Clarkson’s Farm has exposed Britain’s absurd planning rules

Sometimes, change starts with a laugh rather than a bang. Ask anyone who watched Boris Johnson’s early appearances on the BBC’s satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You, writes Melissa York for The Sunday Times. 

In a few years’ time we may feel the same way about Clarkson’s Farm. Series two of the documentary landed on Amazon Prime Video last week. It follows the trials and further trials of the Sunday Times columnist Jeremy Clarkson as he attempts to make an income from Diddly Squat, his Cotswolds farm. In series one he made a profit of £144.

While the show has been widely praised for bringing greater awareness of the plight of Britain’s farmers, the latter half of this series is the most convincing argument you’ll see for overhauling our 70-year-old planning system. Local council meetings have never been so compelling.

• The Sunday Times. To read the full piece click here