Reflecting on the BBC and Future

Before we get into today's episode, a massive thank you to Apple Podcasts for including high performance in their twenty twenty six Creators We loveove campaign. If you've just found the show, welcome, nice to have you with us, head to Apple Podcasts to see M and Damen's favorite episodes from the last six years of High performance genius is him and Jeremy top here Parkson's farm Boom up. sixty three. Top gear, Jeremy. change the stig now and again. The Madagascar special, Everyone knows it didn't really work. Why don't we do a midair Formula one tire change? twenty million. We were talking about shit ideas. It's a heavy series, so it is dramatic. I can't talk about the ending of series by. I ain't saying nothing. We're never gonna do it. Well, that's the first. Oh yeah, that is the first. That is the first That's Amazon. But that means that editor's work is now four weeks instead of twelve or whatever. And they're also not knowing what they what hasn't made it to this point. one hundred percent. Magic is going right, trope. You know Mag trope. I love that, you know, Bom. Urk. There's the future. U. Welcome back. how are you feeling? Duck, u Be we just talked about AI before you said, welcome back. Um, I'm good, thank you. You don't I'm a boomer. sixty three. Oh you know, the old stororyies, Oh, can you help me with this printer, etcetera, etcetera. That's me. Do you know how many people enjoyed the last episode that we recorded together? No, because I steer clear. Total numbers, twenty million Yeah, yeah yeah So We put out the main full sort of unedited long conversation with you. That's already done more than a half mill And then we'd put out snippets and like little of the best bit about that did about another five or six million Social clips did another bunch of milliona at the house. for the boomer. Now I've got to go So that's a good number? Yeah. So now we're over all right. Yeah. So well the reason why we've invited you back and we've never done this with any other guest before. Oh wow. is when you get tens of millions of views of the first conversation, but more importantly Tens of thousands of questions, right So people were't answered, Well, there's only one way to please our audience and that's to put you back in the chair. I should get me back in or get AI orr get AI to watch the episode and work out what they are. I power of it. So this is our first ever community meam of face episode of High Performance. So should we get straight into it? You needed your coffee today, right? Yeah we've got the farm coming out and bit whacked so the coffee is much needed. Look, we're going to talk about Glarkson's Farm. We want to talk about top gear Grandour. We actually put out a photo on Socialists today said, you're coming in, send us some questions. We're going to just run through those first. Well, these are questions that came in in the last hour for people The first one comes from Jane James MacDonald, who got out in touch on Facebook and said Uh What's the best idea for any of your shows, whether it is Clan's Farm, topop Gear, or the Grand Tour that never made it to air that you really wish people had the chance to see. Thanks, James at this hour the old What's the never dead? Yeah. Um There wasn't an idea, I don't think we couldn't do. We had crap ideas like You know, like remember those Carlsburg adverts, Carlsbg don't do. Yeah. And we were like, right, what you know, topop gear doesn't do petrol stations. What if we did one So we spent a good morning with people like Richard Porter and so on going. Right, We'll take over a patrol station and we'll make it the top ofar patrol station So it was going to be like, Anybody who bought diesel there'd be just a huge towni going with like Jeremy at the till game, Cho it W, like across the fourcourt and so on. And then Anybody, you know, people get in their car after they paid and then don't move off. Yeah What are they doing? Like what are they doing? but So there was going to be like a massive like pile driver thing that shoves that car And then inside there'd be because it become supermarkets as well, that people go, I' just do the shopping and leave my car at Pump four, you know Um It was going to sell like Wor's originals and that was it and then a till, you know, for petrol. And then after a while we thought No, this is just becoming an aircraft carrier for jokes. So this is shit because it's like this's the worst thing you can do is like not have a point to what you're doing. So James, that never happenber was a good thing. We always tried to go to Iran Oh, go on, I have got one Go for it. because it costs too much. We were going to do Iron Man three, you know when the plane is crashing and Ironman joins everybody up to save their lives We feel why don't we do an midir Formula one, tire change So you have a big transporter, one of them C one hundred thirtyies. Ramp comes down. If anybody's got the money, do it car comes out and then all the Tire changing mechanics come out The car comes out on a parachute car comes out but a parachute. No this was the bit we were planning was it's got like forty five seconds or sixty seconds before the parachute opens. And it's like you've got to change the tyres before. parachute opens So it's got to we had to find a way of stabilizing it with really tiny parachutes, but it's still falling And then you'd have those skydiver people and you'd train them and they'd come out with the wheels and you do a mid air F one car tire change before the parachute opens and we thought that would be the coolest thing in to world And then we did up the numbers And was just like call the house I saw to about five million dollars and I thought, Oh wow, right for a minute or whatever, two minutes. L how much can you milk this, you know? So it didn't happen Wr that great J would have been good. wouldould have been great, tell me, yeah. How somebody could do it? How do you decide if an idea is crap? So like that's obviously cost, How did you sort of go around editing yourselves. Jeremy was like main man on this, which was things have to have a point So what do I mean by that? A good example, the ambulances film when we built ambulances and now So start the programm they go NHS ambulances are too slow, too expensive. X hundred thousand poundies, we can do it much cheaper And they'll be like Bet. That sort of thing. So you've got this hubris, which has got the comedy of we can do better, you know Um You have a point. they cost the NHS a fortune. So Jeremy and James the Richardast take a donor car and make their version of what an ambulance should be So you know it's going to be like sort of fuck about cartoon Central after a short while all the things that are going to go wrong. But all the time you're bedded in with this point that we're trying