has slammed a on The .
Last week the boss of the cooking series admitted the format change, introduced last year, was a big mistake and vowed to stick to the show’s ‘traditional’ formula.
The competition series after Mexican Week aired last October, which saw fans call out a joke made by and for perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
Reflecting on the episode, executive producer Kieran Smith recently said they ‘didn’t want to offend anyone’ but admitted the joke ‘fell flat’ and they’d decided to scrap national themes for the upcoming season.
However, of celebrity chef Antony, 72, who said it was ‘so pathetic that the minority have such loud voices’ when referring to how complaints sparked the change.
The former Ready Steady Cook star said he believed what had happened was ‘complete nonsense’.
‘I mean, as William Shakespeare would say, it’s much ado about nothing,’ he said.
‘I can’t believe the small minority who don’t like these programmes don’t have an on off button on their televisions, and they can’t just turn it off. The majority of people enjoy the programme.
‘It’s a light-hearted show. They like to have a bit of fun. Some of the jokes are pretty average I have to say but who cares? You know, it’s a food programme with a bit of fun,’ he added when appearing on .
In a discussion with Dan Wootton, he continued: ‘It’s some sort of cultural [issue], trying to say something was authentic. All chefs have got to say this isn’t my interpretation of say, a Thai green curry or whatever. Don’t say it’s the genuine thing.
‘All food can be improved. And I don’t believe that our food industry would be anything without chefs always trying to improve things.
‘As long as the food tastes good, does it really matter? If we stick to the rule?’
He added: ‘I’ve got 8,000 cookbooks and I search through these cookbooks for ideas and I nick them, a bit here and there. And I think when I practice the food, play with the food, I think I’ve made that a little bit better.
‘That’s what chefs do. Decent chefs want to play with food and come out with a better result.
‘But as far as this programme is concerned, it’s so pathetic that the minority have such loud voices.’
It had been previously claimed bosses would be going ‘back to basics’ after last season recorded its lowest ever viewing figures and was panned by viewers for ‘losing its identity’ and challenges for being ‘inaccessible.’
Showrunner and the ingredients that had served the show so well for several years had not held up.
‘I’d be the first to hold up our hands and say that I feel that the last series was not our strongest,’ he said.
However there will be a particularly exciting mix-up this season, with Alison Hammond taking over from Matt as Noel’s co-host.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Channel 4 for comment.
The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 in September.
