Bosses at Amazon Studios said they were "shocked and disappointed" at Jeremy Clarkson’s criticism of Meghan Markle in a highly controversial column he wrote last year.
Amazon are behind the smash-hit series, Clarkson's Farm, which documents Clarkson in his attempts to run a 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds.
The second series became the most-watched original series on Amazon Prime in the UK in 2023, and last October, it was renewed for a third series.
During a session of the Edinburgh TV Festival on Thursday, representatives for Amazon were asked why they continued with the show following the controversial column, which was the subject of over 25,000 complaints to the press watchdog in the UK, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso).
Fozia Khan, who heads the Unscripted division of UK Originals for Amazon Studios, said the team were "shocked and disappointed" at the column but ultimately made the decision to continue the show.
She said, "I mean, there’s lots of conversations going on. But I think the thing that I want to say is that the show is so much bigger than Clarkson."
"It’s a really good show."
Dan Grabiner, head of originals for UK and Northern Europe at Amazon Studios, told the audience: "I can't tell you what a phenomenon the show itself is and the impact it has had on the agricultural community and farming."
He continued, "We get messages from farmers around the world who just love the show and love Kaleb (Cooper) and Gerald (Cooper) and they relate to those characters, saying they have never really seen their world properly reflected on-screen before, which is amazing.
"And, as Fozia said, it's a hell of a lot bigger than Jeremy Clarkson."
Ms Khan also said that the show is "entertaining and joyful".
She added: "It addresses issues of climate change, the struggles of farming and Brexit."
In the 17 December 2022 article, Clarkson wrote: "I hate her (Meghan). Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level."
He also expressed a desire for her to be paraded naked in the streets and excrement thrown at her.
Ipso upheld a complaint that the column was sexist towards the duchess, describing some of the comments about her as "pejorative and prejudicial".
The regulator found the article's use of a comparison to Scotland’s former first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and serial killer Rose West sexist, because the three are female.
The former Top Gear presenter apologised for the piece, describing his language as "disgraceful" and said he was "profoundly sorry".
The Sun also apologised and said it regretted the publication of the column, which was removed online.
Source: Press Association