to improve Why does that matter for for the st? Because if you just do you're back to the petrol station thing, if you just do Right, we'll put a car with loads of gizmos and gadges. You're very quickly you're building a clown car. And you're just going, please laugh at this. Please find this funny sort of thing So You just don't do it. Whereas the thread like U canan you buy a Porsch for fifteen hundred quid. The thread is there Yeah People probably never gonna to do it Well, that's the first. Oh yeah first is the first one it's the building. I love the fact your cameras are still rolling. Yeah, G back power... So just as we got going on this recard, the whole building lost power. So what did we do? It's a disaster What are we saying, Benny? Al we just Produceer wh? M's phone this. We're actually filming an episode of performance on voice memos on an iPhone. Oh yeah. think it's cool.. we grabbed our iPhes, we rigged up some makeshift lighting and we kept going Andy on the b candle light This was how they made television in the Georgian era. It is Can anyone remember what we were talking about? Where were we We were talking about shit ideres. Now we've done that. Shit idea book. It's a shit ide. Let's have a power Yeah. Oh lets let's t it rent this offfit. Let's go to a question for Wilson. Is a shit ide here, don'tay again att. If this happened when you were filming top gear Like would you see it as a disaster or would you go that would be great telly. No, it's great telly that is because If the show some of our best moments are predicated on happy accidents You know, the stig, the specials, all the sort of things, finding things out shit cars that break down give you gold. You know, whereereas the old top here you'd if the car broke down Pabble Miltog gear days You' dream the officer shootself because the car's broken And then we realized that We've got more gold now because this car isn't going anywhere So to your point there, this going down would be like joyous We'll be right back after a quick word from our partners Let's go back to some questions. Okay. There's so many that have come over about Clarkson's farm new series. Oh yeah, just started. This is a lovely question actually. Not only was this a nice question, over five hundred people liked the question So I think a lot of I want to know the answer to this. This is from Eric Seed on YouTube. Glass's farmers become the actual voice of farmers in the UK. Yeah on the world It shone a light on things we completely took for granted Did you ever think a show about a man failing to grow things would matter this much politically litally and to real farmers. No It's a very good question and it's a very, very straightforward answer in that front abbsolutely did not because again, back to the thing of All our best moments with topi were kind of organic the accidents are just organically developing. Ditto the farm that The whole premise was He it was a sort of whimsical thing, you know, he tries to make a go of his farm and all the focus wasas on Jeremy making a go of his father There was no plan or logic or perception that a farmers would like Some farmers would see us as beacons or, you know, would go, oh, you actually are highlighting things The things that bothered us more at the beginning were You guys know this when you've got these series where there's actuality reality and there's a bit of a there's got to be a bit of pressure or jeopardy. Yeah Um, The classic version of somebody doing a farm would be I've sold everything I've got, I've mortgaged everything, blah, blah, blah. put all my life savings into this and I've got to make it work and therein lies your jeopardy to take you through the series. Now everyone knows Jeremy's got a bobber too So if the farm were not to make money or work He's not out on his ar. That's not going to happen and that was storylines are gone. Yeah, that's gone. So we were like, that's what our focus was is how to deal with that Um And actually you know, because is open. When we get to that end of that first year and they've made one hundred and forty four quid And he can very quickly say Imagine a real farmer who hasn't got Amazon checks coming in or who wants to be millionaire checks coming in. And I think that authenticity he's got Farmers go, than you, Jeremy. you know, You said why you all and you said why we all And you said it proper because you know it and you mean it. And then the farmer love for us and the farmer appreciation then just I didn't know it was happening until the end of the series. But he's a good communicator He's a good communicator. I think you could have other shows that highlight a farming issue straight down the barrel at you Countryfile do it very well. U and probably with more ton of directs. Punch Like sheep shearers aren't being allowed into the country, what the fuck are De and the home office doing, etcetera, etcetera. when we need sheep shearing Um But he kind of resonates because of his communication skills And I see. There is something about F is his farm, is his land You are seeing his his disappointment and that' universal So no we never saw it never saw it. So this is a lovely question actually from Jay Hiro saying Topke, Jeremy. Farm, Jeremy Same man different Same skills As we' discussed differentifferent. Yes, see is you see a calmer man. I see the rushes. And I see a calmer man You know, when the camera goes on, obviously he goes up a notch to perform and talk. But you see a calmer man. He's actually The love of the farm. He's constantly talking about with that film crew. He's absolutely in the sweetest spot. So he is as a different Jeremy, short answer U, and the farm is brought it out, more it enhanced it because I think Top gear, Jeremy I remember mental, mental, remember then nothing Granta, they're nothing. I think you'd get an agitator, Jeremy because he's programmed to work program to do and The farm is the best you know, green runun. ski slope descent into calmness that you could ever have because it still work It still like requires a lot of effort and brainpower. But all he's got to do is step out of his front door and he's at work. We'd have to get on a plane and go to Mauritania. It's like and have a crew of eight million and all that stuff, which is like that gets wearing, that kind of thing. He's got that same's got Veterans from Top Gear and Grantour. And their days are, they'll film a scene let's say move goats or cow birth or something. and then After that's done, they're going to have a cup of coffee And sometimes they go, what should we do next They're going to do something, but then they have a think about it and it's like That's just joy for somebody who wants to work But he's not got like a newspaper deadline or the weight of the world's expectations on it Plarkson's fararm, no expensive sets, no