Sergey Diakov
Look, when you think of car shows and loud opinions, one name comes to mind—Jeremy Clarkson. This guy turned being brutally honest about cars into a multi-million pound empire. From hammering terrible vehicles to running a chaotic farm, Clarkson's made a career out of doing exactly what he wants, and getting paid handsomely for it. His jeremy clarkson net worth didn't happen overnight though—it took decades of hustle, some serious risks, and a talent for making people either love him or hate him.
Early Days: How Jeremy Clarkson Started Making Money
Clarkson's first proper job was selling Paddington Bears as a traveling salesman in the late 1970s. Not exactly glamorous, right? But it taught him how to talk, how to persuade, and how to sell—skills that would pay off massively later. His real career started when he got a gig writing for the Rotherham Advertiser, covering boring local news for probably peanuts.
Things picked up in the early 1980s when he started writing for car magazines. His cheeky, no-nonsense style stood out, but he wasn't exactly rolling in cash—maybe £15,000 to £20,000 a year if he was lucky. By 1988, he'd moved into television with the original Top Gear, but that show was stiff and boring. The money was decent but nothing special. Still, he was building something—a voice, a brand, a reputation for saying what everyone else was thinking.
Top Gear Years: When Jeremy Clarkson Net Worth Went Ballistic
Everything exploded in 2002 when the BBC relaunched Top Gear with Clarkson leading the charge. The show became massive—not just in Britain, but everywhere. Suddenly, Clarkson was earning around £1 million a year from the BBC alone. But here's where he got smart: he and his co-hosts owned Bedder 6, the company that produced Top Gear.
When the BBC bought them out in 2012, Clarkson walked away with roughly £10 million. Between 2010 and 2015, at the absolute peak, he was pulling in around £14 million yearly from the show, DVDs, live tours, and his newspaper columns. Every joke about a rubbish car, every outrageous stunt—it all translated into serious money. The jeremy clarkson net worth was skyrocketing because he wasn't just a presenter, he was a brand.
The Amazon Move and What He's Worth Now
After punching a producer in 2015 and getting fired from the BBC, plenty of people thought Clarkson was finished. Amazon thought differently. They offered him a fortune for The Grand Tour—around £10 million per season. From 2016 to 2024, he kept the cash flowing while also writing his column and doing other projects.
Right now, jeremy clarkson net worth sits at about £55 million. He's diversified big time—there's his Diddly Squat Farm Shop, the wildly popular Clarkson's Farm show on Amazon, book sales, and various deals. Even though he's doing less weekly TV, he's still making around £5 to £7 million a year. The farm thing alone has become huge, proving once again that whatever Clarkson touches somehow makes money.
Clarkson's Philosophy: How to Get Rich and Stay There
Clarkson's always been straight up about how he made it. First rule: be yourself, even if people hate you for it. He's said that trying to please everyone just makes you boring. His exact words? "If you're not annoying someone, you're not doing anything interesting." That realness, that refusal to fake it—that's been his secret weapon.
Second thing: take big risks when they matter. Leaving the BBC when he was at the top could've destroyed his career. Instead, he bet on Amazon and won massively. He's also big on having multiple income sources. TV, farming, writing, business deals—if one thing falls apart, he's got five other things keeping him afloat.
Finally, work with people you actually like. His partnership with James May and Richard Hammond wasn't just good TV—it was smart business. Real friendship made for real chemistry, and audiences loved it. As Clarkson puts it: "Life's too short to work with wankers." Simple advice, but it's kept him surrounded by solid people who've helped build his empire over the years.
Sergey Diakov
