Aside from his rock music career as Queen guitarist and his doctorate in astrophysics, Sir Brian May is a passionate animal rights campaigner.
His new documentary Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me airs on BBC Two this evening, documenting new scientific research into fighting bovine tuberculosis.
The 77-year-old has worked with farmers to find a solution for effectively tackling the disease in cows that many believe is spread by badgers. As a result, hundreds of thousands of the animals have been culled in the last few decades.
Backed by what he claims is new evidence, May strongly believes the problem has nothing to do with badgers and can be solved internally within the cows, who reportedly contract the disease from slurry, not breathing.
The rock star and activist is not without his critics, but respectfully believes they are misinformed. He says he desires to be “a person of peace” on the matter, bringing the farming community together to solve this issue without the need for a badger cull.
One such critic is Jeremy Clarkson, who has been outspoken on his Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm about his trouble with badgers and his belief that they spread TB to cattle – something May thinks he’s proven false in his new BBC documentary.
Clarkson thinks badgers should be “hit on the head with a hammer” and told the Daily Mail: “These are not nice animals. Do not be fooled by Brian May”.
There have been rumours of a feud between the Queen and Top Gear legends over the issue, but May dispels this and desires to prove to Clarkson that bovine TB can be tackled without a badger cull.
May exclusively told Express.co.uk: “I’ve actually never clashed with Jeremy Clarkson. I know exactly what he said about me, but I, for some reason, I like the guy. I like his irreverence as regards authority. He’s a showman, he’s an entertainer, and he does his job well. And yes, I could slag him back in return, but I don’t really want to.
“I would rather sit down with him and show him the evidence that we have and say, ‘Okay, what do you think now? Do you think we’re right, or do you think your vet’s right saying that TB is passed through sniffing by badgers?’ It’s kind of an open and shut case. I hope he watches the documentary. But I have nothing against the guy even if he does have something against me, I really don’t. I think you need people like Jeremy Clarkson to shake things up. It’s just a shame that if he’s misinformed, if he’s wrongly advised. That’s all.”
When asked if he’d like to make an appearance on a future episode of Clarkson’s Farm to hash out the issue together, May said “absolutely” and shared how they’d actually bumped into each other in public last Christmas.
May said: “Absolutely! I did bump into him in Fortnum and Mason, just before Christmas. I’m doing Christmas shopping with my daughter, and we bumped into him, and we had a little very pleasant chat, saying, ‘Oh, we should get together sometime’. We have lots to talk about, and I think we both have the will to do that. I’m certainly up for doing that. He’s busy like me. He’s constantly working, so we have to find a window. But yes, I’d love to talk to the guy. He’s a very valuable asset is old Clarkson, and I’m pretty sure that he has a logical enough mind to see where we’re coming from. Probably, I think he would be and I think he will get it. I think he will see it and realise that his vet’s been telling him stuff which really is outdated information. That’s what I think.”
Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me airs on BBC Two at 9pm this evening and is streaming on BBC iPlayer afterwards.
