Emmerdale’s Kelvin Fletcher hits back after fans accused him of ‘ripping off’ Jeremy Clarkson’s Farm with new TV show

EMMERDALE star Kelvin Fletcher ha shit back after fans accused him of "ripping off" Jeremy Clarkson's Farm with his new TV show.

The soap star swapped urban life to start farming in the countryside in 2020, and had BBC cameras follow him during his farming journey.

However, viewers were hit with a deja-vu moment and suggested that Kelvin's new show was very similar to Jeremy's Amazon Prime hit series.

The actor has now defended his show against criticism, insisting it is "different" to the hit show made by former Top Gear host Jeremy, 61.

Speaking on Netmums podcast Sweat, Snot & Tears, Kelvin, 38, explained they had already started filming when the successful Amazon series debuted.

"It's a bit unfair, I think," he said of the comparison. "There's a whole host of that type of show - I can think of half a dozen straight away.

"So to be compared exclusively to Clarkson I think is a little random. As people can see, it's a completely different show."

Kelvin further explained of their filming schedule: "We were already three months into production when Clarkson's came out.

"So to suggest that we’ve, and we did get a lot of suggestions, that we just ripped it off or copycatted it - don’t forget there’s probably a three to four month development process.

"There’s a pitching process, a commission process, we were three months down the line into filming, then Clarkson came in the summer."

Despite the competition, Kelvin insisted that they were also "fans" of Jeremy's show, adding: "We love the show, we binged watched it."

For sceptics needing more convincing, Kelvin concluded: "I'm not copying anyone, I've got no need to. I'm confident in who we are, as a family, what we represent. It's just us.

"All we are doing is being ourselves. Watch our show and make your own conclusions. If you love it great, if not watch something else."

The soap star, who played Andy Sugden from 1996 to 2016, said that he started farming because he "wanted a change".

He previously opened up about buying the farm while appearing on This Morning, as he was quizzed on his new way of life.

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!"

'RIP OFF'

BBC One viewers have watched as the actor and his family adjusted to their new life in the country.