Jeremy Clarkson Saved My Life: My Ultra-Marathon to Diddly Squat
- Oct 28, 2025
- 10 min read
By Andy Hood, Ultra & Endurance Runner
Originally Published October 2025 | Updated June 2026
The headline was everywhere: "Jeremy Clarkson Saved My Life." Newspapers, YouTube channels, Reddit threads, radio phone-ins, and finally a nerve-shredding appearance on BBC News. It was surreal watching my own story explode across the internet, all because of a 54K ultra-marathon I ran from Oxford to Diddly Squat, the home of Clarkson's Farm.
But the headline was the easy part. The real story is why I ran it. So let me rewind.
Table of Contents
An ultra to Diddy Squat to thank Clarkson for saving my life
Why I Ran: From a Cancer Diagnosis to an Ultra-Marathon
My journey started, rather unceremoniously, with my left testicle.
In 2021, at 48, I was given a gut-wrenching diagnosis: testicular cancer. I was a runner who loved the outdoors and pushing my limits, and the thought of being sidelined terrified me. My oncologist was having none of my stalling. When I begged to postpone surgery until after an upcoming race, the answer was a firm, unwavering "No."
That "no" almost certainly saved me. The scans later confirmed the cancer had already begun to spread. If I'd waited any longer, the outcome would have been very different.
After surgery and chemotherapy, I threw myself back into running with renewed purpose, not just for me, but to raise awareness of a cancer that changed my life, and to support others facing the same fight. I graduated from marathons to ultra-marathons and started designing my own endurance challenges: a 50K treadmill run in a shopping mall, a brutal 24-hour treadmill effort, and a 54K loop through London hitting 21 Krispy Kreme stores. Every event carried the same message: men, check yourselves.
To date, those runs have raised over £27,000 for cancer charities.
The Clarkson Connection: A Throwaway Joke That Saved My Life. Jeremy Clarkson Saved My Life.
So where does Jeremy Clarkson fit in?
The answer lies in an episode of The Grand Tour, "Sea to Unsalty Sea." During a discussion about bladder control, Clarkson fired off a typically off-colour quip: "I can still do the nights… but that's prostate cancer anyway." A throwaway line. A joke. But it lodged itself in my subconscious.
A few days later, I was in the shower after a sweaty summer run, that line still rattling around my head. Prostate, then testicular. So I did what I should have been doing all along. I checked myself. And that's when I found it: one testicle, shrunk and hard, like a misplaced marble.
I owe Clarkson my life. It sounds melodramatic, but I mean it. A daft joke on a motoring show prompted me to check, and that timing made all the difference. The thought still makes me tear up.
What Is Clarkson's Farm? The TV Show That Sparked the Idea
If you've somehow missed it, Clarkson's Farm is the Amazon Prime Video series that follows former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter Jeremy Clarkson as he attempts to run a 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds. The farm is called Diddly Squat, near Chadlington in Oxfordshire.
The show first aired in June 2021 and has become one of Prime Video's biggest hits, with five series now available to stream. Beyond Clarkson himself, it's the supporting cast that fans adore: his partner Lisa Hogan, who runs the farm shop; young farmer and now farm manager Kaleb Cooper; "Cheerful" Charlie Ireland, the endlessly patient land agent; and Gerald Cooper, the dry-stone-walling head of security whose Cotswolds dialect has become a national treasure.
For me, living in a rural farming community myself, the show was pure gold. It captured the real struggles and triumphs of British farming with a huge dose of humour, and it sparked an idea.
What if I ran to Diddly Squat Farm?
The Plan: An Ultra-Marathon to Diddly Squat Farm Shop
The idea quickly became an obsession. A 54K ultra-marathon from Oxford to the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, fuelled by the promise of a legendary Diddly Squat burger at the finish. A perfect distance. A perfect purpose. And a perfect way to thank, however indirectly, the man who'd saved my life.
I wrote Clarkson a letter, a deeply personal expression of gratitude. I didn't expect to meet him; his schedule must be insane. But even the thought of handing it to someone at the farm shop, hoping it might one day reach his desk, was enough.
I plotted the route on Komoot, visualising every mile and that final, emotional stretch. What I didn't anticipate was how big this run would become. The "Jeremy Clarkson Saved My Life" headline was only the beginning.
Race Day: 54K Through the Cotswolds
April 12th. Go day. A pure blue sky promised a warm one.
