Matt Tebbutt, 45, said the relationship between Saturday Kitchen and Saturday Morning could be seen as rivalry in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk. “I suppose you could say that,” he said breezily. “It’s a similar show, at the same time, on a different channel. So yes, you could absolutely spin it that way.
“But I’m not sure [James Martin is] that bothered about things like that,” the Saturday Kitchen presenter insisted.
“He’s been doing this a long time,” he added.
“To be honest, I don’t think about it. I just love turning up, having a laugh and if you do flip between them, they are quite different shows.”
On the subject of the differences between James’ ITV series and the BBC show he left behind, TV chef Matt explained: “James’ is obviously recorded. Shows can be very slick when they’re pre-recorded because they can be polished up.
“You don’t get the sense of immediacy, of urgency, I guess, as you do with a live show,” he continued.
“Sometimes you’re up against time and it gets a little bit rushed [on a live show like Saturday Kitchen]. You don’t get that immediacy [on a pre-recorded show].
“I think there’s a certain energy that’s given off with a live show. That’s what I’d love to carry on doing,” he said carefully.
Matt was named Saturday Kitchen’s regular presenter after James stepped down following a decade at the helm on the long-running show.
He also opened up on taking over from James, saying: “He’d been doing it for 10 years, so big old shoes to fill, literally and figuratively.
“It’s quite nerve-wracking but you can’t turn it down.
“It’s a great job and it’s enormous fun, so you can’t really be scared or put off by things like that,” he added.
“You are who you are, there’s no point in trying to be someone else. Fortunately, it’s going okay,” he said modestly.
Meanwhile, last weekend, Matt and his Saturday Kitchen co-star and drinks expert Olly Smith, 44, appeared at the Ideal Home Show in London.
The pair did demos and gave fans tips, with Matt saying ahead of their appearance: “We’re eating, drinking and chatting and stuff like that. It should be fun!
“I don’t want to say less structured, but maybe not as rigid timings as it is when you’re trying to do something in seven minutes,” he quipped.
“Very often on the show we want to chat more and you just don’t have the time. So it’ll be a lot more of that and a bit more messing around.”
James Martin’s Saturday Morning airs Saturdays at 9.30am on ITV, while Saturday Kitchen airs Saturdays at 10am on BBC One.
The Ideal Home Show runs from Friday 22nd March to Sunday 7th April. Find out more at www.idealhomeshow.co.uk.
