BBC Saturday Kitchen fans ‘switch off’ minutes in as they fume ‘can’t cope’

Saturday Kitchen marked a huge milestone during the latest show, but fans were quickly left unimpressed

Matt Tebbutt
Matt Tebbutt returned to host Saturday Kitchen (Image: BBC)

Fans of Saturday Kitchen claimed to “switch off” minutes into the latest live programme. Host Matt Tebbutt returned to screens this weekend (June 6) to celebrate the BBC show’s 20th anniversary.

He was joined in the studio by chefs Rick Stein, Theo Randall, Ching-He Huang, Gennaro Contaldo, and Andi Oliver, as well as special guests Liz Carr and Chris Stark. Drinks expert Helen McGinn was also on hand to offer the perfect wine pairings.

At the start of the show, Matt said: “Welcome to the show. Now, it’s been 20 years since the relaunch of Saturday Kitchen on BBC One when we took over your Saturday mornings. So, it’s a great excuse to assemble some of your favourite chefs and stars from the last 20 years. So, brace yourselves!”

However, viewers quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their complaints, as they felt there were too many guests talking over each other.

Saturday Kitchen

The BBC show marked a special anniversary (Image: BBC)
“That’s me off to another channel,” one person wrote, with another adding: “Lots of big egos all wanting to talk at the same time!!”
A third said: “Sounds very chaotic, my head can’t cope and we’re only 11 minutes in,” with someone else sharing: “This is going to be hell today. All shouting at the same time… Off to another channel pronto.”

A fifth viewer echoed the sentiment, saying: “Too many shouty chefs.. I’m bailing early,” while someone else commented: “This is so loud. My ears are hurting.”

Meanwhile, other fans celebrated the show’s milestone anniversary, with one person writing: “20 years of #SaturdayKitchen. I’ve watched since the very first episode as a 6-year-old, and now I’m nearly 27. Where has the time gone? What a fantastic celebration of a brilliant show.”

Another added: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to tune in to #SaturdayKitchen over the years. What brilliant TV and such an inspiration to those who are not confident with cooking.”

Saturday Kitchen

BBC viewers issued the same complaint (Image: BBC)

A third said: “Enjoying the 20th anniversary edition of @saturdaykitchen #SaturdayKitchen with @knackeredmutha on wine & @Chinghehuang cooking.”

Several past clips from the series were played during the anniversary show, with a number of stars sharing their favourite memories from being in the famous kitchen.

In a pre-recorded clip, Jamie Oliver said: “20 years! 20 years in TV is like a 100 years in the real world, and that is such an amazing achievement of beautiful, trustworthy TV every Saturday.”

Drinks expert Olly Smith added: “To be part of Saturday Kitchen for 20 years is the joy of my life!”

Saturday Kitchen airs weekly at 10am on BBC One and iPlayer

CRE: https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/2214134/bbc-saturday-kitchen-fans-switch-off