costumes, no special effects Some of it filmed on a mobile phone And yet it's the highest rated show on Prime You know Jeremy better than anyone. So how much of that is genius and how much is just Jeremy being Jeremy with someone pressing me card Jeremy being Jeremy a bit of genius You know, it's like not anyone can do that job Um The All right, let's deal with the sort of low techness of everything We did not see it coming. our big worry apart from how authentic it would be is how boring it would him hitching a trailer up. when We've done Minnie's going down. ski jumps with rockets on them. We've done old, you know, amphibious cars trying to get to across the channel. When you've done that sort of stuff and you're like pushing yourself to go, right, I've got top that, I've got top that, I've got top that, all that kind of Hollywood type mentality. to then go right in this episode, We're going to move the goats from one field to another You do worry, but then you realize that those small stories got as much power as they mini down a ski jump So Very happy about that him involved in that. againg He can somehow make the movements of goats quite something. There's a bit in the new series where they actually are moving the ghost because I love it as an example You know, it's It's four minutes and you think, well shit, that's nearly half a power test on tope, you know, moving goats. And the goats are unruly Then they get it they get them under control and they get the field And it's you're kind of buolic beautiful Cotswold late afternoon And he turns to the camera and goes, whyy did I? I've spent so many years driving cars around corners shouting when I could have been doing this So it gives you a But Jere he thinks to give you a Jeremy moment to give context to what's going on. call that genius like because he's going, I still have to work here. I can't just enjoy moving stuff around And then he stops and he goes Oh I remember because it pays for me to do this, like, you know and then brings it down. And you get to the point where it's all gorgeous And then Caleb goes Why we keeping fucking gohates? like Why don't we kill him? seell him at his? the moment that Caleb came out with, or is someone going, Hey, listen. No, no, no, that's Caleb. Just say this and it. No, no, Caleb's got that position Be comedy timing is really quite something. Yeah, I think that's improved around because he's learnnt off the toing and froing with Jeremy about that kind of thing but his attitude and beliefs are just his He would never keep goats. He goes, that's hobby farming You know, it's not serious. We' not made any money out of them. He's like Goat curry all the way, sellem U And Jeremy' going, I can' So Jeremy allows himselves these foibles and failures that a real farmer would not have Cow and so on. Caleb is off to the abberattoir, off to the abbertoir for all the right reasons like you got you've got to earn a living I think what's happened and again, his genius for me because I'll watch it in the rushes He's surrounded by Charlie, Lisa, Alan the Builder. Gerald Caleb They're all what you'd call civilians, even though they're well known on TV. They're not professional presenters and But he is. So he's like this made poole or temp poole in the middle And I can see different sides of the cogs working where he's going Right, I've got to give entertainment here And so I'm engaging with everybody. but I've also got to mentally direct this scene So when they all start talking in acronyms and tech speak and farmers speak You get these moments and Charlie didn't realize it where Jeremy would go, So hang on a minute. let's get this straight. You want to. And then he'll to give an idiot summary of what they're talking about. And he's doing that for me in the edit And he's doing that for the viewer So he's got his edit brain on and then his in the moment brain. But the genius result of that, I think, is The others don't know it, so they're free to just be Alan, the buildilder is free to just sort of overcharge Jeremy in a funny way I love how he comes up with his price. How much this well hass got to be No two hundred It'll be two hundred fifty grand. No, no, it's two a half hundred. Its It's two a half hundred. twow and a half hundred, like just to take to take the thousand out of it, you know. You know, one of my favourite scenes is when you got all the problems with the derrains at the farmer's dog And Jeremy's gone down there and he's like, Oh my Godd, it's sting literally. In your head, you're going God, standing two feet away from that drain must be the world's worst thing, that. that this man appears from inside and he's got like his hands above his head? isn't he holding on? He's holding on Yeah coming up through the this. Jeremy's like There's a man inside. It's to remote. Yeah. And really he's ob seen his element watching all that And a UK will not somebody doesn' produce turred in the one of the at the farmer's doog In a new season. Yeah. It's like it's the day the cs are coming to play at the pub and you're like How could this happen? We've got a turd from another Well they block the toilet. It's it's from another planet, this thing, you know, It is your like marvel thing when it's the shadow comes over Manhattan. in love clark. Was that turd? somehow And you're like, the cores are on the way. Now'd have to use that one, but you're like, we don't need this problem, Kvin As anat Not to produce them. L you don't w want to go and speak to Gerald about being produced because it it takes them out of being themselves. No, we never bother with that. neverever bother. Charlie never watches himself So they again in the new series. . Yeah, yeah, yeah Um conversation, he and Jeremy having a sort of Christmas addedition where Jeremy decides he wants to build a Santa's grotto. And they've become a bit of a trope on the show now. Jeremy has an idea, Charlie, like brings reality to the lunacy of it. or the ambition I think that one was the best one they've ever ever done where charing because I want to make a grotto and then off Charlie goes with all the You know, background checks for Father Christmas and Jary's like, what it was And you sort of You go, you China's got no preparation for it, and he's never watched another one he's done So he doesn't know Whereas I'm sure Caleb does watch because he's very interested in TV, Right Charlie doesn't know that they've got this rhythm, this TV rhythm, which is just about perfect really But he doesn't watch it and learn from it. Naturally does it. It's actually, I think impressive as well that Caleb hasn't changed as he's kind of become famous or he hasn't become a TV version of Caleb. He's kind of retained the ability just to Be who he was in season one. But he's got a good Yoda Is Yoda the older one? Yeah Yeah, he's got a good yoda