Jeremy Clarkson issues Diddly Squat death statement as filming halted

 Jeremy Clarkson has hinted that Clarkson's Farm could be hit by more heartbreak after some devastating news last year. The TV farmer, who has appeared in four series of the hit Amazon Prime show, is due to return in May for a fifth series. Clarkson is in the midst of filming the sixth series, but it had to be halted due to poor weather conditions, while the farm is also closed down after a bovine TB outbreak, as the cows have had to be isolated to undergo tests.

Two consecutive failed TB tests mean cows are isolated and then sent to slaughter. After Clarkson confirmed several animal deaths, he has now hinted his beloved resident donkey "might not make it" after falling ill. Clarkson shared a picture of his new donkey, whom he has named "New Ben", with fans. According to a report from Heart, "Ben is thought to have replaced a previous donkey, also called Ben, who regularly appeared on social media alongside his companion Bill.

"It's not clear whether Ben is the poorly donkey in question, but fans will only have two months to wait until the fresh episodes begin rolling to discover what happens to the sick animal."

Clarkson told the My Week in Cars podcast: "There is no script to this TV show, people always go it's staged but the pigs dying, Gerard's cancer - you can't stage any of it.

"We've got a donkey that's desperately ill at the moment, we've all got our fingers crossed that it makes it, but I don't know, I can't write a script saying 'then it got better' because you don't know what the donkey's going to do.

"So you have to be ready to go - but you do spend an awful lot of time sitting around doom scrolling on your phone waiting for the weather to get better or for animals to do something."

Clarkson Farm will return to Amazon Prime later this year.