Jeremy Clarkson has been blasted by publicans for thinking he can just 'rock up and run a pub' after splashing out £1million on a local gastro boozer.
As revealed by MailOnline last week,Clarkson,64,stumped up the seven-figure sum for the Windmill in the Cotswold within minutes of meeting its owner.
The boozer,set in five acres of countryside with 'staggering views' across the Windrush Valley,is just 10 miles from the TV star's famous Diddly Squat Farm base.
It's believed the ex-Top Gear host's new venture could lead to a lucrative spin-off show to his Clarkson's Farm series on Amazon's Prime Video streaming service.
But the presenter's ambition to set up a cosy rural pub have been met with scorn by 'insulted' fellow publicans,who say it simply isn't as easy as relying on his fame to pull in punters - as stark figures show 80 boozer are closing each month in the UK.
Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge (pictured) warned Clarkson it was 'very,very difficult' to run a pub
'It's very,very difficult operating a pub,' Kerridge,who was the first chef to win two Michelin stars for his boozer,The Hand and Flowers,in Marlow,told ITV.
'Even if it's busy and packed on a Saturday night,the profit margin is very,very small,particularly when you're a wet-led (drink-led) pub.
'It's going to be very difficult,' he added. 'I'm very pleased that Jeremy's taken that on because what he did for British farming,he showed actually how difficult it was and how hard it was to make it work.'
But the Windmill's former owner Jackie now hopes her beloved boozer's new celebrity patron can revive its fortunes.
She continued: 'I assume he will make a TV series out of it. I really do hope that he can make a big success of the place and restore it back to how it was. My husband and I had so much fun running it.'
Jeremy Clarkson
© OfficialAffairs
