Woodwork show gets the chop after viewers claim contestant had Nazi tattoo on his face
SKY HISTORY has announced it will not broadcast any more episodes of The Chop: Britain’s Next Top Woodworker following a Nazi tattoo controversy.
The channel had denied that the tattoos worn by Darren Lumsden, a contestant on the woodworking show, had any “political or ideological meaning”.
However, social media users accused Mr Lumsden, from North Somerset, of having a Nazi symbol on his face after the channel shared a promotional clip from the show online.
The contestant, who said his nickname was The Woodman, has the number 88 inked on his cheek, which is reportedly a white supremacist numerical code for Heil Hitler – as “h” is the eighth letter of the alphabet.
Viewers also pointed out other markings that could be associated with white supremacist slogans. A statement from the channel, which is operated by AETN UK, said: “Following an independent investigation, AETN UK has made the decision not to broadcast any further episodes of The Chop on Sky History.
“A contestant’s tattoos included symbols that could be connected to farRight i deologies and could cause offence. We sincerely apologise for that and we are sorry that our processes did not prompt further investigation at an earlier stage.” The statement added:
“The contestant continues to strenuously deny that he has, or ever had, farRight leanings. We are thoroughly reviewing our internal processes following the investigation.
“AETN UK and Sky History stand against racism and hate speech of all kinds.”
The Chop is a competitive show for carpenters and woodworkers in the style of The Great British Bake Off. It was hosted by Lee Mack and Rick Edwards.
The first episode aired earlier this month but the rest of the series has now been cancelled.
Speaking about his tattoos in a Bristol Post article published before the row erupted, Mr Lumsden said: “I have my daughter on the back of my head and my son on my cheek.”
He added: “When some people first meet me they are a bit shocked, admittedly. But they soon warm to me after a few minutes.”