Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that his latest advertisement for Hawkstone Lager has been banned from every major broadcast outlet, including television channels, radio stations, and cinemas. Hawkstone, formerly known as the Cotswolds Brewing Company, operates out of Cheltenham and Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire.
The company rebranded in 2021 after Clarkson invested and helped launch Hawkstone Lager, a 4.8% ABV beer made from barley grown on his own Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire. Clarkson has featured in several adverts for the brand, but his newest creation has been blocked by censors nationwide.
The controversial ad includes a 34-strong choir of real British farmers, singing with “the voices of angels.” Clarkson describes the ad as “the best thing I’ve ever made, apart from a shepherd’s pie in 1988,” hoping it would serve as a heartfelt tribute to British farming—the foundation of his popular beer and cider brand.
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However, the advert contains farmers repeatedly using profane language, including the phrase “f*** me it’s good,” and concludes with Clarkson himself swearing. This explicit content led regulators to ban the commercial for not being “compliant,” leaving Clarkson baffled. Speaking from Diddly Squat Farm, he said, “It’s a cock-up, as usual. I’ve made my biggest, most heartfelt, and frankly, most expensive advert ever, and it’s been banned. The fun police in their beige offices have decided that the public can’t be trusted to watch it.”
With traditional broadcasting avenues closed, Clarkson has appealed to newspapers across the country to run the advert instead. Hawkstone offers a premium lineup of British lagers, ciders, and vodka, holding the distinction as the UK’s fastest-growing beer brand and the most followed beer brand globally on Instagram.
Despite the ban, Clarkson remains confident that the message celebrating British farmers and his brand will reach the public through alternative channels.