Jeremy Clarkson’s Prime Video programme has broken viewing records, after his vile comments made about Meghan Markle.
The column, in which the broadcaster said he dreamed of Markle being paraded through British towns and publicly shamed, became Ipso’s most complained-about article after its publication, receiving more than 25,100 complaints.
Clarkson later apologised for the piece, describing his language as ‘disgraceful’ and said he was ‘profoundly sorry’. The Sun also apologised and said it regretted the publication of the column, which was removed online.
However, despite his comments, Clarkson’s Farm has reached incredible popularity – becoming Amazon’s most-watched original show in the UK (from since a ratings body began collecting data for major streaming sites).
According to Deadline, the season two premiere of the programme following his adventures on Diddly Squat farm, was watched by nearly 4.3million viewers, according to Barb.
This beats the highly-anticipated Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which premiered last September with 3.2million followers.
The publication adds that Clarkson’s Farm also became the 16th most-watched show in the UK in its premiere week, topping Love Island.
Popularity ran through to the second and third episodes of Clarkson’s Farm too, with 3.8million and 3.3million viewers respectively.
This comes after Clarkson confirmed the future of the programme, with fans desperate to know if there would be a season three.
‘I loved it on Saturday that just passed, loved the show can’t wait for a season 3 if there is one,’ tweeted one fan, who got exactly the answer they wanted.
Clarkson replied: ‘There is one.’
In Clarkson’s original article, he said that he hated the Duchess of Sussex on a ‘cellular level’.
‘At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, “Shame!” and throw lumps of excrement at her,’ he wrote at the time.
Following widespread backlash, the 62-year-old said that he emailed Markle and Prince Harry to apologise on Christmas Day.
‘I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. Its a mea culpa with bells on,’ he said in his lengthy statement.
He also added: ‘I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me.’
In response, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess said: ‘On December 25, 2022, Mr Clarkson wrote solely to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. The contents of this correspondence were marked Private and Confidential.’
They continued: ‘While a new public apology has been issued today by Mr Clarkson, what remains to be addressed is his long standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories, and misogyny.’
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Clarkson’s Farm is available to watch on Prime Video.
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