Two weeks earlier, my ankle had buckled beneath me at a trail event. Two weeks of enforced rest, obsessive icing, and praying that the run to Diddly Squat wasn't about to become the hobble to Diddly Squat. But I'd faced cancer and emerged scarred but unbroken. A twisted ankle wasn't going to defeat me.
My running pack carried the names of countless people touched by cancer, submitted by strangers, friends, and fellow warriors. I carried every one of them with reverence. We are stronger together.
The early miles followed the gentle curve of the River Thames, narrow and serene here, dotted with canal locks, narrowboats, and patient fishermen. The path wound through Wytham Woods, then into the pretty town of Witney, where a café worker refilled my bottles with ice-cold water and a warm smile despite my being a sweaty, dusty mess. Small acts of kindness defined the entire day.
The heat built fast. One lingering effect of chemotherapy is a change in how I sweat, so I have to manage fluid and sodium carefully, and it would come back to bite me later. But for now, I pressed on through fields, narrow lanes, and countless farm gates, eyes fixed on the rabbit-hole-riddled trail to protect that tender ankle.
Then, applause. I'd reached The Farmer's Dog.
The Farmer's Dog: Jeremy Clarkson's Pub Explained
The cheers as I jogged into The Farmer's Dog car park were a wonderful surprise. The pub itself is stunning, inside and out. I gratefully took on water, a can of fizzy apple juice, and a freshly baked sausage roll, then collapsed in the garden with a breathtaking view across the rolling countryside. This, I decided, set the gold standard for ultra-marathon aid stations.
If you've been searching for Jeremy Clarkson's pub, here's the essential rundown:
What it is: The Farmer's Dog is Jeremy Clarkson's country pub, opened on 23 August 2024 and featured heavily in Clarkson's Farm. It occupies a former 15th-century barn previously known as The Windmill, which Clarkson reportedly bought for under £1 million.
Where it is: Asthall Barrow, just off the A40 near Burford, Oxfordshire, postcode OX18 4HJ. It's roughly nine miles from Diddly Squat Farm, so the two make an easy day out together.
The big idea: Everything on the menu is 100% British-sourced, right down to the salt, pepper, and wine. No foreign ingredients allowed.
In the grounds: The enormous Grand Tour tent sits in the pub garden, housing a Hawkstone bar, a butcher's shop called Hops & Chops, an outdoor kitchen, and a pop-up Diddly Squat Farm Shop. The scale of it, having only seen it on TV, was genuinely disorienting in person.
Inside the tent, a beaming man introduced himself as Mark, the General Manager at Hawkstone. He then led me to Annie from Baste, who runs the catering here and at Diddly Squat. Annie's burgers had been on my mind for the entire run. I'd nicknamed this whole ultra "The Burger Run." To call her creation a mere "burger" felt like an insult; it deserved a far grander title.
As I left, my phone buzzed. Mark had donated to my cancer fundraising. A lump rose in my throat and a tear traced down my cheek. Thank you, Mark. I vowed to return one day with my family to share the magic of this place.
Planning a visit? The Farmer's Dog is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays), with the Grand Tour tent opening from 9:30am. Pub and food hours vary seasonally, so always check the official website before you travel.
Diddly Squat Farm Shop: My Finish Line
Shortly after leaving The Farmer's Dog, the wheels nearly came off. Dehydrated and running at a deficit, my calves seized, first the left, then the right. My cautious, ankle-protecting gait wasn't helping. A closed village shop in Ascott-under-Wychwood didn't help either, until a man watering his garden cheerfully filled my bottles, and recognised me from a BBC Radio Oxford interview I done a few days earlier. The world felt smaller and kinder with every mile.
The countryside rolled by in fields of bright yellow rape, corn, and wheat. Then a sign: Chadlington. Diddly Squat was within reach.
Before searching travellers find this article expecting a guide, here's what you need to know about Diddly Squat Farm Shop:
What it is: The farm shop at the heart of Clarkson's Farm, opened in 2020 by Jeremy Clarkson and Lisa Hogan after Clarkson accidentally grew 40 tonnes of potatoes. It now sells everything from "cow juice" and honey to jams, sauces, meats, and the famous Diddly Squat merchandise.
Where it is: 5–12 Chipping Norton Road, Chadlington, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 3PE.
Food: The Big View Café serves hearty farm-to-fork dishes, including those legendary burgers from Baste.
Good to know: It's card-only, dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas (but not inside the shop), and it gets very busy at weekends, so arrive early. Opening hours run roughly Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30am–4:30pm, but they do change seasonally, so check the official Diddly Squat Farm Shop website before setting off.
