has been accused of while filming shows, and
Now an excruciating interview has resurfaced which doesn’t paint him in the best light.
The chat took place in 2018 shortly after a burger from one of his cafes received a bad review that went viral.
The journalist Laura Pullman claims that Martin, 51, was half an hour late, unhappy, and rude throughout their chat.
She summed up the meeting with the damning line: ‘A photo posted online by a dissatisfied customer has turned James Martin’s persona of twinkle-eyed lad rather sour and lumpen’.
In one part of the interview, Pullman asked if he had a rider when he heads off on his live tours.
‘All I have is a can of Red Bull and a Twix,’ he explained to and added that he’d had it for breakfast that day.
When asked if that’s his regular choice he curtly responded: ‘Not every day; when I’m knackered and I’ve got to get up and speak to you lot all day’.
The ‘you lot’ likely referred to journalists, who his team had agreed could interview Martin to promote his theatre tour, On the Road… again.
‘People think it’s just women. It’s not. You get that at the [Italian chef] Gino D’Acampo thing, not at mine,’ he replied when questioned on the ‘screaming ladies’ who attend the events.
When asked about his relationship with long-term girlfriend Louise Davies, Martin folded his arms and said: ‘I don’t do telling stories about my relationships’.
He later added: ‘Respect your elders is 150% what I learnt when I was young. Sir Michael Parkinson is a legend. Do you see him talking about his wife? Do you?’
When the journalist informed Martin that she had no idea, he responded: ‘No, he doesn’t need to. I don’t need to.’
In the feature, Martin describes how he loves cooking at home with his dogs on the dining room table. When Pullman said that they shouldn’t be on the kitchen top in ‘jest,’ he didn’t appear to like this remark.
‘It doesn’t matter. It’s my house. If you don’t like it… When you’re here interviewing me, if you’ve got cats, then I’m sure they’re p*****g on your worktop at home.’
He later evaded questions about his car collection, and when ‘burgergate’ was brought up things went from bad to worse, according to Pullman’s account.
When she asked about the 58% of reviews that call the cafe ‘poor’ or ‘terrible’ Pullman claimed he sneered: ‘I haven’t looked at TripAdvisor’.
It’s at this point, she recalled three publicists terminating the interview.
It was claimed that in May this year, a complaint was made to ITV from close colleagues, resulting in the broadcaster confronting the TV chef and informing him that he needed to change his conduct.
It was said that while filming ’s Adventure – a show that follows previous instalments in countries including and – he sparked concern over the way in which he treated members of his crew. It is alleged he reduced people to tears in front of their colleagues.
According to , it was understood that the complaint is the second time that ITV has been alerted to his behaviour.
In 2018 while filming James Martin’s Saturday Morning, which has aired on ITV since 2017, Martin is said to have ‘launched a foul-mouthed tirade against staff’ when a drain in his home became blocked, the publication reported.
It was reported that in 2018, a formal complaint was made to Martin and his agent Fiona Lindsay over ‘repeated incidents of inappropriate, intimidating and bullying behaviour’ on his show James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
An ITV spokesperson confirmed to Metro.co.uk that they
‘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,’ the statement begins.
‘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.’
Addressing the more recent complaint made about Martin, Blue Marlin Television stated that ‘lessons have been learned’, with the chef reportedly not denying allegations of bullying.
In Blue Marlin’s statement, which was released on behalf of Martin and his agent Lindsay, it said: ‘An unfortunate incident occurred after filming James Martin’s Saturday Morning in 2018 where James’ home was badly damaged. Blue Marlin accepted responsibility. James was shocked by what had happened and on reflection acknowledges he responded emotionally, which he wholly regrets. James apologizes 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 Adventure, James and Blue Marlin Television agree that lessons have been learned which have been discussed with members of the team and with ITV. 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.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted representatives for James Martin.
