This week's issue is going to start a little heavy, before leading into some fun. It's something I couldn't ignore, and had to talk about, as it's something that's genuinely shaped my personal and professional life. So with that, buckle up, and let's dive in.

(This has since been updated at the time of posting, thankfully! I did write this entire thing already, so figured I'd publish as is.)

Last week, one of my favorite shows came back for its final two episodes of its fifth season: Clarkson's Farm. It streams on Amazon, and honestly, is some of the best TV made. Period. Jeremy Clarkson was one of the trio from the original British Top Gear, which ran from 2002 to 2015. After Top Gear, Jeremy, James May, and Richard Hammond moved to Amazon for The Grand Tour. Now, as the show names suggest, they're automotive focused — but they made it absolutely fun cinema. The trio's personalities and friendship seriously made them the best shows of that era.

According to producer Andy Wilman, who produced both Top Gear and The Grand Tour, Amazon wanted each member to do a solo show after the curtain came down. James May did "James May: Our Man In…", which was absolutely legendary — especially Our Man In Japan. Richard Hammond went on to do The Great Escapist, where he and Tory Belleci (Mythbusters) escape from increasingly ridiculous situations. Kind of like all the Top Gear and Grand Tour Specials. Both of those shows make complete sense for their hosts. Clarkson, though… Well, he decided to become a farmer.

Clarkson bought a Cotswolds farm in 2008 and mainly used it as a holiday escape while other people tended to the land for him. That changed in 2019, when he decided to actually learn the ropes. Clarkson's Farm is absolutely legendary status, and I cannot recommend it enough. Each season you see Clarkson in a way you never did on Top Gear or The Grand Tour. Each season he grows, and learns, and genuinely develops as a person, while still being his childishly brilliant, occasionally infuriating self. Honestly, it's the best show out there. What he's done for British farming as a whole — a sector constantly under attack from the government (same as it is here, by the way) — is outstanding.

Well, this season took a turn. A devastating one at that. One of the reasons this show works so well is its rawness. And the final two episodes did not hold back. Jeremy announced he had prostate cancer, and was undergoing treatment. He stated it was an aggressive form, but they caught it early. Prostate cancer has great survival rates when caught early. That's a big if. Hopefully he was being completely honest about the timeline, because this is downright gutrenching.

Now, yes. I know. He's a celebrity. I don't know him personally. I probably shouldn't be this worked up.

But when I was younger, Top Gear BBC — which I watched illegally on a black box airwave stealer I built myself, alongside my mid-2000s emo and post-hardcore music, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, The Fast and the Furious, Pokémon, and Need for Speed — genuinely got me through some of the toughest times of my life. To say that trio quite literally saved my life sometimes could be an understatement. So yes, I'm taking this personally. And one day, I'm getting myself to Diddly Squat Farm Shop in the Cotswolds. The wife and I talk about it. We just need to actually book the trip. We made it to Scotland. The Cotswolds is next.

UPDATE: Clarkson officially announced he's in remission as of Saturday, June 20th. Praise the car gods. Make sure to get your PSA checked, if you’re over 45. If you’re doctor will not, and you want it, just say your have issues and they will have to check it. Early detection is the key to survival.

While they don't all make whisky, they do all own alcohol companies. And honestly, what did you expect? You simply cannot watch a Top Gear or Grand Tour Special without Clarkson insisting they stop for a beer. Usually before anyone's even unpacked. So naturally, Clarkson made his own.

You can actually watch the whole thing unfold during Season 2 of Clarkson's Farm. He was already growing the ingredients on the farm, so why not make beer? Hawkstone has a full lineup — lager, cider, IPA, pils, session lager — with the Lager clearly being the favorite child. The reviews online are genuinely good, though it sits at a farm-to-bottle price point. During COVID, the Diddly Squat Farm Shop reportedly single-handedly helped keep the Cotswolds farming industry afloat. You can grab Hawkstone at the farm shop itself, or at his pub, The Farmer's Dog, also in the Cotswolds.

