The feud between Meghan Markle and Jeremy Clarkson appears to have inadvertently benefitted the former Grand Tour host.
Per Deadline, season two of the embattled curmudgeon’s tv show Clarkson’s Farm has racked up 4.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched original television series in the UK according to the British Audience Research Board (Barb).
The second and third episodes of the series had 3.8 million and 3.3 million viewers, respectively. The figures consist of viewers on television sets and do not include viewers on mobile devices. According to Barb, television is watched mainly by older adults. Markle is decidedly unpopular with this demographic, according to YouGov, which may explain their unflagging support of Clarkson despite his alarming views.
Clarkson’s Farm premiered after the presenter apologized for a scathing op/ed he wrote about Markle in The Sun on Dec. 17, 2022. Clarkson stated that he would like to see Markle suffer a punishment akin to Cersei Lannister’s walk of atonement in season five, episode ten of Game of Thrones. He wrote about his hatred for the Duchess and expressed a disturbing desire to see her publicly humiliated:
“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.”
Unsurprisingly, IPSO (The Independent Press Standard Organization) received over 25 000 complaints about Clarkson’s misogynistic and racist views of Markle, prompting a formal investigation by the UK’s media watchdog.
Clarkson apologized twice to the public for the self-inflicted debacle.
“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. It’s a mea culpa with bells on.”
He also sent a written apology to Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, which the couple rejected.
The feud between Clarkson and the Duchess of Sussex has done nothing to diminish his appeal among older British traditionalists remains undiminished. The rumors that Amazon Prime would no longer work with Clarkson after 2024 were unfounded, the third season of Clarkson’s Farm is currently in production.