Maybe if he didn't make so many mistakes and listened to the other characters he might have made more money.

Wasn’t that down to buying all the equipment? Can’t remember now if it was or wasn’t. 

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3 hours ago, David said:

Everything you see on TV is scripted, including the news, better not put the TV on at all to be safe ?

Even that time Bywater shouted “getya rat out”? Or the time he got Clare Tomlinson a warning by answering “what did Billy Davies say to you at half time?” with the reply “stop playing like c*nts!”. 
 

that scriptwriter should take over writing for Hollyoaks. I might start watching if he did! 

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11 minutes ago, Mostyn6 said:

Even that time Bywater shouted “getya rat out”? Or the time he got Clare Tomlinson a warning by answering “what did Billy Davies say to you at half time?” with the reply “stop playing like c*nts!”. 
 

that scriptwriter should take over writing for Hollyoaks. I might start watching if he did! 

Maybe not those ?

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  • 1 year later...
On 28/07/2021 at 08:51, GboroRam said:

I actually don't mind Clarkson. I think of him as a caricature character, played for laughs. I doubt he's quite the same in real life as he comes across on screen. I mostly liked TG, although the later episodes had started to feel a bit tired and the format was a bit same-y.

But I know it's irrational, I know without seeing it I can't make a real view - but the interview I heard of him felt very staged, and everyone describes it as very genuine and unscripted. So I'm immediately turned off by it.

I don’t see how you can script what happens on a farm. It depends on the weather. Clarkson is a caricature for sure but he sometimes goes over the top even in caricature mode. His Meghan rant is a case in point.

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39 minutes ago, PistoldPete said:

I don’t see how you can script what happens on a farm. It depends on the weather. Clarkson is a caricature for sure but he sometimes goes over the top even in caricature mode. His Meghan rant is a case in point.

You can’t script what the weather will bring but you can script what they film and how they react to each other. It’s not as if it’s a fly on the wall documentary.

Having said that, whilst I’m no fan of Clarkson, I did did enjoy the series.

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Watched an episode and a half of series 2 then gave up as what was funny first time around, isn't this time. It's just stupid people being stupid and Clarkson swearing every second word. Caleb, who was amusing first time around, spends the whole time saying I've never done this, I've never done that and that's gotten old very quickly. Trains, curry, restaurants, you name it, this clown has never experienced it. It's like a dumbed down Deliverance without the guns and banjos. Clarkson chuntering about the Tories is about the only funny element and I don't think that's intended. Just makes him look a bit of tool which seems to be his sole schtick these days.

 

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Started it last night with the Mrs, we stayed up until 4am to finish and couldn’t disagree with the above more.

It’s simply the best show on TV and season 2 was just as good as the first, if not better. Clarkson has also confirmed on Twitter in a reply to someone that they are in the middle of filming the next season. Can’t wait.

Not only is it entertaining, but educational, shows the current state of farming in this country and how red tape and ahem….Brexit….is screwing them over.

All EU subsidies gone, one farmer losing 60 cows through TB when they are £1500/£2000 a pop, one couple with a backlog of pigs and huge increase in feed costs, really is scary times for the farming industry and it’s something I would be totally unaware of to be honest had it not been for this show.

It’s pretty clear the District council don’t like Clarkson and want to shut the whole thing down, turning to the barrister in the Council meeting and telling him he needs to learn how to spell having also brought it up in his statement was hilarious.

Caleb, again to go against the above is clearly a local lad that all he knows his farming, that is his whole world, this isn’t an act or for a script, genuinely feels like he’s just being himself, someone that’s been thrust into the celebrity world and trying to adapt the best he can. 

G Dog, well what can I say, he will always have me in stitches when he opens his mouth, he’s got to be hammered on the cider every day, he’s in another world.

 

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1 hour ago, David said:

Started it last night with the Mrs, we stayed up until 4am to finish and couldn’t disagree with the above more.

It’s simply the best show on TV and season 2 was just as good as the first, if not better. Clarkson has also confirmed on Twitter in a reply to someone that they are in the middle of filming the next season. Can’t wait.

Not only is it entertaining, but educational, shows the current state of farming in this country and how red tape and ahem….Brexit….is screwing them over.

All EU subsidies gone, one farmer losing 60 cows through TB when they are £1500/£2000 a pop, one couple with a backlog of pigs and huge increase in feed costs, really is scary times for the farming industry and it’s something I would be totally unaware of to be honest had it not been for this show.

It’s pretty clear the District council don’t like Clarkson and want to shut the whole thing down, turning to the barrister in the Council meeting and telling him he needs to learn how to spell having also brought it up in his statement was hilarious.

Caleb, again to go against the above is clearly a local lad that all he knows his farming, that is his whole world, this isn’t an act or for a script, genuinely feels like he’s just being himself, someone that’s been thrust into the celebrity world and trying to adapt the best he can. 

G Dog, well what can I say, he will always have me in stitches when he opens his mouth, he’s got to be hammered on the cider every day, he’s in another world.

 

Meh! Not sure if Chris Martin is still looking for gainful employment but if so I'm thinking he could head back to Norfolk and do a Chrissy Martin's Farm show where he stands in fields chuntering and waving his arms about when the crops fail and falls out of combine harvesters a lot. Genius idea I reckon? ?

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