Sadly, you cannot get it in the US, which is a personal grievance I plan on raising with someone, someday. For the Farmers Dog and The Diddly Squat Farm shop Everything has to be locally sourced, within 100 miles of the shop. No exceptions. Including something as simple as salt, which is, honestly, an incredible feat.

James May, on the other hand, owns exactly what you'd expect. A gin brand. Because of course he does. James Gin is genuinely very good, for a gin. Gin's not my drink of choice, but from the sample I had, it's something I'd pick up. He offers five expressions: Asian Parsnip, Navy Strength, American Mustard, London Drizzle, and California Dreamin'. Asian Parsnip, American Mustard, and London Drizzle are all available at Total Wine for $35. The website also ships to select states, though at a slightly higher price than in-store. He also owns a pub — The Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, about two hours from Clarkson's pub, with six guest bedrooms. Clarkson's pub to May's pub in a good car, with a few stops along the way? Someone schedule this trip.

That leaves us with Richard Hammond. The man who has defied death on more occasions than seems statistically reasonable. Hammond owns Hammond's Spirits, which produces the Ratio Dry Gin and, more interestingly to me, the Iron Ridge English Single Malt. It came out in 2025 and has already won a pile of awards. From the website: a 10-year-old unfiltered limited edition, matured exclusively in medium-toast French oak casks by renowned cooperage Radoux Tonnellerie, with notes of dried fruit, baked apple, vanilla, and gentle spice. That sounds genuinely good. Being limited though, means I might never see it stateside, unless I get back to the UK soon. Cough cough.

Notably, Hammond does not own a pub. He's said on multiple occasions, after visiting May's and Clarkson's, that he has zero desire to own a money-losing business. Which has gotten him "banned" from The Farmer's Dog — though only in jest. He does have something hanging in there, though: during Season 4, Clarkson asked Hammond to restore and chrome out an old tractor, which now hangs from the ceiling of the pub. So every time Clarkson walks in, he is reminded of his old mate. It's very them.

Watches are everywhere across 22 seasons of Top Gear, 6 seasons of The Grand Tour, 3 seasons of Our Man In, 1 season of The Great Escapist, and 5 seasons of Clarkson's Farm. It's been genuinely fun spotting them over the years. Here are some of the memorable ones.

Jeremy Clarkson is an Omega man, through and through. Partly why I became one too, if I'm honest. His love of the brand traces back to James Bond. Same. And considering he and I have ended up with a few of the same references, it's a little surreal. He's rarely seen in anything other than his Seamaster Pros or Planet Oceans.

He does have an IWC Top Gun chrono and a Breitling Avenger in rotation, but for most of us it's the Planet Ocean on rubber that defines the Clarkson wrist. There's a great scene from the Cambodia and Vietnam Special, "Seamen" (Grand Tour, Season 4, Episode 1), where the trio stumbles into a "luxury boutique" selling knockoffs. It's as funny as you'd imagine. Here is a Youtube clip of it.

James May is, as always, eccentric even in his watch choices. He's never really been seen in anything super high end — usually his Hamiltons — with his Panerai making regular appearances throughout his career. Seeing someone who could afford almost anything reach for a Hamilton is, honestly, a nice thing. Understated, a little odd, completely James. He probably has the most of the group, at least he’s seen in the most random ones.

Richard Hammond is properly in deep. He's mostly seen cycling through Rolexes and Breitlings, but his Rolex Seadweller 16600 is probably the most iconic. During the filming of The Grand Tour Season 2, Episode 1, Hammond crashed, and it was serious. He was in a coma for quite some time. When he came back, learned to walk again, and eventually returned to the show, Clarkson — in typical Clarkson fashion — gifted him his Rolex Submariner encased in a fire box. The watch had survived the crash. That it's still running is incredible. You have to see it. Here is a Youtube clip of it.

Being that they're essentially car show hosts with side quests, this section could easily be its own book. I'll keep it to the moments that have stuck with me.

