James Martin said he 'wanted to find a hole to cry in' after TV gaffe that had bosses in stitches

James Martin has shared a story about the time celebrity chef Rick Stein texted him within 15 minutes of an on-air blunder to express his gratitude for what James called the "ultimate compliment". The TV chef recounted how the live TV error was so cringe-worthy that he "wanted to find a hole to cry in" while BBC producers chuckled in his ear, leaving James with no choice but to carry on with the programme.

During a particularly embarrassing moment on Saturday Kitchen Live back in 2012, James stumbled over his words, causing a stir among his guests as he mistakenly praised something as delicious, which definitely wasn't Rick's "dish". On the Travel Diaries podcast in 2023, James, who is dyslexic, recalled: "I was doing my old show on the BBC, and Rick Stein... I was coming out of a Rick Stein VT, and usually I sort of, I'm reading the autocue thinking I can't spell that, I can't say that, so I've got to change this."

He added: "For some reason, I didn't because I was too busy getting prepped with bits and pieces and chatting to my guests, and I remember just looking up - James, we're coming to you in five, four, three, two, one, and I read it," reports the Express.

He went on to explain: "And for some reason, I just got all my words mixed up. What it was supposed to say was, 'what a delicious looking dish, Rick; now I'm going to do spotted dick and custard, and now I'm going to show you what to do'."

"What I said was, 'what a delicious looking d**k, Rick', and before I even got the apology out, they're laughing in my ear. I've got the BBC laughing in one ear, producers wetting themselves."

"I just wanted to find a hole to cry in, and I had to carry on - you had to carry on for 12 minutes live, knowing full well that all the while you're doing this, and the producers are in my ear going, 'it's gone viral, it's gone viral', and you're trending all over the place."

"It's in the national newspaper, and I was still on air! There's nothing you can do about it." James highlighted how minor errors can be "amplified" when dealing with the stress of live TV and being dyslexic, like himself.

He shared that he has been working on live television for around three decades, but it "never really mattered" if he made a mistake about 15 years ago, as these blunders couldn't be traced back. According to the chef, the BBC doesn't keep a "record" of these errors, expressing his frustration that nowadays, it's "all over bl**dy Instagram by the time you've "got to the changing rooms".

When questioned if Rick Stein had any comments on the gaffe, James revealed that he received a text from him within 15 minutes from Australia saying "thank you very much" for the "ultimate compliment".

James, who has been a familiar face on our screens for more than two decades, has authored over 20 cookbooks and sold millions of copies worldwide. He was the host of BBC's Saturday Kitchen for over a decade and had his own restaurants before presenting ITV's Saturday Morning with James Martin, among other programmes.