Jah. Yeah. Yeahah. he has he's got a good yoda. Be Jeremy's like, Just authenticity which people love Cub's watching it around him And I think after series one, he was inundated with all the offers. Yeah Chally and There's nothing you can do to stop him going, but We were like, me. Stay here, learn. It's an accademy. You won't make better tell you anywhere else. Um, and he's he's taken on to that He's taken with that. He's got it. Yeah. So I came home the other day And Seb, who I spoke to you about before my son ten years later, grabbed me and ran into the go, You've gott to come here, you got to see this, you got to see this, you gott to see this. And I thought, What's happened? Something's g on in the house It was the trailer for the new season. Oh yeah Which bit do you think he loved What made him laugh out loud Baya again P to localisation, pitch toalllink fold off. He let's fice yeah. No she is easy to c. These ones are No fucking shape hope tryang go. I know. Electric shogs, but thumbs thum. My favourite's coming up. It's the woman after you see Jeremy in Hospital And that's real, by the way Yeah, a've got lot of phone footage on that one Wow This woman Yeah. She's epic C' told me not to speak And he speaks. There's the ground Yeah, the animals. The animals are a git That go eatating the Christmas treates G it all happens in this season Nothing s there What would you think Mep's favorite moment, or is it still to come here? it comes So that last bit of the end there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That I think is exactly what you spoke about Jeremy's genius. Like the two dogs are just chagging in the house. Yeah. And instead of him going to all and not knowing what to do, he starts having like the most normal conversation it' avoid din Yeah But it's just dogs. so it's like This isn't happening and we're very British about it. So we'll just carry on as normal Um But u We didn't know that's coming They just went out Yeah. Well, then you know the stuff like the inheritance attacks or the planning battles, the more political elements. What's your view on that? Do you lean into that or would you rather avoid them No, we' lean into it. Well lean into it because if it's something that is brutalizing farmers in a way that is actually If you dig into inheritance tax for a non farmer versus a farmer It's there' treasury bloody sort of really quite devious people working out that these farmers, it's like most farmers are over sixty ods So you can't sell your farm. You can't get out of this. you are into that. Whereas I think you or I we've got an inheritance plan. can we can we've got options to try and get around it withith a farm. you can't. They know it's a very it's like a glorified death tax that is that they're locked into is the point And Andy Burnham's gone land is massively under taxed and you're like, what you're going to do that as well now Um So we lean in We lean to an extent. Jeremy got least mindful of the fact that Rachel Reeves was after was going I s, she was going after people like Jeremy and James Dyson you know, non farmers who buy land to avoid death duties. And his point, as he said quite rightly, is Why? Fine, go after me, go after James Dyson But use a sniper's rifle, donon't use a fucking blunder bus like you have done take out the whole farming community. because this whole thing about anything the initial thing, farm over a million quid. Million quQids has are fantastic Number to a towny, but it's bollocks in the farming world By the time you've got a tractor, a barn, some cattle You're on your million And yeah, there's not much there. And there's no no and there's no No one's getting rich out of farming because if you're just, you know, I come from a farming family in Norfolk. So you're like, okay, what happens then big conglomerates with then would buy up the farmland. That's exactly what that's exactly what the end game is there. Yeah. Our land is owned and farmed with four huge businesses. four huge businesses. We control all our food. Yeah. And I was looking at the whole TV thing in this series is which comes up more, not that one's not out yet, but You know There's like few hedge fund groups own most of the veterinary practices So it's in everyone's interest to have Big Vvet bills so on and so on U We don't get into it like on a mission I think Jeremy was aware that some farmers go, we love what you're doing. but You are part of the problem with the inheritance tax. you know, by virtue of existing. you and the James Dyson. So some farmers were Jeremy help Jeremy help, Jeremy help because you're an amazing communicator. And some farmers were like, We love you, but can you stay away from this one? It's not your fight. Yeah. Can I ask you about the moment where he has his heart operation in this series? Yeah. becauseuse you've known Young Jeremy comoming through as a TV star. Yeah, slightly older Jeremy who literally becomes a mega star and the ego starts to kind of maybe run away with itself All the way through to farmer Jeremy, but now Jeremy was at a really genuine healthcare Is he any different now after that moment, you think put my finger on that. G've got grandchildren, that's made a massive difference Yeah So I'd say pre the health scare All those decisions were turning around in his head. It's one of the reasons we quit the grand tour. absolutely start to If you read a Jeremy column from the nineteen nineties, it'll be Right, I'm going gonna smoke ninety a day drink and then I'm going to have seventy two, a brief moment of massive pain before my heart gives out. But I'll have had an amazing moment sort of rock style type philosophy Obviously, it's bollocks because when you get to Sixty, you go, shit, grandchildren, shit I work really hard shit, I can smell the roses if I stop And it's happened to him. So Yeah, no no big science on that one But it was happening before the hellcare hear what he's I think your hellsca is like It was one of those things like the hardart stuff is part of is th Good living You know, And it's come around obviously this point this time of him actually already having gone of' G got to sllow it down So he's changed his diet and that kind of thing Yeah, he has ten it serious. He hasn't smoked for ten years. And Do do you have this funny moment where you know, one of your best buddies and someone you've shared most of your life with that suddenly got a massive iss But there's a bit in your head going, well, that's gonna make Great television I remember when we spoke with Emily Maitl, she said that She had a point where like, when there was a big drama somewhere. which was a a cris and a catastrop for people in her head. She's like, Ohh, it's going to makes gonna happen. It's going to make great news headlin. G make great news headlines. Yeah. It's funny how the job does that