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Teenage workers on Jeremy Clarkson’s farm are allegedly having to “wear body cameras” after locals directed “abuse” at them.

It comes as the television presenter battles to get his expansion plans for Diddly Squat Farm approved after they were turned down last May by the council.

West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) and some villagers are against Clarkson, 62, extending the car park of his farm shop to accommodate 70 vehicles in total as they are concerned it will encourage more visitors to the site in Chadlington near Chipping Norton and add to traffic problems.

Allowing more vehicles would further disturb the tranquility of the Cotswolds area of outstanding natural beauty, WODC added.

Diddly Squat Farm was featured on Amazon Prime series. Pic: Amazon Prime Video
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Diddly Squat Farm was featured on Amazon Prime. Pic: Amazon Prime Video

At a two-day meeting where the planning inspector is considering Clarkson’s plans, Chadlington resident Hilary Moore said on Tuesday that tourists attracted to the farm were “motorheads” who drive slowly on surrounding roads to “show off their cars”.

But on Wednesday, Annabel Gray, who works on a catering trailer at the farm, said this was an “unfair” description, and she had “witnessed local people” adding to traffic issues by driving slowly too.

Ms Gray, 32, also claimed 16-year-old workers on the farm donned bodycams as a precaution following alleged abuse directed by villagers.

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‘Massive opportunity for council’

She said: “Diddly Squat has an important opportunity to educate people about local farming and I find it really frustrating that the council is overlooking that.

“This is a massive, massive opportunity for WODC. I am begging you that this is something that can be improved on rather than turn your back on.”

Jeremy Clarkson pictured on his farm in Oxfordshire. Image: Blackball Media
Image:
Jeremy Clarkson pictured on his farm in Oxfordshire. Image: Blackball Media

Local butcher Henry Lawrence, who supplies Diddly Squat, said the shop could be “the crown jewel” of sustainable farming and that his business has grown “dramatically” since trading with it.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that two people who are against Clarkson’s plans have received death threats.

An unnamed councillor and a member of the public have been the subject of malicious communications for speaking out against the former Top Gear host’s proposals, according to WODC.

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Clarkson ordered to close dining areas at Diddly Squat Farm

Chadlington Parish Council chairman Andrew Hutchings claimed there was “a range of opinions” on the farm in the village, but most agreed that it had “clearly outgrown what it was built for”.

‘Tipping point reached’

He said: “We have reached a tipping point between a farm shop and a tourist-type attraction for people who want to see the celebrity as well as the farm.

“The problem comes when you have too many visitors… the traffic is a major issue to the community at large.

“It’s very hard to see the proposed car park dealing with that at peak times.”

The council claimed the car park expansion indicates a change in the use of Clarkson’s land from being for the shop to being for “leisure activities”, which would need different planning considerations. In August 2022 he was ordered to close dining areas at the farm over an alleged planning law breach.

He bought the 1,000-acre site in 2008 and his efforts to run it have been featured in two series on Amazon Prime called Clarkson’s Farm.

A final decision on the plans will be published in the coming weeks.

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Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton among 1,300 filmmakers to boycott Israeli film companies

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Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton among 1,300 filmmakers to boycott Israeli film companies

Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Susan Sarandon and Tilda Swinton are among more than 1,300 filmmakers who are refusing to work with Israeli film companies they say are “implicated in genocide” in Gaza.

Screenwriters, producers, actors and directors have signed a pledge created by Film Makers for Palestine in the latest show of celebrities speaking out against the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

They will boycott Israeli film institutions and companies, which they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”.

Some of the biggest names in film have signed the pledge, Riz Ahmed, Miriam Margolyes, Juliet Stevenson and Ken Loach also among them.

Writer-directors such as The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos and British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, who made documentaries Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona, and producers such as two-time BAFTA winner James Wilson and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy producer Robyn Slovo have also signed the pledge.

The Crown actress Olivia Colman has signed the pledge. Pic: PA
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The Crown actress Olivia Colman has signed the pledge. Pic: PA

Palme d’Or and BAFTA-winning producer Rebecca O’Brien, who produced I, Daniel Blake with Ken Loach, told Sky News: “For decades, Israeli festivals, broadcasters, and production companies have played their role in masking and justifying Israel’s system of apartheid and its war crimes – some through direct government partnerships.

“I refuse to let my work be used to whitewash a genocide.”

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Israel has repeatedly said its actions in Gaza are justified as a means of self-defence and denied they amount to genocide.

After the world’s leading association of genocide scholars, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, declared Israel is committing genocide in Gaza last week, the Israeli foreign ministry said it was based on “Hamas lies” and poor research.

Susan Sarandon, here at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, has made the pledge. Pic: AP
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Susan Sarandon, here at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, has made the pledge. Pic: AP

The boycott pledge urges the industry to “refuse silence, racism, and dehumanisation and to do everything humanly possible to end complicity in their oppression”.

The declaration was inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid, founded by award-winning filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme in 1987, which led to more than 100 prominent filmmakers refusing to screen their films in apartheid South Africa.

Read more:
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Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee as another tower is bombed

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IDF drops evacuation flyers on Gaza before tower bombed

The pledge is just the latest show of support for Gazans and against their treatment by Israel from celebrities.

In May, Sky News exclusively reported a letter signed by more than 300 famous names urging Sir Keir Starmer to “end UK complicity” in Gaza.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Annie Lennox, Gary Lineker and Dua Lipa were among the public figures joining leading doctors, academics, campaign groups and a Holocaust survivor.

Bond villain Javier Bardem has also signed
Image:
Bond villain Javier Bardem has also signed

In June, more celebrities added their names to the letter to try to push the government to act after they said nothing had changed.

