Richard Hammond has shared his opinions on long-time co-star and pal Jeremy Clarkson after he swapped the world of motoring TV for farming programming.
Clarkson's Farm, which returns for a third season in a matter of weeks, has become a global smash since it debuted on Amazon Prime Video - with a fourth season already greenlit.
It shot up Amazon's streaming charts and smashed records thanks to its first two seasons while Clarkson, Hammond and James May have decided to wrap up their time filming The Grand Tour for good.
While they may no longer be collaborating on on-screen projects together after decades working alongside one another, the trio remains good pals - May even made an appearance on Hammond's new podcast recently.
And now, Hammond has shown his support for Clarkson's solo farming project after the 63-year-old faced criticism from fellow telly makers over its authenticity.
Hammond has stood by Clarkson's Farm's authenticity during a TV interview with Christine Lampard on Friday, who put to the former Top Gear-star-turned-podcast-maker: "We had Matt Baker and Nicola on a moment ago talking about farming life, how do you think Jeremy is as a farmer?"
Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson: The Grand Tour duo recently returned to screens in Sand Job
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Hammond let out a laugh before he reeled off: "Well, look, you cannot deny the authenticity of that show.
"The reason why Top Gear worked and The Grand Tour for so many years is because we love the subject - he's genuinely passionate about it.
"I think it was a bit of a surprise... I mean, he's rubbish at it. It was a surprise to the world when he said he was doing it...
"But I know him well enough to know it is genuine. He loves it. He's just useless at it."
The Grand Tour: Richard, Jeremy and James have called time on the car show
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Hammond's comments come after the likes of Johnny Vegas and Vinnie Jones issued less than favourable verdicts on the Amazon series.
Comedian Vegas was left fuming with comparisons between Clarkson's Farm and his own Channel 4 glamping series.
"It really p***es me off when people say, 'Ooh, it’s like Clarkson’s Farm', because his show is a set-up, and you can see that from a mile off," he raged to Radio Times earlier this year.
He went on: "That [comparison] really insults me – my team and I were doing 17-hour days to get the place ready, because it’s a real campsite with real customers, and we couldn’t let them down."
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Clarkson's Farm: Richard Hammond has defended Jeremy's show
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Former footballer Jones was also keen to dismiss comparisons between Clarkson's Farm and his own countryside-set documentary series.
"They’re completely different," Jones said ahead of the relase of his Discovery+ series last year. "Another Clarkson? No, it ain’t.
"My show’s about the countryside. It’s not about some novice who’s bought a farm."
Clarkson did little to dampen the speculation surrounding the show's authenticity when he admitted the battles with his local council were heightened for TV.