First, let's just get this out of the way: favorite episode. My answer: Season 19, Episodes 6 and 7. The Africa Special. The trio heads out in three aging estate cars to find the definitive source of the Nile. Clarkson's in a BMW 528i wagon. May's in a Volvo 850R — which, for the record, is an absolute grail car. And Hammond drives a 2002 Subaru WRX Hatchback BugEye. I'm not saying that's why I like it… but it doesn't hurt. This episode makes me want to rent a Hilux and disappear into Africa for two weeks. John, Dan, or Steve, you in? Unfortunately I can’t link to the whole episode because its BBC. But, you can find many clips on Youtube like I liked above.

Clarkson: His favorite car, at least as of the last time he said it out loud, is the Lexus LFA. A dream car of mine too, for what it's worth. His most sentimental moment behind the wheel, though, belongs to the Patagonia Special (Season 22, Episodes 1 and 2). He explains why he brought a Porsche 928 on the trip: he got a call that his father was dying, needed to get to the hospital fast, grabbed the chicken he was cooking, threw it in the back, and drove flat out. He made it in time. He says if he hadn't had the 928 on review that week, he might not have said goodbye. I'm not going to try to retell it better than he does. Just watch it.

May: Fun fact: James didn't join Top Gear from the beginning. He replaced Jason Dawe in Season 2. No disrespect to Jason, but James was the missing piece. From 2002 to 2024 in various forms. That run doesn't happen without him. May recently put out a video listing his favorite cars from the Specials. His all-time pick? A Citroën Ami 8 Rally Spec. Which is, objectively, completely insane. And also completely, unmistakably James May. My personal favorite episode with him is the Vietnam Special (Season 12, Episode 8): 1,000 miles across Vietnam on motorbikes. It's top three for me, maybe top one. I genuinely cannot rank these things. Runner-up though: the Scandinavian Flick on The Grand Tour, where Captain Slow himself manages to crash. The look on his face is everything. Here’s the crash.

Hammond: The comedic punching bag. The nearly-died-twice guy. The best addition to the team. My favorite Hammond episode is Season 3, Episode 5, where the crew attempts — with genuine commitment and escalating absurdity — to destroy a Toyota Hilux. They set it on fire. Sank it in the ocean. Dropped it from a building. It refused to die. The Hilux still lives at the Top Gear studio to this day and makes cameo appearances regularly. It outlasted two of the three hosts' near-death experiences. If that's not a metaphor for this whole show, I don't know what is. Hammond's favorite car from the Specials, by the way, is an Opel Kadett from the Botswana Special. He named it Oliver. The same man who has driven Bugattis and Ferraris and electric hypercars picked a battered little Opel as his all-time. And honestly? That's exactly why he works.

Also: watch his RIMAC crash from The Grand Tour. I really shouldn't need to say more. But Hammond has more about it here if you’re interested.

Anyway. I could genuinely do this all day. The point is, I cannot recommend any of these shows enough. And you can see how much they’ve shaped me. I’m writing this now knowing Clarkson will be okay. Even if you don't like cars, or farms, or traveling, or gin made from parsnips, it doesn't matter. It's just a great laugh. The production on Top Gear was light years ahead of its time — genuinely cinematic in a way that still holds up. Andy Wilman was way ahead of his time, and a big part of why it worked at all. Seriously, if you've never watched, go. And if you have, there were a few quotes hidden in here, and I wrote most of this with Clarkson's voice in my head. Which, in hindsight, explains a lot.

And on that bombshell… Get your PSA checked.

Take care. :)

[1] Amazon Prime Free Trial: 30 Day Free Trial

[2] The Grand Tour: https://amzn.to/4adCedV

[3] Clarkson’s Farm: https://amzn.to/4xHHrok

[4] The Grand Tour(ish) (A short 1 episode about their travels): https://amzn.to/4w5bnsO

[5] James May, Our Man In… : https://amzn.to/4gCODvP

[6] James May, Oh Cook!: https://amzn.to/4gBz5s7

[7] The Great Escapist: https://amzn.to/44qDlU9

[8] Hawkstone Beer: hawkstone.co.uk

[9] James Gin: jamesgin.com

[10] Total Wine: https://www.totalwine.com/search/all?text=jamesgin

[11] Hammond's Spirits: hammondsspirits.com

Poured. Worn. Driven. | Issue No. 12