Read more:
Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Lineker join 300 public figures urging end to UK complicity in Gaza

Judy Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci join call for PM to end UK complicity in Gaza

At the time, a UK government spokesman said it “strongly” opposes Israel’s military expansion in Gaza and called on the Israeli government to “cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid”.

The spokesman also said the government suspended export licences to Israel last year “for items used in military operations in Gaza” and called for a ceasefire agreement.

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Israeli PM speaks after Jerusalem attack

More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Strip since the war began, Hamas-run Gaza health authorities say.

The war was sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages.

Of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.

Over the past few weeks, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have been preparing to intensify the war after the government vowed to gain full military control of Gaza to defeat Hamas.

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Rick Davies: Supertramp singer and co-founder dies

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Rick Davies: Supertramp singer and co-founder dies

Rick Davies, a founding member of the British rock group Supertramp, has died.

The 81-year-old, who had been battling multiple myeloma – a type of blood cancer – for the last decade, died on Saturday, a statement from the band said.

The band’s lead singer wrote many of their hits, including Breakfast In America and The Logical Song, alongside Roger Hodgson.

Supertramp's Richard Davies, Roger Hodgson, Richard Palmer, Robert Millar and David Winthrop. Pic: PA
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Supertramp’s Richard Davies, Roger Hodgson, Richard Palmer, Robert Millar and David Winthrop. Pic: PA

The band’s statement, posted with a photo of Davies walking his dog by the sea and soundtrack of Goodbye Stranger, paid tribute to both his musical legacy and his warm personality.

The statement read: “As co-writer, along with partner Roger Hodgson, he was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp’s most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history.

“His soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the band’s sound.”

“Beyond the stage, Rick was known for his warmth, resilience, and devotion to his wife Sue, with whom he shared over five decades,” the band said.

“After facing serious health challenges, which kept him unable to continue touring as Supertramp, he enjoyed performing with his hometown buds as Ricky and the Rockets.

“Rick’s music and legacy continue to inspire many and bear testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on.”

Born in Swindon, Wiltshire, in 1944, Davies’s love of music began in his childhood, the group said, listening to Gene Krupa’s Drummin’ Man, which sparked a lifelong passion for jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll.

Davies and Hodgson formed the band that would become Supertramp in 1969.

(L-R) Rick Davies and John Helliwell in 2002. Pic Reuters
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(L-R) Rick Davies and John Helliwell in 2002. Pic Reuters

The line-up changed numerous times over the years, with the band best remembered for the period from 1973 to 1983, when Davies and Hodgson performed with Dougie Thomson on bass, Bob Siebenberg on drums and John Helliwell on saxophone.

Crime of the Century, their breakthrough album, came out in 1974, followed by their biggest hit in 1979 with Breakfast In America, and hit singles The Logical Song, Breakfast in America, Goodbye Stranger and Take the Long Way Home.

Amid creative disputes, Hodgson left the band to go solo in 1983. Davies eventually became the only constant member throughout its history.

While a reunion tour was announced in 2015, it was cancelled when Davies was diagnosed with cancer.

He settled a royalties lawsuit in 2023 after a long-running dispute with ex-bandmates. Just last month, a US appeals court ruled that Hodgson must share royalties for three of Supertramp’s songs with his ex-bandmates.

Davies leaves behind his wife Sue, who had managed the band since the mid-80s.

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MTV VMAs in pictures: Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter triumph as tribute paid to Ozzy Osbourne

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MTV VMAs in pictures: Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter triumph as tribute paid to Ozzy Osbourne

Lady Gaga has led the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), with four wins including artist of the year. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter took three awards each.

It was a night dominated by women, with female stars bagging all the awards, with the exception of Bruno Mars for his collaborations with Gaga and Blackpink member Rose.

Mariah Carey collected her first-ever VMA award, swiftly followed by a second when she was awarded the Video Vanguard award.

And tribute was paid to Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July, with Yungblud and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry performing Black Sabbath classics, introduced by Jack Osbourne and his four daughters.

Here’s the best of the MTV VMAs, in pictures.

Ariana Grande on the red carpet. Pic: AP
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Ariana Grande on the red carpet. Pic: AP

Lady Gaga accepts the award for artist of the year. Pic: AP
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Lady Gaga accepts the award for artist of the year. Pic: AP

Sabrina Carpenter looking slinky on the red carpet, ahead of her three awards. Pic: AP
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Sabrina Carpenter looking slinky on the red carpet, ahead of her three awards. Pic: AP

Tate McRae gives a high energy, and very sandy, live performance . Pic: AP
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Tate McRae gives a high energy, and very sandy, live performance . Pic: AP

Mariah Carey reaches out to her fans. Pic: AP
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Mariah Carey reaches out to her fans. Pic: AP

Jessica Simpson presents Ricky Martin with his moonman statuette. Pic: AP
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Jessica Simpson presents Ricky Martin with his moonman statuette. Pic: AP

Ariana Grande wins video of the year Pic: AP
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Ariana Grande wins video of the year Pic: AP

Not quite the Madonna and Britney Spears kiss of 2003 - Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey share a peck. Pic: AP
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Not quite the Madonna and Britney Spears kiss of 2003 – Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey share a peck. Pic: AP

Rose from Blackpink won the award for song of the year for APT. Pic: AP
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Rose from Blackpink won the award for song of the year for APT. Pic: AP

Lady Gaga had to rush off, but dialled in a performance later. Pic: AP
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Lady Gaga had to rush off, but dialled in a performance later. Pic: AP

(L-R): Yungblud, Steven Tyler, and Joe Perry perform a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. Pic: AP
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(L-R): Yungblud, Steven Tyler, and Joe Perry perform a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. Pic: AP

Sabrina Carpenter clutches her three awards on the way out. Pic: AP
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Sabrina Carpenter clutches her three awards on the way out. Pic: AP

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