“The fun police in their beige offices have decided that the public can’t be trusted to watch it."
Jeremy Clarkson's first full-length advert for Hawkstone lager has been banned from TV, radio and cinema over the use of strong language.
The former Top Gear presenter, farmer and now drinks entrepreneur revealed the commercial on social media this week, describing it as Hawkstone's ‘first ever proper advert'.
Farmer choir
It features a 34-strong choir of British farmers performing a rewritten version of the classical Flower Duet, singing enthusiastically and explicitly about the lager.
In the advert, Mr Clarkson introduces the film by saying: "It's difficult to put into the spoken word how hard it is to make Hawkstone lager, so instead I've put it into a song for some farmers to sing."
The advert concludes with an expletive-laced statement of the beer's quality.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has not issued a public ruling at the time of writing, but Mr Clarkson has said the advert has been deemed ‘non-compliant' and banned from broadcast due to the language used.
He has since posted the video on social media, commenting: "For some extraordinary reason, it's been banned."
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'Fun police'
Speaking to The Sun, Mr Clarkson said the decision to ban the advert was ‘a cock-up, as usual', and described regulators as ‘the fun police in their beige offices'.
Hawkstone, which produces premium lager and cider, was launched in 2021 using barley grown on Mr Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire.
The business has since grown rapidly and was named among the fastest-growing private companies in the UK by The Sunday Times last year.
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Harvest
At the time, during 2024's challenging harvest, Mr Clarkson said Hawkstone's expansion was helping to support the UK's arable farmers, confirming Hawkstone had sourced barley from farms affected by poor harvest conditions.
"We are proud to back British farmers," he said.
"It's lovely to think we can build up a brand that's not using Italian or German barley, but one that supports UK growers."
As another challenging harvest season approaches, albeit for different reasons, the brand's growing profile and continued support for British farmers are likely to remain a point of interest for farming and rural communities.
The full advert remains available to view on Hawkstone's social media channels, where it has already been viewed more than a million times.
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