Former car enthusiast turned farmer, Jeremy Clarkson, famously purchased his pub, now named the Farmer’s Dog, last summer and has been talking about how hard it is to run ever since.
His Amazon Prime show has done amazing things for the agricultural sector in raising the profile of some of the issues facing it, so many in the sector will be hoping the same can be done for the pub sector, as the series moves towards the pub opening.
In the opening episodes that airs this Friday, Clarkson is seen musing about community and pubs, over a pint, naturally.
Good thing
He says: “Loneliness is becoming a big issue in rural areas, and part of the problem is villages are kind of losing their souls.
“You don’t have a village doctor anymore, he’s in a health centre 30 miles away and you can’t get an appointment.
“There’s no village bobby on the beat. There’s no village vicar. There’s no village shop. There’s no village school. And if we end up at a point where there’s no village pub, what is a village? It’s just some houses.”
Whatever your view on Clarkson, his purchase of the pub and the decision to include the challenges in his latest series has to be a good thing for the wider sector.
Shining a light
I might be proven to be wrong, as after all, it’s entertainment and will be played for laughs, but we can hope that it shines a light on some of the challenges facing the sector in a way that might resonate better with consumers and Government than they currently are.
And while it might be frustrating for some that it’s taken a millionaire celebrity creating a fun show to drive home some of the points we’ve been battling to make to Government for many years, we should be welcoming the reinforcements and amplifying the messages that come out.
Assuming Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves have an Amazon Prime subscription, of course.
