Yahoo News Christopher Biggins smokes out the Cooking with the Stars studio
The veteran actor had barely begun cooking when he burnt his curry spices, filling the kitchen with clouds of smoke.
Watch: Christopher Biggins causes chaos on Cooking With The Stars
What did you miss?
Christopher Biggins filled the Cooking with the Stars studio with smoke after burning his curry.
The 75-year-old actor took part in the latest episode of the ITV culinary show, competing against comedian Katherine Ryan. It was Budget Week so each competing celebrity had to create a £3 per dish using frozen, tinned and pantry ingredients.
Biggins was mentored by chef and former I'm A Celebrity contestant Rosemary Shrager to make chickpea, spinach and potato curry with rice and flatbread. But his dish went wrong right from the start when he burnt his curry spices, filling the studio with smoke.
What, how, and why?
Cooking With The Stars, presented by Emma Willis and Tom Allen, is back with its fourth series. And the latest episode saw Biggins and The Duchess star Ryan, 40, cook first in Budget Week.
Ryan was mentored by professional chef Jack Stein to make Spanish-style salt cod stew with chickpeas with red pepper salad and pan con tomate (Spanish tomato bread), while Biggins made potato curry. Biggins began by toasting his curry spices in a frying pan, with Shrager commenting it was supposed to "bring out the flavour". But the spices soon began to burn which Shrager feared would make them taste "bitter". The spices then began to to smoke.
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Fellow contestant Carol Vorderman, watching on, asked: "What's that smoke?" Model Abbey Clancy told her: "Something's burning." Ryan called over: "Are you alright Christopher? What's gone wrong?" But he insisted: "No, nothing's wrong."
Shrager shouted: "Take it off! take it off! He needs to start again." And host Allen approached his bench and asked: "Biggins I'm very worried that this is smoking, should it be doing that?" But Biggins dismissed him saying: "It's the barbecue effect. I'll ask you to leave now if you don't mind."
Biggins struggled to make his flatbread and ended up dropping it. He asked Allen to bang his gong for him so mentor Shrager could come and help him for the permitted two minutes. But his burnt spices made his dish bitter and he was sent to the Cook Off by the judges.
What else happened on Cooking With The Stars?
In the second round retired athlete Linford Christie was mentored by Poppy O'Toole to prepare a pea risotto with a corn beef crumb and garlic flatbread. Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds was mentored by Shelina Permalloo to cook bejewelled rice topped with filo pastry with sweetcorn fritters and mango chutney.
The judges voted for Simmonds, and so Christie, 64, landed in the Cook Off against Biggins. The pair were challenged to make a pineapple upside down cake from scratch.
Biggins was accused of "sabotage" by his fellow celebrities after encouraging Christie to add more flour to his cake batter. The judging was blind and it was revealed that mentor Shrager had voted for Christie's dish to win. Biggins laughed as he found out he was being sent home, and Christie said it was "a relief" to survive to cook another week.
Shrager joked of Biggins: "Do you know what? He did his absolute best. But I had to whip him, you know!"
What did viewers say?
Viewers were mostly unimpressed with the 'drama' in the kitchen, with some branding it "fake". And with the Paris Olympics airing live on rival channel BBC, not many appeared to be watching.
One wrote on social media platform X: "The fake drama on this show is dreadful, how did this manage get another series? You only need to look at the hashtag to see hardly anyone can be a**ed posting anything! #CookingWithTheStars" Another said: "This round is awful Why am I watching? #Cookingwiththestars" And another questioned: "Burning already, are we? #CookingWithTheStars"
But another shared: "Why do I love #CookingWithTheStars so much though every single season has me hooked."
Cooking with the Stars 2024 airs on Tuesdays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX
