EXCLUSIVE James Martin could be axed by ITV after bosses were left furious at bullying
EXCLUSIVE James Martin could be axed by ITV after bosses were left furious at bullying allegations and swathe of complaints about his conduct including foul-mouthed tirade over blocked drain at his home
James Martin could be axed by ITV after senior bosses were left furious at allegations of his bullying behaviour.
The channel is still reeling from the fallout of the Phillip Schofield scandal, which was accompanied with accusations of a toxic culture on its flagship This Morning programme.
Wary of a repeat, some of the network’s executives are now lobbying for the chef’s shows not to be recommissioned, the Mail can reveal.
Leaked audio released yesterday showed Martin launching a ten-minute tirade at staff during a Zoom call in 2018.
The chef could be heard swearing 42-times after a drain at his home was blocked during filming for his show James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
James Martin (pictured) could be axed by ITV after senior bosses were left furious at allegations of his bullying behaviour
Leaked audio released yesterday showed Martin (pictured) launching a ten-minute tirade at staff during a Zoom call in 2018
At one point Martin can be heard telling his team they should be ‘f***ing fried’, while in another outburst he suggests they should take their lunch break standing in the ‘f***ing rain’ as punishment.
The incident has come to light after a swathe of complaints were made about the chef’s conduct while filming James Martin’s Spanish Adventure this year, sparking an internal investigation into his behaviour.
Responding to ITV’s probe on Wednesday, Martin said he ‘wholly regrets’ getting angry, and agreed ‘lessons have been learned.’
Sources at the broadcaster say they are under contract to make one more series of the programme but there are currently no plans to order more from the star’s production company Blue Marlin.
Martin, 51, revealed that he had been awaiting surgery for facial cancer at the same time as he launched the foul-mouthed rant at his crew.
But a staff member told the Daily Mail: ‘There have been many allegations made against James now… while there is one series to be made under contract, there is nothing else in the pipeline and there is some strong lobbying taking place that he shouldn’t be signed up again.’
Martin – whose jovial persona has made him a favourite with viewers – has been inundated with supportive messages after a recording of the rant was leaked to The Sun newspaper.
In a statement apologising for his behaviour, he revealed that he had been left in a ‘very emotional state’ following a series of personal tragedies.
He said: ‘The end of 2017 was one of the most fraught and difficult periods of my life. I was dealing with the death of my last living grandparent, my grandfather, and on account of work commitments I could not attend his funeral.
‘Later that month I was burgled at night by a team of masked men, who entered my house while my partner Louise was at home alone and I was away working. I was devastated that she had to go through that alone.
‘On top of this I was then diagnosed with cancer on my face and I had to have surgery, which I couldn’t do until two days before Christmas when we had finished filming. Since then it has returned on several occasions and I have to have regular treatments.
‘After all this stress I was in a very emotional state, and when after filming in early January 2018 I discovered my home had been flooded while filming, I was extremely upset.
‘I can only say I am human and following a build-up of personal life pressure, I admit that I overreacted regarding the damage to my home.’
Martin (pictured in 2018) said before the abusive rant he was dealing with the death of his last living grandparent, his grandfather, and that he could not attend his funeral due to work commitments
ITV’s chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall was called before the DCMS select committee last month after Schofield admitted to having an affair with a much younger This Morning colleague and then lying about it to The Mail on Sunday.
It prompted staff to claim that there is a toxic working culture on the daytime programme.
She also ordered an external investigation which is being conducted by lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC.
Martin has been approached for comment.