too, isn't it? He's on the front foot more than anybody on that. He's like, right shit I'm in hospital and you're like, shit shit, shit, and he's Yeah, I've got Lisa Film in it, you know. And then we'll decide what to do with it afterwards. But he's got that local newspaper supports a logic that Let's get this on film Let's work out how it goes in and so on and so on. So he's he's he's the biggest advocate of Shit this will make Greay Ty Yeah, or so This is from James Lewis two six threety five. That's when the name James Lewis has been used. Us two thousand six hundred sixty five tim. His favorite numbers now use it. Yeah Yeah And it sounds like the best way of getting Jeremy Clarkson to do something is to tell him not to do it Is that actually true? and what's the best example you've got? Oh I hate the best example b Um, Beuse you' gotta go like roller deeck So I don't know in the time we have if I can come up with that best way to him to get him to do something tell him not to do it It's odd when we've just looked at a trailer when Amazon have told me not to speak, The doctors told me not to speak He yes, he does take that position of anti told what to do But he's not It's not mental with it he's not mental with it I think So Let me try and unpick it in other ways. Top G gar we were always we were in the newspapers a lot in topop gear on the top gear days, Daily Mail, spark Fury, Daily Mail, spark Fury. And if we did something, we never did it to spark fury, We never sat down and write, what can we shoot this week that is gonna to get us in the papers But if along the way we realize that oh This might go play badly we would still carry on doing it. If you'd have said to him Let's thinkink a one. Lurry drivers murder prostitutes. in the top gear days. We he starts doing that running joke about like the cab is a chapel of rest, you know, for all your victims and stuff like that. And you get the sense like when this goes out like BBC compliance go, all right, it can go out, but fucking el batting down the hatch his lorry drivers and the papers are going to be on you. It's at that point that he would go, well, whatever happens happens, but we certainly don't take it out We don't we don't go for a peaceful life, you know. So that's more his logic, but I don't think he sets out to go Right, How can I do something that is contrary? And he obviously doesn't actually believe that Lorry drivers murder prostitutes. But there's something there that that works for him? is it because he knows that creating these conversations outside of the show is good for the show Yeah, they are because they good up and drers because Well, no, he likes that what sort of horrible phrase sideways look. You know, he likes that If you're going to bring being a Lorry driver to life, he will go look for thingsings like that which are I mean, the reason the BBC let it go through even though they knew we were going to get a kicking was if you Googled You know, compliance, Google, lorry drivers, prostitutes Your fucking computer explodes with all the examples in America or wherever So they go, right, it's an established tbe You know, It is urban, not urban myth, but it's out there So he is by all the compliance rules, allowed to play on it The flack that comes comes, but you can defend why you did it Why does he go for that? Because it is mischievous. But I think mischief is the word, not controversy that you're aiming for Be everyone's going to have to giggle about that one That You know, it's one element. He's going to talk about how hard it is to change eighteen gears when someone in a bloody Vaxle courseour has just moved in front of you like for no reason, all that sort of stuff. He learn that and talk about that too But u Yeah, we never set out to. But then we don't stop when it happens Make sure you stay where you are. plenty more questions to come for Andy Wilman in the dark after our power cut here in the studio. Great question. going back to top gear from Here we go. NFFC Evans z zo seven He picked that name himself, didn't? one hundred percent Yeah. A Frest fan and a James Bond fan. fourteen hundred likes on this, so a lot of people feeling the same way. And they said, I wasn't excited for the Ferrarienzo. I was excited for the top game review. of the Ferrarienzo. Did you ever fully realize that you'd actually made the car secondcondary to the review Well, I disagree with that. The car was always had to come first And I think Another of those like the point we were making earlier about when you start to try and be funny without a point If we started to make the show about us and not the product or the object of whatever our focus was you certainly then start to come andst when you start to do that sort of thing So He If we do the Ezo later than everybody else, which was because we thought we made a plan that we weren't going to go to Italy to drive it like all the car magazines would do Jerem's like, not till it's over here in rightite hand drive, arere we doing it Ver straightward good one. becausecause his point was If we're a car show that's broad you don't chase what the car magazines are doing because that's enthusiasts and that's niche auto car or car magazine or top gear magazine will'll review the new Nzo as fast as possible. They all want the scoop journalistically correct They want to be the first And he's like, No, let's take ourselves out of that world We won't review a car until somebody's driving at work and they can see the posters for it or they go down the showroom and have a look at it He's like, that's our relevant, you know You don't Restaurant reviewers don't review a restaurant until it's open sort of thing. So why would you not go this way? So, um thenen we'd have to work doubly hard on the review we' w we're going, we're following everybody else And it was an absolute point of pride. you know, he would write those things again and again and again to get it just right. So I Dagree. I don't think Pent that came before the car Be he was slavey. But you were more you were so much more than a car review show though Well he could make them live. he had a great skill for making things live Um, I remember and his analogies. I remember watching Top Gear Late one night and there was Got him from the edit again. So you're watching like one in the morning top gear rerun 've got the lady in the side doing the like s the hard of hearings, the sign language And it was a jagged review in Scotland K or something like that. and P' go. At normal speeds, it's as quiet as a mountain, right? I actually I thought it was a great nledge because if you look at mountains, they are There's extreme silence, but you just saw her face go Like fuck am I doing with this analogy, like this sort of stuff. But yeah, he loves he works, he worries the, you know, dog with a bone on