Clarkson’s Farm star Harriet Cowan has reflected on giving the straight-shooting Jeremy Clarkson a taste of his own medicine in the hit Amazon series.
Cowan, 25, became the breakout star of the hit Prime Video series after she temporarily replaced farm manager Kaleb Cooper in last year’s fourth season.
The former full-time nurse won over audiences with her witty asides and impressive farming knowledge. She was also praised for standing her ground with Clarkson, with the TV host himself calling her “brilliant”.
Speaking about her no-nonsense attitude on screen in The Times, Cowan said: “If a bloke thinks he knows better than me and starts talking s***, I’ll tell him so.”
She continued: “When I was on Clarkson’s Farm telling Jeremy what I thought, that was the real me. It wasn’t put on for the cameras.”
Cowan did not shy away from telling Clarkson what she thought. It was not long before she was telling him off for his poor management of the hedges and pointing out that the squeaky cow brush needs a dose of WD40 – an aerosol spray that helps with lubrication.
Her straight-talking dealings with the ex-Top Gear presenter earned Cowan a large fanbase, who also took a shine to her sense of humour.
In episode one of the season, Clarkson gives Cowan a tour of the farm. At one point, he identifies a Neolithic fort, which he explains is “4000 years old”, prompting Cowan to quip: “Nearly as old as you.” She even attempts to trim Clarkson’s unruly eyebrows.
Cowan, whose dad is a farmer, graduated from the University of Derby, where she studied nursing. She was offered a spot on Clarkson’s Farm while she was working in community nursing.
She recently quit medicine to pursue farming full-time. “There was a period where I thought I could do both but when I was doing home visits, some of the patients started recognising me,” she said. “I’m trying to take their blood pressure and they want to know about me sitting behind Alison Hammond at the National Television Awards.”
Cowan was named her town’s Young Farmers spokesperson and continues to use social media to highlight the realities of working on a farm.
Her social media presence has been credited with sparking an interest in agriculture as a Gen Z career choice. On the subject of her influence, Cowan said: “People have said that me being on telly has got more young people, especially girls, interested in farming, but British farmers aren’t getting support, so there aren’t many jobs.
“Brexit should have made things better for farmers but we’re still importing too much as it’s cheaper. We could be self-sufficient in far more foods but we have to get away from the idea of everything costing next to nothing.”
Cowan has previously been vocal during the farmers’ protests in response to Labour’s changes to inheritance tax, which saw thousands of farmers gather in Westminster last year.
While she hopes to do more television in the future, she is now focused on buying her own farm with her partner, James Booth. “At the moment I work on my family’s farm, plus do any freelance work I can pick up,” she said.
The next season of Clarkson’s Farm is reportedly currently in production and is scheduled for release on Prime Video in May 2026.
The series will feature its most heartbreaking scenes yet, with episodes expected to focus on the outbreak of bovine tuberculosis, which struck the Cotswolds farm in October 2025.
Bovine TB (bTB) is a chronic respiratory disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium bovis. The disease can be catastrophic for farmers and forces the culling of infected cattle. Due to a bTB incident in England between October 2021 and September 2022, 22,934 cows were killed.
Following the success of Cowan’s stint on the fourth season, fans have requested that she return for season five. Whether she will is yet to be confirmed.
Last One Laughing UK to return with Halloween special – but with major twist
Clarkson’s Farm producer shares reason why hit series will one day end
‘Greatest series ever’ ending after 62 years
First star ‘disappointed’ after being eliminated from I’m A Celebrity South Africa
Apprentice winner reveals her plans with Lord Sugar’s £250k investment
Peacock subscribers disappointed by show’s cancelation after just one season
