TV chef James Martin was reportedly accused of 'bullying and intimidating behaviour' by crew members on an ITV show. It was claimed that ITV received a complaint in May from James' colleagues about his behaviour.
There were said to be concerns about his conduct with the crew while filming for James Martin's Spanish Adventure. 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. He reportedly went into a 'foul-mouthed tirade' against staff members when a drain in his home became blocked.
James Martin was accused of 'intimidating behaviour' on two occasions (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The first incident happened in 2018 (Getty Images)The chef was on set for James Martin's Saturday Morning at the time. Mirror have approached James' representatives for comment. Following the accusations, ITV released a lengthy statement about the actions taken to resolve the matter.
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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.
The most recent complaints were from James Martin's Spanish Adventure (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)"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 incident in 2018 and his behaviour while filming for Spanish Adventure, Blue Marlin Television 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 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 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."
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