Clarkson Dismisses Fake Video Claiming Gates Offered £100 Million for Diddly Squat Farm

A widely shared social media video purporting to show Jeremy Clarkson refusing a £100 million offer from Bill Gates for his Diddly Squat Farm has been debunked as fabricated content, according to multiple sources and Clarkson himself.

The video began circulating on Facebook in early February, featuring what appeared to be Clarkson discussing an alleged multi-million-pound offer from the Microsoft founder. However, beneath the initial visible portion of the post lay a lengthy disclaimer that many viewers likely missed.

“This channel is NOT Jeremy Clarkson, is not affiliated with him, and does not represent his official views or Diddly Squat Farm,” read the disclaimer, which was largely hidden under a “See more” link. “This is an independent creative commentary and storytelling project.”

Clarkson himself responded to the misinformation on January 31, when a social media user asked if a now-deleted post about the purported Gates offer showed the real Clarkson or an AI-generated version. The “Clarkson’s Farm” star bluntly replied with a single word: “bollocks,” clearly indicating the claim was false.

The fabricated video was presented with dramatic timestamps suggesting a narrative about corporate land acquisition, describing sections such as “The Fancy Envelope: A bribe in disguise” and “The £100 Million Final Offer.” Its creators framed it as a commentary on modern agricultural economics and the pressure facing independent farmers.

Further examination of the disclaimer revealed additional explicit admissions of the content’s fictional nature. “The narrator of this video is NOT Jeremy Clarkson,” it stated. “This is a creative dramatization and commentary inspired by the themes of ‘Clarkson’s Farm.'” The post also acknowledged that “claims regarding land offers and specific individuals are presented as part of a social commentary” and “do not claim to represent absolute internal corporate facts.”

This incident highlights the growing challenge of distinguishing between authentic and fabricated content on social media platforms. The video’s creators employed sophisticated narrative techniques and visual presentation that convinced many viewers they were watching authentic footage of the former “Top Gear” host.

Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm has gained significant public attention since becoming the subject of his popular Amazon Prime series, which documents his attempts to run the 1,000-acre Cotswolds farm despite having no previous agricultural experience. The show’s success has transformed the farm into a tourist attraction, with its farm shop regularly drawing large crowds.

The false narrative about Gates attempting to purchase the property plays into existing discussions about agricultural land ownership. Gates has indeed invested significantly in farmland in recent years, becoming one of the largest private farmland owners in the United States. This fact likely lent a veneer of plausibility to the fabricated story for some viewers.

Social media platforms continue to struggle with effectively labeling or removing misleading content. In this case, the disclaimer acknowledging the video’s fictional nature was technically present but strategically positioned where many users would not see it without clicking to expand the post text.

Media literacy experts point to this incident as an example of how misinformation can spread when content creators blend elements of truth with fiction and exploit platform design features that prioritize engagement over accuracy. The rapid spread of the false claim demonstrates how easily misinformation can proliferate even when disclaimers are technically included.

For now, Diddly Squat Farm remains firmly in Clarkson’s possession, with no multi-million-pound offers from tech billionaires on the horizon – at least none that Clarkson has acknowledged as legitimate.