A young local farmer has become the break-out star of Jeremy Clarkson’s new farming series.

Kaleb Cooper, 22, was born in Chipping Norton and rents a smallholding at Heythrop.

He worked for Howard Pauling, who used to own Mr Clarkson’s farm.

Mr Cooper recalled: “Howard decided to retire and Jeremy said, do you want to farm with me?’ It was a bit of a surprise but it turned out to be the best offer of my life.”

The filming for the new Amazon Prime series, Clarkson's Farm, took a little over a year.

He said: “Jeremy bought the farm in 2008 but he never farmed it. Then 18 months ago he decided to take it on.

“When he told me, I told him to get someone else to do it, come out once a week and say, ‘how’s everything going?’

“I’m there pretty much every day as well as having jobs on other local farms. I treat that farm like my own farm."

He added: “I pretty much taught him. I was 21 and he was nearly 60 – it’s normally the other way round. But he did eventually listen.”

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In the show, to Clarkson’s astonishment, Mr Cooper can name every field on the farm.

He says he’s been to London once "on an art trip" but “stayed on the coach”. He goes to Banbury “at a push if I need something desperately”.

“Chipping Norton, Chadlington, Heythrop – that’s me.”

He is seen berating Clarkson when he fails to drive his tractor in straight lines, resulting in some very haphazard planting, and risking exposing Mr Cooper to the mockery of neighbouring farmers.

Mr Cooper admitted: “I was very angry but he takes it on the chin. We always argue about his tractor – it’s terrible, worst tractor ever. It’s a Lamborghini tractor and it’s massive. I’d rather be on mine, his is too big.”

Then there’s the drill. “What drill have you got?” asks Mr Cooper. “A red one, or is it orange. Reddy orange.”

Witney Gazette:

Jeremy Clarkson and Mr Cooper sporting one of his many trial haircuts

Confronted by Covid, Clarkson admits: “I’m pushing 60, I’ve smoked three-quarters of a million cigarettes and had pneumonia. If I get it there’s not a lot of hope.”

Mr Cooper matter-of-factly agrees.

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When Clarkson opens his Diddly Squat farm shop and declares it’s like Fortnum and Mason, Mr Cooper says “It’s what?”

He said: “I binge watched the whole show and I found it hilarious, I didn’t stop laughing – but at the same time it’s serious, a lot of people don’t know where their food comes from."

As for fame, Mr Cooper said: “I’m a local chap, I can’t walk through Chipping Norton without people wanting to speak to me. Now people say to me, ‘are you going to be famous?’"

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