After searches for properties for sale near his Diddly Squat farm surged, Jeremy Clarkson appears to have spurred an inflow of those searching for a tree change.
In 2008, the former Top Gear host bought 1000 acres in Oxfordshire that were previously part of the Sarsden estate.
When Jeremy, 63, resigned from contract farming in 2019, he wanted to try his hand at farming.
However, he quickly dubbed it Diddly Squat to reflect its lack of output.
For the first two seasons of his show Clarkson’s Farm, cameras followed him as he tried his hand at farming.
It has proven successful with audiences, to the point that followers appear to be interested in following in his footsteps.
According to Rightmove, searches for properties for sale in the Oxfordshire village of Chadlington increased by 373 percent in February and March 2023, compared to the same time in 2022.
The second season of the Amazon Prime TV programme premiered in February of this year, and Rightmove saw a similar increase in property searches following the premiere of the first series two years ago.
The average asking price for a property in the Chadlington postcode region is £518,702, up 7% between June 2021 and March 2023.
Rightmove’s property specialist Tim Bannister said it was always intriguing to observe how the current TV series or cultural moments were motivating home searchers’ searches in real time on the website.
‘Many of us will have watched Clarkson’s Farm and imagined what our life could be like if we relocated to the countryside or opted for a lifestyle change,’ he said.
‘The countryside still has a real pull with home hunters, as “acre”, “rural” and “land” are still some of the most popular keyword phrases that people use when searching for their next home.’
However, not everything has gone smoothly for Jeremy, with locals becoming increasingly annoyed with their new neighbour and his inflow of guests.
He’s had multiple conflicts with his local council, been informed by farms about all the faults he’s doing, had ‘half his thumb’ chopped off, and lately had to give up some of his animals.
Clarkson’s Farm is streaming on Prime Video.