Jeremy Clarkson stuns children with plans for Diddly Squat farm ‘when I’m dead’

Jeremy Clarkson’s children were left taken aback when the former star revealed what he wants them to do with his farm when he dies.

The 64-year-old bought the Oxfordshire farm in 2008. It has since evolved into what is now Diddly Squat Farm and the focus of the star’s hit Amazon Prime TV show, .

The series has followed Clarkson’s journey as he ventured into the world of farming, growing his crops and working alongside farmhand Kaleb Cooper. The presenter has grown the business, opened his farm shop, and even launched his own homemade beer since the series first aired in 2021.

It has even seen Clarkson becoming a de facto spokesman for farmers as they battle against the Labour Party’s plans to increase the inheritance tax relief threshold for farms to £1 million. In a 2010 post on the Top Gear website, the star said he bought the farm because “the government doesn’t get any of my money when I die”.

But earlier this year he said he thought it was a “better PR story if I said I bought it to avoid paying tax”. Clarkson, who is set to host Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? tonight on ITV One, has now revealed what he wants to happen to Diddly Squat Farm when he dies – and it seems his two children didn’t believe him at first.

In an unearthed , he said: “I keep telling them, listen, when I’m dead, I don’t want you to sell it. They look at me like, ‘Are you joking?’”

It came as Clarkson’s long-term partner Lisa Hogan joked Emily, 30, Finlo, 27, and 24-year-old Katya would “turf her out” if he were to drop dead. Lisa is said to have a 50/50 agreement with Clarkson over Diddly Squat merchandise as well as receiving her own TV fees.

Despite having spent decades on the screen and now branched into farming, Jeremy seems to show no signs of slowing his career down, admitting a retirement hobby makes him want to “shoot myself in the head”. He has however had to drastically overhaul his lifestyle after having life-saving heart surgery earlier this year.

Clarkson ditched the booze and swapped indulgent meals for a strict diet of steamed fish, vegetables, and water as he works to improve his health. It led the star to lament how he is now unable to enjoy the produce from Diddly Squat.

He said: “It’s not even as if I can balance the books by getting high on my own supply, because I’m off games at the moment. I can’t even enjoy the meat. I just have to stand there, nibbling on a vegetable and sipping water, like an animal.

“The relentless sobriety means I’m able to deal with some of the other issues that crop up when you own a pub. Such as the fire officer who says that the neon ‘Farmers’ Clubhouse’ sign needs its own switch, which must be located outside the pub.”