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The hugely popular TV show 'Clarkson's Farm' has dominated viewing figures on Amazon Prime since it was launched in 2023.

With Series five having recently been given the green light, the role of Clarkson's Land Agent, played by Charlie Ireland, will continue to shine a spotlight on this hugely diverse and rewarding career.

We spoke with Andrew Black FRICS, a Chartered Surveyor of more than 20 years' experience - and part of the Land & Property Management course team responsible for teaching the Land Agents of the future - to find out more. 

Firstly, what actually is a "Land Agent"?

The term "Land Agent" can reflect a number of roles involving all sorts of property.

Although you don't legally have to possess any formal qualifications to call yourself one, typically a Land Agent would be someone who has undertaken a degree in rural property and surveying - such as the REALM course we have been providing here at Harper Adams since 1989-  and then has gone on to become a Chartered Surveyor by achieving professional accreditation of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)  and the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV).

The term is most frequently encountered in England and Wales, as in Scotland - where I qualified and first started out in practice - the term "Factor" is commonly used. 

There have never been so many routes to qualification, including most recently a thriving Apprentice option, allowing working, studying and earning all at the same time. 

What moment of Charlie’s on the show most stands out to you as underlining the importance of his role?

Charlie really is a great Ambassador for the role of a Land Agent and he continues to showcase the important role this type of professional rural advisor has to a much wider audience than we have ever seen before.  

This really resonates with me, as someone who is not from a farming background, I stumbled across this career purely by chance - therefore, it has been my mission to promote this career to a much wider and diverse audience, in particular to unrepresented groups and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A few years back I secured a grant to increase participation in higher education across England and with this funding we launched  - which has gone some way to promote the profession and increase student numbers.

However the impact of Charlie's role in Clarkson's Farm is far more wide-reaching - and we are starting to see a ripple effect in numbers of students enrolling on our open days as a result. 

What I really appreciate about Charlie's role in the show is his no-nonsense approach and his broad, expert knowledge on the complexities of key areas of professional practice a Land Agent would come into contact with, including planning laws, agricultural management, budgeting, finance, construction, property law, machinery purchasing, valuation and negotiation.

How well does the show represent the work a Land Agent does?

There is obviously a degree of entertainment and creative embellishment brought into the episodes; however I believe Charlie is doing a great job of trying (sometimes unsuccessfully!) to keep Clarkson's feet on the ground as he pivots from one issue to the next. One of the greatest things about being a Land Agent is one day is never the same as the next and you are required to think on your feet and work through problems. The career of a Land Agent is hugely rewarding in making a positive difference and the demand for new entrants into the industry has never been higher. 

TV being TV, what does the show miss out?

My wife refuses to watch the show with me as I do have a habit of speaking over some of the scenes, for example where Clarkson was having a new grain store built. I was asking for more dialogue relating to the capital cost of these buildings, so the audience would gain a better understanding of just how expensive physical farming infrastructure can cost...but I guess this doesn't make for great TV!

As I lead on teaching Agricultural Law at Harper Adams, I would like to see a little more spoken about how tenant farmers make up a large proportion of how farms are managed and operated.

What skills that a Land Agent needs does Charlie display on the show and how?

Charlie keeps a cool head when it comes to Clarkson's often harebrained ideas which is really important skill any Land Agent needs to possess. He also recognises the importance of bringing in a range of other professional advisors to compliment his own skillset, for example Planning Consultants, expert Planning Barristers, Architects, Structural Engineers and of course Gerald when he needs a dry-stone wall built by a local craftsman! 

How do you think you’d cope being a Land Agent or Rural Chartered Surveyor for Jeremy Clarkson?

As I have always been a huge fan of Clarkson and I am a bit of a petrol head, I think perhaps I would spend too much time talking about cars!