But who decided to keep the hill a secret? The road up to Diddly Squat is a solid mile of relentless incline, the last thing anyone wants after 30-plus miles. I spotted a beautiful stone wall, likely one of Gerald's, grabbed my GoPro, and filmed it. Kindness was everywhere. Part way up the hill a cyclist applauded and offered me water, as he had plenty and the heat of the day had built. Don't let the media convince you otherwise. People are fundamentally good. Just lace up and get outside, and you'll find it everywhere.
The Finish: More Than I Ever Dreamed
There was no official finish line, no fanfare. This was my finish line, chosen with deliberate intention. The place where I'd offer my silent, heartfelt thanks to a man I'd never met, whose throwaway joke had saved my life.
The final yards dissolved into a blur of cheers. Nick, an Instagram connection, was there with his friend Mark; I carried the name of Nick's mother, Jane Scott, on my pack, a wonderful woman lost to cancer. Then Niamh, wearing a Diddly Squat Farm Shop t-shirt, presented me with a bag overflowing with Diddly Squat goodies, by far the best running medal I've ever received. The dam broke. She asked if I needed a hug. I gratefully accepted.
Then Lucinda introduced herself as someone from Jeremy's team. She told me Jeremy knew about the run, knew the why behind it. They'd been tracking my progress and anticipating my arrival. It was far, far more than I could have imagined. I handed over my letter, and Lucinda promised it would be delivered to Jeremy personally.
Finally, Scott from Baste appeared with the legendary beef delight I'd dreamed about for months. I tried to eat it with some dignity. I failed completely. I was ravenous, and it was glorious.
I sat on the train home a crying wreck, overwhelmed and profoundly grateful. No ultra I've run before, and probably none to come, will ever match it.
Why It Matters: Men, Check Yourselves
The run was about three things: saying thank you, raising awareness of testicular cancer, and raising money for two cancer charities: Macmillan and ChemoHero.
With all the press coverage, including that BBC News interview (which had me running again on legs that were emphatically not playing ball), I think we reached well over a million pairs of eyes. And if even a few of those people go on to check themselves, then every training hour, every calf cramp, and that pesky hill at the end were all worth it.
Clarkson's joke saved my life. Now I pay that forward.
If you take one thing from this article, let it be this: check yourself regularly, and if something feels off, see a doctor. It could save your life, just like it saved mine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Diddly Squat Farm Shop? Diddly Squat Farm Shop is at 5–12 Chipping Norton Road, Chadlington, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 3PE. It's the working farm and shop at the centre of Clarkson's Farm, opened by Jeremy Clarkson and Lisa Hogan in 2020.
Where is The Farmer's Dog, Jeremy Clarkson's pub? The Farmer's Dog is at Asthall Barrow, near Burford, Oxfordshire, OX18 4HJ, just off the A40, about nine miles from Diddly Squat Farm. Jeremy Clarkson opened it on 23 August 2024 in a renovated 15th-century barn formerly known as The Windmill.
Can you visit both Diddly Squat and The Farmer's Dog in one day? Yes. They're roughly nine miles apart in the Cotswolds, making them an easy combined day out. Both get extremely busy, especially at weekends and on bank holidays, so arrive early and check opening hours on their official websites first.
What makes The Farmer's Dog different from other pubs? Its menu is 100% British-sourced, with no foreign ingredients at all, right down to the salt and wine. The grounds also feature the giant Grand Tour tent, a Hawkstone bar, the Hops & Chops butcher's, and a Diddly Squat Farm Shop pop-up.
How many series of Clarkson's Farm are there? Clarkson's Farm launched on Amazon Prime Video in June 2021 and now has five series available to stream, following Jeremy Clarkson and the Diddly Squat team through the highs and lows of British farming.
How did Jeremy Clarkson save your life? A throwaway joke about cancer in an episode of The Grand Tour prompted me to check myself in the shower a few days later. I found a lump, got it checked, and was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had already started to spread. The early diagnosis almost certainly saved my life.
How long was the run and where did it go? It was a 54K (about 34-mile) ultra-marathon from Oxford to Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Chadlington, passing The Farmer's Dog pub along the way, following the River Thames and Cotswold countryside.
Which charities did the run support? The run raised money and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support and ChemoHero. Across all my fundraising runs, I've now raised over £27,000 for cancer charities.
If this story moved you, please do one simple thing: check yourself, and encourage the men in your life to do the same. And if you'd like to follow my running and fundraising, you'll find me sharing the journey one mile at a time.
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