getting those phrases right because it is a point of pride Yeah to do Good word play, I suppose question from Destruction NL thirty six. What? Yeah When the Grandeour shifted to specials only, I started calling it the Farewell tour. When did you know it was ending and was the decision actually made or did it just Ston't get. It was a decision we took about. five years to make So twenty nineteen when we just before we went to spepecials spotted NFL destruction NL eighty six. Yes Um When we stopped doing thisort twelve shows a year, we were going to call it quits. And as I said, no keep going do another two years of twelve shows. And we said, no definitely not well. We were like, quit, quick, quit. And then they said tell you what you can each have your own solo series. if you do some more film top Grand tours So Jeremy said I'll do farm show, you know. So like The best way to get everyone back is to hit their own personal egos, you know, like deep purple. give the keyboard player a solo album as long as we get a deep purple album. and We went to the specials. So it was in our minds. That's why we reduced the number that One day we're going to make something that's proper shit then will have The audience will say goodbye to us before do the goodbyes. So it then became our focus that we've got to call it at the right time So we kept doing them in plumps, do four, then do two. do two more, but Amazon will like just sign up and say six, you know We kept doing them in small increments because we wanted that option to go We're done And then with the Madagascar one, that was probably the weakest one, that was like a real wake up call or would Yeah, we're right to be worried. R Th then COVID comes along and we got a boost cause We had time to think, time to recharge your batteries. and we came out of the traps well with Scandy Flick and Mauritania one Oh no, the European one. We came out of the trapss al right, then thenen we were like Mauritania. Zimbabwe, we knew to you know, a good eighteen months before that that was it. Yeah. And we just wanted to be able to walk away with our heads held up So yeah, you're absolutely right destruction eight nine eight that It was a glorified farewell tour But there won't be a We're back toor Never The grandon never comes backive. eight n ninetine nine is asking that. We won't be, you know There won't be another one O nextxt question then if B butts fifty five. The Madagascar special, everyone knows it didn't really work. You've been honest about that.. But what I want to know is I just said that, didn't we? Yeah ye. But what I want to know is, did you know why you were making it No, I think that was a point where we were like halfway through you're going What the fuck are we doing pirates for? This is nonsense It was the this is nonsense bit, you know And you can do a scene in a film that's nonsense and you just cut it out But when the whole film's nonsense, you're locked in. You've just got to keep going so you hope that This world's worst road is going to give you the materials to get you to the end. It's got to give enough of an anchor But diffifficult roads at one mile an hour become wearisome as the road itself It just goes on and on So We just had to get through it and like learn and beat ourselves up afterwards. Yeah. You know, never again do we like drop. also a standard zone But how do you keep morle high in moments like that? Um You're busy. There's a lot going on E end of the day, your shoulders will drop a bit. you'll go that's another day where we went S hours on that road and I'm thinking I can just see this in the outit just going being interminable. So then Morrele, you'd go right James drives through that puddle of like shit in the cage room It's a good moment. He's just covered in it And you're like, well, that'll be a highlight. So then you grow that in your head as if it was the whole day or something. then you know you know it's going to be forty eight seconds when you've done it, But you're like, that'll do, that'll do. that'll give us a bit Um, But yeah, yeah, no, you've got to Soort of I don't know Like Michael flatly with his arthritis, he's just got to keep dancing, hasn't he? Just push throat. Yeah. So the question from Wilson and this is on it Wilson. Wilson, Mr. Wilson. Wilson underscore Trong from Instagram Becauseuse you spoke really movingly actually in our first conversation. Okay, about how T toowwards the end of year, your mental health was challenged, the stress, the pressure, everything was on top of you His question is besides Jeremy's exit, Was there ever a time that Andy considered leaving Topgeear No because we've got our own version of that sort of Stockholm syyndrome going where you You're absolutely wedded to being alongside each other no matter how bad it gets And I think again, because it's not a show that we just sort of got given guardianship of but R. How would you how could you leave it If say you know, say I get a job right running the apprentice and it all goes to shit for me, I'll leave some I knows. But because we'd grown it ourselves, there's no way you could leave. And we were all too massively close to do that. So never, never, never, never never too great cost, I think, mentally because It was so insane what we were doing in terms of the workload that But we couldn't even take time time off, time, you know, anything So do you make sure that you protect your mental health now Yeah, I see a therapist. Once a weeake, Um You learn a lot obviously about yourself or why bother? Yeah. and It is like that thing where if you go to the gym to work your body out, Why would youre not going to sort your brain out I'm sure That's the sort of cliche that is understood. but probably not understood enough.' like it's not actually about going because you have try these problems it's Why would you not help with your mental health in a society where still know valued enough to our good mental health And in a society where mental Stress is getting hard theng society is getting more pressured, more complex All the things we know Why would you not try and look after you Noggin, you know Wh' the chicken feeds ago Uh Yeah, went anyh and everything was collapsing around. Yeahah. and you don't didn't go Closed mind. did want to go Um And you can have that kind of, especially the northern thing of I'm not telling people my business.. There's that logic Didn't have that But what I did worry about was that I would be judged. Because if you're very insecure You worry how people see you and what they think about you. And it takes you ages to know that a good therapist is not judging say everything that that I think that's the pivot you've got to get over the hump that you're not going to be judg that this person is like absolutely. Because the lady I see, she was like, lookook, by the time we've