Jeremy Clarkson breaks silence on 'replacing' Kaleb Cooper on Clarkson's Farm

14 May 2025, 15:57 | Updated: 14 May 2025, 16:41

By Alice Dear

'Clarkson's Farm' fans were left concerned for the future of favourite Kaleb Cooper when the Prime Video series introduced a 'replacement' - but Jeremy Clarkson has now put the rumours to bed.

Loading audio...

Jeremy Clarkson has broken his silence on speculation that Clarkson's Farm favourite Kaleb Cooper is leaving the hit series (based on the Top Gear and Grand Tour star's farm Diddly Squat Farm) as a new farming assistant, Harriet Cowan, was introduced in the first trailer for series four.

In a first look trailer, released ahead of the new series which starts on May 23, we see Jeremy tell the cameras that while he is "happy" for Kaleb and all his success, he feels he has been left in the "lurch" as far as managing the farm goes. We are then introduced to Harriet, a farm assistant who picks up the slack while Kaleb if away.

While Jeremy has admitted to thinking Harriet is "brilliant" at her job, he confirmed that she is not a "replacement" for Kaleb, and that the beloved farm manager will be back with Lisa Hogan, Charlie Ireland, Gerald Cooper and the rest of the Diddly Squat Farm team.

Listen now: Heart on Global Player, the official Heart app

Taking to Instagram to share a video explaining the change in casting for Clarkson's Farm 4, Jeremy said: "There has been lots of reports that Kaleb has been 'replaced' - well, no he hasn't."

Read more: Kaleb Cooper 'replaced' by new farmhand in first look at new series of Clarkson's Farm
Read more: Inside Kaleb Cooper's life away from Clarkson's Farm with partner, kids and growing net worth
Read more: How much Kaleb Cooper is paid for Clarkson's Farm and net worth

Jeremy Clarkson took to social media to clear things up. Picture: Jeremy Clarkson / Instagram

He went on: "What happened is this, he went away on his speaking tour, for a couple of months because he imagined that after four years, I'd be able to manage on my own.

"I didn't - I made a complete mess of everything and had to bring in a young girl called Harriet. Harriet is brilliant and looked after the fort until he got back."

Read more: How much is Jeremy Clarkson's net worth and what is he paid for Clarkson's Farm?
Read more: Is Clarkson's Farm real or scripted?
Read more: What is Clarkson's Law? How Diddly Squat farm helped farmers everywhere

He concluded the video with: "That is it - that's the story!"

Jeremy Clarkson breaks silence on ‘replacing’ Kaleb Cooper

Harriet Cowan is a 24-year-old nurse and farmer from Belper, Derbyshire, who is joining the cast of Clarkson’s Farm for its fourth season. She temporarily steps into the role of farm assistant while Kaleb Cooper takes time away from Diddly Squat Farm to embark on a nationwide tour, a result of his rising fame from the show.

Kaleb Cooper, a 25-year-old farmer, born and raised in Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, made his TV debut in 2021 in the first series of Clarkson's Farm when Jeremy Clarkson hired him to help farm his land – being clueless himself at the time.

As he worked for the previous farm owner, Kaleb knew the land like the back of his hand, making him a prime candidate to help Jeremy get to grips with his new life.

At the time of his first appearance on the Prime Video series, Jeremy said: "We needed a tractor driver for the series and we looked everywhere. I said: 'I tell you what, you could look at the guy who’s actually doing the tractoring here now anyway'. So we got Kaleb and I think you’ll all agree he’s good on television."