James Martin's controversial moments - 'stepmum lies and PC madness'
James Martin has reportedly been accused of 'bullying and intimidating behaviour' by crew members during the filming of ITV's James Martin's Spanish Adventure.
The TV chef reportedly reduced staff to tears and gave the team a few hours of sleep before a shoot thanks to alleged last-minute schedule changes.
A producer who worked with the chef told Deadline: "What's remarkable is I saw this behaviour on every project I did with him and it feels conscious. I think he just feels like it's OK to behave like that."
The claims come after James has been embroiled in some controversial moments over the years, as he has hosted a number of popular shows including his self-titled Saturday Morning.
The most recent complaints were from James Martin's Spanish Adventure (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)The 51-year-old found himself in a spat a few years back over 'political correctness' when he became enraged over the children's character Fireman Sam being dropped from a fire service campaign.
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Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the character, who first hit screens in 1987, would be axed from being featured in its promotional material, citing he was not "inclusive".
The move looked to tip James over the edge, with him tweeting: "Right that's it, Fireman Sam is the last straw I'm done with this PC b******s and 100 identities being taught. In a last stand to this outrageous madness I now wish to be known as an Otter.
"I like other Otters and when you get bored of this c*** in the world join me underwater with other Otters, both male and female, and call enough and an end to this madness [sic]."
It saw some fans support the star, while other Twitter users mocked James' upset. One commentator said: "So... grown adults are throwing tantrums and deciding to abdicate from the human race over a TV show for kids acknowledging there are more people in the world than white men?"
Meanwhile, James hasn't been afraid to poke fun at journalist and presenter Piers Morgan, live on air. He took a swipe at him back in February 2021 when he reassured Good Morning Britain viewers that Piers' co-star Charlotte Hawkins would be joining him instead.
"Together, we will be serving up plate after plate of delicious food for one of the stars of Good Morning Britain," James said. "But before you go and change the channels, do not worry. It is not Piers Morgan. Let us get cooking while we are here. Sorry, Piers. Sorry."
A banterous exchange unfolded, with Piers responding: "Ho ho ho, Jimmy boy. Let us see who has the last laugh, sunshine. Because I tell you what's cooking...You! You're what is cooking, son."
TV chef James Martin accused of 'intimidating and bullying behaviour' on show (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Closer to home, James reportedly fell out with his father a decade ago over claims he made about his former stepmother in his autobiography. According to The Sun, the chef revealed that he and his father are alike in that they are both "too stubborn" to make amends.
"I've accepted he will never be a part of my life," James said. "I spent 12 years trying to get on with him. You never knew what was around the corner. It was always something like getting divorced or remarried, or a new woman. It was just relentless. I thought, 'I've had enough of this. I'm just going to separate completely'."
His former stepmum received an apology from the presenter, his publishers Harper Collins and the Mail on Sunday, which serialised his book, Driven, according to ThePress.
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In the original version of the book, James reportedly described her as 'the ugliest woman he had ever met' and accused her of burning every ounce of his childhood, including baby pictures. A statement published by the Mail on Sunday said: "The celebrity chef James Martin has apologised to his father's ex-wife over allegations in his autobiography Driven, serialised in The Mail on Sunday on October 12...
"Mr Martin accepts it was untrue to say his father's then-girlfriend cruelly destroyed childhood mementoes of him and his sister. We are happy to report this. HarperCollins publishers have withdrawn that edition of the book from sale and paid damages on behalf of themselves, Mr Martin and Associated Newspapers."
The Mirror has approached James' representatives for comment regarding the claims of bullying. Following the accusations, ITV released a lengthy statement about the actions taken to resolve the matter.
An ITV Spokesperson said: "At ITV people and their welfare are our highest priority. The production companies who make shows for us have primary responsibility for the duty of care of everyone they work with, both on and off screen. We make clear our expectations in this regard as part of our pre-greenlight duty of care processes. This includes having appropriate independent controls in place to enable everyone who works on their shows to confidently and confidentially raise concerns.
"Following a complaint we received in May from members of the Blue Marlin production team about the filming of James Martin’s Spanish Adventure, we contacted Blue Marlin to discuss these concerns and to understand how the issues raised were being addressed and what actions were being taken.
"As a result, we made a number of recommendations for Blue Marlin to implement as soon as possible, sharing best practice of some of our own relevant procedures around staff welfare and reiterating our Supplier Code of Conduct."
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