been trained properly. Aolph Hiter could sit opposite me And we try and work out the logic behind what he did, you know So So Okay, I'm not as bad as Hitler So I'll stayine We'llw you just a couple of geeky TV quick before we go to the quick fires So How many days out of the year do you think you're filming on that philm Two fucking many because we got deal with it in the addit Ace I think because He could step out the door and he's at work. that sort of well, we need to film that. Well, we need to film that. Oh, the milk's being delivered as in like a milk bottle, you know, not the It's like ye, we' better film that. It can get a bit like that Oh, the gate needs some WD forty, right? G the crew and you're like, this is never going to make it. But Um, They film a lot. I think our shooting ratio is about fifty to one fifty hours to one hour sort of thing. whats up fif minutes one minute, etera, etera. Yeah. So not as bad as. specials at their worst But then again, youven't got all the cameras that you've got there. You know, you've got fifteen in car cameras between Jeremy James and R. what you got on the farm Well, in the car, if he's driving somewhere We don't bother with the miniams hardly. It's like the cameraman jumps in the back Just so you get that actuality, right? We're off up to the top field Yeah. Apparently there's something wrong with one of the sheep sort of things. So It's very low f on that score But how do you plan Like obviously, you can go through the diary for the week or the schedule for the month and say these are our filming days If something goes wrong that requires more than just Jeremy on a mobile phone, like how quickly can you get the crew there to film? Really quickly because Kasper, the main cameraman lives in the area. He's down the road. Right. So often that'll happen quite often then. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that'll happen quite often. Ink jumping in and Casper's like, And if we're not filming filming, if it's a nice day, he's out getting all those, you know, you see those amazing shots of Attenborough esque type deer going through the fields and stuff, he'll just bring his camera up and settle down because he doesn't have to deal with Jeremy or anybody else, he can just get that stuff. and all those beauty shots. So It's kind of full time As it is. and We're well funded is a good budget for this show given that It's not. buster budget because of the context is life on a farm But we're well funded for a life on a farm show So you can, we are very lucky that we can have the edit days we want to process this stuff And Jeremy cano get the cameras over here. you know, the taps leaking I need to film it. So yeah, it's Funding is good for this. And how much time are you in the edit? Wiffle time We're full time three editors So three editors. three editors. Oh yeah So we start M, isn't it? It is but the walls of the offline edits are like beautiful mind, you know You start with like cows, sheep, pub, et cetera, et cetera. And then you start filling them in And what you putting on the walls though becauseuse I would have thought these days everything is digital and everything's on a device rather than on a wall orr is that just because you still like to work? I'm a boomer and I can't deal with spreadsheets and stuff like that you have toble So we get that, you know, that stuff that you get from Ryammonds that you the stations are available. The sticky white stuff like Yeah you can make fake whiteboards So we then we'll write cows, sheep Aerrible shit Shit. And then something will get filmed And then you put it on there And then when you broke when the assistant has broken down, youll put a ticket against him and he's now ready to but you I don't know, it's just me. I can only work in a sort of left to right way where I can look at everything and then but where does it allow for all of the maghit you can't plan Well, we'll put it in a category or we'll c it, right? Here's a tip if you ever find yourself inatient put one up called miscellaneous. That's like stick it in there. And then you put that and you do like your miscellaneous stuff because they're like little breaks So you can have that like All right, in this story we're going to do sheep and Jeremy's heart or whatever. But you could have a thing where like Lisa has developed a new pastor And she brings it into the office to let everyone taste it in the, you know, Jeremy and Caleb and everything. And you go, right that is fuck all to do with Fuck all but it's a three minute break from whatever else we're doing. And that helps us pace wise that you can go meanwhile, and you know the meanwhile word is getet out of jail of all time or the next day. And then they just help me pace it up and move it along Um because it is You know, voiceover is in it. How often do you get actuality with voice oververs? quite it's uncommon but There's no other way because we have to package it like story. You didnll Right, Should we do some quick fis? Yeah. All questions from the community that. Please not what's the best? No the worst. Oh well Oh, here we go.. Sorry, I'm gonna pick. Th. One off one of you. Yeah Morrice Marina eight nine eight. What's he one? Yeah. Worst idea, Jeremy. here you go. some that somehow worked Worst idea what? any show? Yeah, that's some how works What's that day that's howour word Powerers back! Wha. Powerers back.. Oh my goodness. Finally we all look our age again I think for men of a certain generation, like Catle lit studios is a good idea. I liked it dimly lit. I'm a bit sad for is happener Why don't we? likeom of Yeah. Yeah, well don we're already done so why don't we wrap up like this? Let's finish like this.. I think it's lovely. I think it's more another one. Yeah Th those worst idea ones filming. Okay. I think one of the ideas that amazed us all Was shit. Does even people do any moreore scooter man You know, it was a London thing and a couple of other cities where you get pissed Scooter com to housecoot scoot, they put their booos, driide you home. Yeah no drinks anymore, so there's no need for. There' No no need to do it. Yeah. So they would come to you so you're in the pub And you're like, out you've driven there and then, oh, fuck I've too many. You rink Scooter man and he comes in the little miniimoped, he'su to drive anything putut his little scooter in the back of your car drives you home pissed and then you wake up you've got your car So James and Richard Why don't we be scooten for the evening and we can road test. It's like road test roulette You know, we'll road test whatever cars we've got coming up And we thought, oh, this is gonna be so shit The joy of it was, you've got the owner of the car Ne to you So if they're going, this Nissan Kashka is Bllocks, like the owner is like ' they've gota sit next to you, right? And