Jeremy Clarkson, the British television personality best known as the former host of BBC's "Top Gear," has announced that he has been diagnosed with aggressive cancer. The 66-year-old revealed the diagnosis on the latest episodes of his documentary series "Clarkson's Farm," which aired early Wednesday. He did not specify the type of cancer but indicated in the show's season finale that his prostate is affected, saying "ten percent of it is dead."
Clarkson first disclosed his diagnosis in a scene filmed with two show regulars, Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland. "I had a biopsy done the other week and it's cancer, and it's aggressive, but it's really early," he told them. He has known of the diagnosis since May 2025.
The fifth season finale of "Clarkson's Farm," which follows Clarkson as he runs a farm in the Cotswolds region of southern England, shows him undergoing treatment related to the cancer. In one scene, he said that without early diagnosis, "this could well have been my last harvest." Because the disease was caught quickly, he expressed hope that he would be "harvesting this farm for many, many years to come."
Clarkson posted a warning on Instagram before the episodes aired, telling fans the final two episodes would be difficult to watch. "Ordinarily we try to keep the show bucolic and charming and cheerful, but the final two episodes are none of those things really. They're a difficult watch," he said. "They're really, really difficult."
Health complications have marked the fifth season broadly. The first episode opened with Clarkson hospitalised with heart problems. In 2024, he underwent a heart procedure in which a stent was placed. By the season finale, he was again in a hospital bed, this time for cancer treatment. "Some of the treatments got a bit awry, let's say," he said. "If this is all successful, I'll see you for Season 6. And if it isn't, I won't."
Source: NYT
