Recipe for heartache as TV chef quits show
MILLIONS of women regularly sacrifice their weekend lie-ins to be entertained by his easy charm on Saturday Kitchen.
But it appears the early mornings have proved too much for James Martin, who has quit the live BBC1 cookery show after ten years so he can enjoy lie-ins and work on ‘new projects’.
The Yorkshireman made the unexpected announcement yesterday morning – and fans were so shocked by the news it started trending on Twitter.
Martin replaced fellow celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson as host of the show in 2006 and his easy manner and natural charm are widely credited with boosting viewing figures.
Under his tenure, the audience has risen from around 1.3million to an average of two million, but once catch-up figures are included this often tops three million.
More than half of Saturday Kitchen’s audience last month were over 55, with a third of them over 65. Martin will be replaced by guest presenters after he steps down at the end of March. Matt Tebbutt, who currently presents Food Unwrapped, regularly contributes to the programme and has often been drafted in as a replacement for Martin.
However, former Ready Steady Cook star Ainsley Harriott, 58, and Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood, 49, have emerged as the bookies’ favourites to be the new hosts.
Martin, 43, said yesterday: ‘I would like to personally thank all the viewers for turning Saturday Kitchen into a three million-plus smash hit. I could not have done it without them. I would also like to thank the BBC and Saturday Kitchen for the great opportunity they gave me. It has been an amazing journey and I have been privileged to work with some of the world’s greatest chefs and some of the greatest names in showbiz.
‘I wish the new chefs every success. I am looking forward to getting stuck into my new projects and to lots of lie-ins on a Saturday.’ Chris Stark from Radio 1 responded on Twitter saying: ‘What are you playing at? You can’t leave!’
A fan on the social media site named Pazlan said the news of Martin’s departure ‘has turned my Saturday mornings from joyous to mournful’.
Another fan, Lynn Banks, hinted she would no longer watch the show without Martin as host, writing: ‘I think there will be a lot of us having Saturday lie-ins! James is irreplaceable.’
Martin is currently doing his first UK tour, featuring live cooking demonstrations and special guests. Following the response on social media from his fans, he tweeted yesterday: ‘It’s been a true pleasure but sometime in March will be my last Saturday Kitchen.’
BBC Daytime Controller Dan McGolpin said: ‘On behalf of our viewers, I’d like to thank James for the last ten years in which he has given up his Saturday mornings and more to help make Saturday Kitchen the much-loved institution that it is today.’