Chef James Martin embroiled in 'bullying' storm as ITV issues stern warning to TV cook

ITV has responded to the complaints lodged against the chef by warning him to change his behaviour.

The complaints were lodged by "some of the presenter's closest colleagues", Deadline states.

An ITV Spokesperson said to GB News: "At ITV people and their welfare are our highest priority.

"The production companies who make shows for us have primary responsibility for the duty of care of everyone they work with, both on and off screen.

"We make clear our expectations in this regard as part of our pre-greenlight duty of care processes.

"This includes having appropriate independent controls in place to enable everyone who works on their shows to confidently and confidentially raise concerns."

The spokesperson confirmed to GB News the complaint was lodged back in May as they added: "Following a complaint we received in May from members of the Blue Marlin production team about the filming of James Martin’s Spanish Adventure...

"We contacted Blue Marlin to discuss these concerns and to understand how the issues raised were being addressed and what actions were being taken.

"As a result, we made a number of recommendations for Blue Marlin to implement as soon as possible, sharing best practice of some of our own relevant procedures around staff welfare and reiterating our Supplier Code of Conduct."

ITV has declined to confirm whether or not Martin broke its Supplier Code of Conduct with his behaviour.

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Martin has worked with the network for over six years now after leaving the BBC's Saturday Kitchen in 2016.

The complaint was lodged at a time when ITV was facing intense scrutiny over its complaints handling amid the Phillip Schofield saga.

Schofield admitted to having an affair with a younger colleague during his time on This Morning and CEO Carolyn McCall faced a committee of British lawmakers regarding his conduct and the company's procedures.

ITV insisted during the Parliament hearing that it has a “zero tolerance” approach to bullying and harassment.

A similar complaint was reportedly lodged against Martin back in 2018 when he was involved in a foul-mouthed rant during filming for his Saturday morning show.