BBC responds to complaints over 'rude' Saturday Kitchen guests Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt
The BBC has responded to complaints over Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt’s recent appearance on Saturday Kitchen after their behaviour was labelled “rude” by viewers.
The BBC Breakfast presenters appeared on last weekend’s edition of the cooking show but some viewers were left less than impressed by the pair’s antics.
The duo were welcomed to the socially-distanced studio and watched live as presenter Matt Tebbutt and chef Yotam Ottolenghi cooked up a tasty dish.
Read more: BBC responds to complaints over BBC Breakfast hosts
However, the pair were soon doing most of the talking and Tebbutt jokingly quipped: “Should I just pull up a chair?" while they spoke.
On Friday, a post on the BBC’s complaints website acknowledged that viewers “who were unhappy with the guests in this [weekend’s] edition” had been in contact with them.
In response, they said: “Saturday Kitchen Live’s format allows for an informal chatty style and the guests are encouraged to feel relaxed in the studio.
“Some viewers found the behaviour and comments of the guests this week to be inappropriate and that they were rude to presenter Matt.
“We appreciate the feedback and we shared it with the Saturday Kitchen team.”
While the statement does not name the guests, Munchetty and Stayt were the only ones who were in the studio for filming.
During the segment, Munchetty jokingly took over presenting duties and introduced Ottolenghi on Tebbutt’s behalf, to which the host quipped: "I’ll let you introduce him, see ya."
When he pretended to walk off, she jokingly added: "Matt, honestly, it’s better without you anyway.”
Munchetty and Stayt later pinched Tebutt’s cue cards and proceeded to read the questions and prompts aloud.
While the breakfast duo were having a laugh, some viewers were unhappy with one tweeting: “Thank goodness for the wonderful Yotam @ottolenghi - great cooking and well done @matt_tebbutt and @knackeredmutha for keeping it together with such rude guests!”
Another added: “We love this show but today the guests were rude, unprofessional and very annoying. Not funny.”
However, others pointed out Tebbutt did give as good as he got.
Commenting on his Instagram post about the episode, one viewer wrote: “This household thought it was a brilliant show - it was like having friends around in the living room and just having a laugh. I genuinely can’t believe some of the comments here! We adored the show today.”
Watch: Naga gets emotional talking to Bill Turnbull