Johnny Vegas says it is ‘insulting’ when people compare Clarkson’s Farm with his show about his ‘real’ glamping business and called the rival series ‘a set up’.
The comedian hosts Johnny Vegas: Carry on Glamping, in which he and his assistant Bev Dixon operate a high-end camping site on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
Mr Clarkson’s series, meanwhile, follows the former Top Gear presenter as he runs Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Vegas said: ‘This isn’t just for a TV show; this is 100 per cent an actual business.
‘It really p****s me off when people say, ”Ooh, it’s like Clarkson’s Farm”, because his show is a set-up, and you can see that from a mile off.’
The comedian hosts Johnny Vegas: Carry on Glamping, in which he and his assistant Bev Dixon operate a high-end camping site on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales
Mr Clarkson’s series, meanwhile, follows the former Top Gear presenter as he runs Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds
He added: ‘That [comparison] really insults me.
‘My team and I were doing 17-hour days to get the place ready, because it’s a real campsite with real customers, and we couldn’t let them down.’
Vegas recently took a break from the business for mental health reasons and was diagnosed with ADHD.
‘There’s a lot of self-medicating – with alcohol and other things – that goes on with ADHD, because those seem to calm it,’ he said.
The comedian said he had struggled to watch his business suffer when he was away but found it even harder starting up again when people knew the reason for his departure.
But he added: ‘Once we got back into action, though, the passion was still there. The danger then is making sure the passion doesn’t lead to more stress for everyone.’
Guests at his Field of Dreams glamping site can book out converted school buses and planes from £350 for a minimum two-night stay.
Speaking to Radio Times, Vegas said of Clarkson’s Farm: ‘This isn’t just for a TV show; this is 100 per cent an actual business’
As well as his fleet of vehicles, Vegas is said to be adding a boat and a helicopter for guests to stay in later this year.
Meanwhile, Clarkson is once again at loggerheads with local plans after they rejected his sixth bid to carry out changes at Diddly Squat.
The former Top Gear presenter has now been told he cannot plant a row of trees around a temporary car park on his 1,000-acre farm that has become a popular tourist attraction.
The setbacks led the 63-year-old Grand Tour star to feature his fierce dispute in one of the episodes of Series Two of his show.
The rejection is the latest in a long running bitter dispute Clarkson has had with his local authority as he attempts turn Diddly Squat into a money spinner after the success of the Amazon TV series ‘ Clarkson’s Farm ‘.
Vegas with his assistant, Bev Dixon
It follows rejections to open a restaurant, build a pickle ball court and even permission to lay out a simple farm track to a converted barn in the picturesque Cotswold village of Chadlington.
Faced with a barrage of complaints from fans on social media after the episode aired, West Oxfordshire District Council were forced to deny they had a ‘personal vendetta’ against the celebrity farmer.
But viewers of the TV series visiting Clarkson’s farm shop alleged that he is being victimised.
has contacted Clarkson’s representatives for comment.