James Martin breaks silence on claims he 'bullied and intimidated' ITV show crew

27 July 2023 , 06:49

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James Martin has broken his silence after reportedly being accused of 'bullying and intimidating behaviour' by crew members on an ITV show.

The celebrity chef, 51, "was shocked by what had happened and on reflection acknowledges he responded emotionally."

According to a statement issued by the production company behind some of the star's shows, "James apologises for any offence or upset caused, as he did at the time to the crew involved."

The company adds how James "wholly regrets" his emotional reaction when his home was damaged during filming in 2018.

The statement follows reports claiming ITV received a complaint in May from James' colleagues about his behaviour.

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James Martin breaks silence on claims he 'bullied and intimidated' ITV show crew

'James apologises for any offence or upset caused, as he did at the time to the crew involved' (ITV)

There were said to be concerns about his conduct with the crew while filming for James Martin's Spanish Adventure, when he reportedly 'berated' staff and 'reduced them to tears' in front of other colleagues. James also allegedly changed schedules at the last minute, which gave the team a few hours of sleep before the next day's shoot.

A producer who worked with the chef in the past 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."

This is the second reported complaint ITV received over his behaviour. The previous incident was in 2018. James reportedly went into a 'foul-mouthed tirade' against staff members when a drain in his home became blocked.

Speaking in a statement issued today, Blue Marlin TV - the production company connected to many of James' projects - seemingly addressed the claims made against the TV chef from 2018 when filming at his home.

The statement shared with the Mirror reads: "An unfortunate incident occurred after filming James Martin's Saturday Morning in 2018 where James' home was badly damaged. Blue Marlin Television accepted responsibility. James was shocked by what had happened and on reflection acknowledges he responded emotionally, which he wholly regrets.

"James apologises for any offence or upset caused, as he did at the time to the crew involved. Following this and some issues filming James Martin’s Spanish Adventures, James and Blue Marlin Television agree that lessons have been learned which have been discussed with members of the team and with ITV."

The ITV star on the set of This Morning in June this year (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The statement concludes: "Blue Marlin Television and James Martin have taken on board ITV's recommendations and their sharing of best practice, and are in the process of fully implementing. Since the 2018 incident, Blue Marlin Television has continued to film over 500 shows at James’ home. Blue Marlin Television remains committed to ensuring the welfare of all those with whom they work is of the utmost priority."

Prior to the statement from Blue Marlin TV, ITV also issued a statement regarding the allegations, saying: "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.

The spokesperson for ITV continued: ""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."