they're pissed so they might be a bit agggy. And James was like being James, I'm going to say it how it is. I'm not going to beat him about the bush. if the c' total the cars total their fault of buying it And Hamm's home, I'm too polite for that. He goes I'm going to do a code So they go If this c's shit, I'm gonna go, it's a bit cranberry Light And then so on camera he's giving the viewer all these words like beforehand U That's funny. It was a good ye, that was a good film, but it started out as worst idea. Yeah, I think. If you go X one nine or whatever it won't have been born when that film came out Too young. Surely. C Ham may handle what like. Hammond Male Clarks and who would you actually like to be stranded with? If it's danger all about, Richard Right for company, Jeremy You know Survival, Richard. James isn't featuring yet, quuick death No, because it'd be he'd like arrange the island, you know Wilman coconut trees sort of should be there. And it take it forever to get everything built. He's very practical, but No, it would be maudlin It would be maudlin. whereereas Jeremy will be, Jeremy would bring Jeremy drama to the whole thing. We're going to die tonight and then like when we haven't died the next day. We're alive and then this would go on and up all these kind of That sort of thing, and we would have a laugh. And Hammond, like I say If you're on Jurassic Park Island, do you need someone to punch a T rex Asia man' He's a fighty brummy that you want in the pub. is you know Yeah One thing about Top gar, the audience never knew These are really shit for quick fire because I've got to go through the bloody. It's fine. I've got to go through the rollodecks. Yeah. I't say they never know We can edit them into quQick file. Change the stig now and again I said if Stig was busy Ben Conners was busy put another one in for you. Yeah Julian Bailey Great racing driver, touring cars, Laom sports cars. and he had Unfortunate Julian is udgginally he's known for it. he's grumpy as shit. like I remember touring cars like some kid brings in the wrong poster of like Will Hoy instead of Julian. he's like Kid, fuck off, brring me the right picture back like, you know, kids this height s. And u He's gone And Ben Collins is like amazingly sort of polite, fantastic coach, etcetera, etcetera. You know, literally an ambassador for the show when you've got your celeb there in the car. Julian, forget it. And Jimmy Carr was the guest update. That's the worst combination because Jimmy Carl just fucked about He kept spinning off, spinning off, spinning off and you' like Jesus Jimy, because I've not come down to do a laptim. I've come to entertain. It fair point, he made his bed. Um And I'm driving down to see how they're getting on like halfway through their training And the stigs come in the other way and I'm like window down. I'm like, whereere do you go? And he went I've had enough of that can't take any more of him. and like so I'm not And he went, you know what He said he's actually good as well, that's what's pissing me off as well. So I drove down to see Jimmy and I went, He's just said, is had enough of that cut? Jimmy's dead on the floor like, um And then he went But he also says if I said we've got enough spends to last a liifetime you know in you career and off. whyy don't you actually put your mind to it? Because he says you'd be good. And he went number one. So but yes, StigGs came and went on these sort of special occasions, stand in Stigs You good to know. The ending of Clarkson Farm series five, are we talking relief or heartbreak C can't talk about the ending of series five Nobody's seen it yet So that remains a secret, massive secret till together It's a heavy series the ones that have been out so far you'll see the progress now of the how gentle first step was which was a bit nervy for me because Streaming usually come out of traps with like your Jason Staath and punches, you know, And that was because Jeremy was crook, there's nothing you can do. he can't do anything. It's gentle And then that too is an outlier because it's funny with the Christmas stuff And then as you see, only t that three does the actual series art kick him when he goes around going high attack. But we've got what have we got to come Six fiveive, six, seven it gets, it gets Heavier and heavier and heavier So it is dramatic Um I ain't saying nothing. Oh If the BBC called you tomorrow and said, comeome back on your terms Do you pick up Miss him. God Not like we used to. We used to miss him like when we were starting to my gndsa, we really missed him Partly because we had a lot of management who still liked us, partly the ones who hated us, there was a lot who liked us. And there was our baby, you know, the show we'd built. So a lot of heartache. And I think for years we would be like to me back. But it's gone now. It's actually, I think like a relationship where you're go know it's all that you've got over it and Amazon had been good to us you know, okay, big American corporations, we don't have that parent and child relationship we had with the BBC, for sure Um, it is it is more formal than that. But the group at Amazon we work with We've now got a relationship with them and they are really good to us and they leave us alone, which in the stringing world is like unheard of You know, I hear about like Netflix one cut cut, cut and notes the amount of notes going to people. And we get fuck all, which is So once we've got O independence and we're funded. That was always how we were at the BBC. We built our own little asteriss at Gaul village, you know, with the big stakes around it so nobody can get in. And we kind of got the same here So no, don't miss it now There was a time, but not anymore Well, Andy, look, thank you so much Thanks a lot first. First guest to ever done a third recording in this studio first guest who ever had a power cut I arranged that It made for great great content. The king content. up there's a cable where I've mo with my ch like How did massive plug come apart? And it's the first time we've ever had someone in and just given them questions from the audience because the conversation was so interesting. really kind say All of those things really. I'm proper touched on that. I really am because I know how big this one is You know So I'm really touched.. If people want more, they can obviously check out six five of Clatsmon's Farm. They can also get the hands on your book which has got so many amazing and lovely storieses there All the hard back, this soft back companion They don't like to be a part of H Bats paper banks ' a holiday. This is a holiday. Yeahah, G this in I think hopefully the airports will stick in because they didn't the other one. So this is They love us off back in the air. They love us off back. No, I didn't think we'd get this far