Jeremy Clarkson admits 'problems' at Diddly Squat Farm amid 'spiral of despair'

Jeremy Clarkson says there "have been problems" at Diddly Squat Farm as he addresses a "spiral of despair". The 65-year-old former Top Gear star has been running his Oxfordshire farm for six years now.

Jeremy originally purchased the thousand-acre plot in 2008. It contained what was then known as Curdle Hill Farm. However Jeremy decided to take over the farm when the former tenant retired, a journey he documented on Amazon Prime Video's Clarkson's Farm. Fans of the hit series have watched on as Jeremy has battled the trials and tribulations of farming life.

The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host has battled weather-stricken harvests as well as the ups and downs of raising animals on his farm. It is the latter that Jeremy says he has been dealing with later after welcoming 11 red fox labrador puppies onto the farm.

"Sweet, eh? Well, yes, but there have been problems," the star wrote in The Sun. Jeremy says the litter's mother developed mastitis due to the sheer number of puppies.

The condition causes a dog's mammary glands to become swollen and painful. It can lead to a hesitancy to feed the young puppies as well as depression and anxiety in the dog.

Jeremy continued: "To stop the puppies trying to get on a teat, we had to move her out of their pen. This has sent her into such a spiral of despair that all she does all day is stare at the floor - or wander round the garden digging up every single one of the plants we have."

Fans of Clarkson's Farm saw Jeremy diversifying his business in the last series as he opened The Farmer's Dog pub. The pub opened its doors in August 2024, amid a mass walkout of employees.

Jeremy has however recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Marking the occasion on Instagram, he wrote: "Exactly a year ago, we opened The Farmer's Dog to support British farming.

"Today, there are 146 people on the payroll, and I'd like to thank every single one of them for making it such a roaring success."

As well as serving his own Hawkstone Lager, Jeremy wanted "every single thing" at the pub to be made or grown in Britain. Although the star went on to admit that he had "failed" - because it would mean he couldn't serve a gin and tonic.

On the pub's website, Jeremy explains: "You can't have a pub that doesn't offer a gin and tonic. But there is quinine in tonic water, and you can't grow that in Britain. Sure, I could have served gin and water instead, but I didn't think you'd enjoy it very much. Especially as, instead of a slice of lemon, you'd have been given a slice of turnip, or some potato peelings."