Kelvin Fletcher hits back at claims he ripped off Jeremy Clarkson’s reality show with Big Farming Adventure
KELVIN Fletcher has slammed claims that he has "ripped off" Jeremy Clarkson's hit reality show with his Big Farming Adventure.
The former Emmerdale star, 38, swapped urban life to start farming in the countryside in 2020 - but viewers were hit with a deja-vu moment and suggested that Kelvin's new show was very similar to Jeremy Clarkson's Amazon Prime hit series.
The actor has since defended his show and pointed out that his BBC farming show is very "different" to the Grand Tour star's Clarkson's Farm.
Kelvin also stated that he was already months into filming when the rival show first aired.
Speaking on Tuesday's This Morning, the soap star revealed that he and wife Liz Marsland are "big fans" of Jeremy's show and explained that he took inspiration from similar shows.
Host Alison Hammond then asked if he took any "tips" from Jeremy's show, he replied: "Clarkson's has been brilliant hasn't it?
"And there's so many of those programmes, Channel 5 have got one with Yorkshire Farm and Matt Baker's got one, we've been huge fans of those shows anyway!"
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The presenter then asked whether those show's "helped him", but Kelvin revealed he was already several months into filming before Jeremy's popular show aired on our screens.
"We were already three, four months into filming when Clarkson's came out," Kelvin told viewers.
"For me, they all represent something different, they all showcase what that industry is.
"We feel that we're a different show, we're two newbies, two newcomers but we're huge fans of their shows and hopefully they're fans of ours as well."
The soap star, who played Andy Sugden from 1996 to 2016, said that he started farming because he "wanted a change".
Discussing his life-changing decision, Kelvin said: "The sense of unknown has always excited me so we just wanted to seek a challenge. As an actor you always want to embrace the unknown.
"It was such a simple, wholesome way of living and then fast forward a commission with the BBC and the next thing we knew we have a BBC film crew filming our every move!"
BBC One viewers have watched as the actor and his family adjusted to their new life in the country.
Some viewers were convinced that the Emmerdale star's new show is a "rip off" of Clarkson's Farm.
One wrote: "How much does Kelvin Fletcher want to copy @JeremyClarkson with his new farm."
Another posted: "People saying the BBC make quality programming. On BBC1 right now is a @PrimeVideo Jeremy Clarkson The Farm rip off with Kelvin Fletcher."
A third commented: "Kelvin Fletcher as the new Jeremy Clarkson is not something I expected to see."
"So basically Kelvin Fletcher is trying to jump on the Clarkson's Farm bandwagon. Unoriginal and dull," another added.
However, not all fans were disappointed with the new series and were thrilled to discover that the soap star had become a farmer in real life - after years of playing one on Emmerdale.
One wrote: "Quite enjoyed this tonight, be interesting to see how it goes. Pretty soon you'll have a shop like Jeremy Clarkson."
Another posted: "Watching this has made me laugh. Wishing you and your family all the best in your new farming life. Can't wait for the next episode."
The family moved from their home in Oldham to the farm on the edge of the Peak District National Park.
Their 120-acre farm has an 18th-Century cottage, outbuildings, 20 sheep, three pigs and three alpacas.
In an interview with the , Kelvin said it was a "big step", but they were ready to ";embrace something new".
He added: "Often life is a case of always being on to the next thing, and I guess lockdown was a real pause when you couldn't help but be present and reflect.
"Sometimes I do wonder whether we've taken on too much.
"But I can't imagine us not doing this now. It's ignited something inside me, and I love it."
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Kelvin's new show comes after he and wife Liz announced the news that they are expecting twins.
The couple shared the news on BBC Breakfast today - revealing they would soon be a family of six, with Kelvin joking: "We don't do things by halves."
Kelvin has known Liz since he was nine years old, and they tied the knot in November of 2015.
They appeared on the show today to talk about Kelvin Fletcher's Big Farm Adventure and presenter Sally Nugent started the interview saying: "You were already quite busy, weren’t you, before you took on a farm, with two young children. And you have news to share with us this morning, which is…"
Liz replied: ";We’re having another two more children!"
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She joked that Kelvin still looked shocked by the news as he explained: "We just recently found out, to add another curveball if you like. We don't really do things by halves and then we found out we're having not just one baby, but two!
"So we're having twins. It was an absolute eye-opener. So come May, we'll be delivering lambs for the first time. I'm not going to be delivering babies as such but it is going to be a really busy time!"
