13 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE Sunday Brunch BANS guests from being photographed holding cutlery in case it celebrates knife crime, Frank Skinner says
Comedian Frank Skinner says Channel 4 has banned guests on Sunday Brunch from being photographed holding cutlery because it could be seen as 'celebrating knife crime '.
Skinner, 68, appeared on the Sunday morning show - hosted by Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer - in June last year, alongside fellow guests Kellie Shirley, Steven Moffat, Yvette Fielding and Alexandra Burke.
Speaking about his experience on his podcast Frank Off The Radio with co-hosts podcaster Emily Dean and comedian Pierre Novellie, he revealed the weekly publicity shots have strict rules on how they are taken.
The trio were discussing chef encounters when Skinner revealed that bosses on the show fear sharing photos featuring knives over a potential backlash.
He said: 'When you do Sunday brunch and you pose for the photos, the publicity photos, they always say ' you have to put the knife down.'
'You can't be photographed holding a knife because of current sensitivities and like celebrating knife crime.'
His co-hosts erupted into laughter and Emily Dean said: 'Is that right?'
Pierre Novellie said: 'Well they're not going to use that photo on the news when you go on a rampage.'
Skinner responded: 'They might be glad, it might come in handy if you go on a rampage.'
Previous promo shots for the show have seen celebrities posing with branded mugs, sometimes with cutlery on a napkin nearby.
But they are never pictured digging into meals, and the chefs are not seen with knives.
When Skinner appeared on the show last year, he horrified viewers as he shared a favourite snack he enjoys tucking into on a silver platter.
The lid was lifted to reveal a dish of bananas with a side of mustard powder.
Describing the recipe, he said: 'I was on a show where we had powdered mustard and just for the hell of it, I dipped a banana in to see what it would be like – and it actually tasted great.
'Sort of a sweet and sour thing going on.'
He previously also appeared on the show in 2019, alongside former One Direction band member Liam Payne, who died after plunging from a balcony on October 16 last year.
The reluctance to show knives on screen comes as figures show there were 50,500 criminal offences recorded involving a knife or other sharp object in England and Wales in the year to March 2024.
This was a 4.4 percent increase on the year before, but still 2.8 percent lower than the record high of 2019/2020.
There were 244 murders involving a knife or sharp object in the same regions in the year to 2023, the latest data available.
Skinner's podcast Frank Off The Radio followed his departure from Absolute Radio after 15 years, bringing his Saturday morning breakfast show with Dean and Novellie to a close.
He said at the time he had not wanted to leave but was asked to depart by radio bosses.
Speaking during his final show in May last year, he apologised to listeners, saying he was sorry the team was leaving, and added: 'It's pretty well-documented, I don't want to go.'
Joking he'd spent his redundancy money on Lego Avengers, he then signed off for good, saying: 'You've been the best audience ever. I can't do the 'we'll be back next week', because we won't, we'll never be back. But I love you all. Bye bye.'
A spokesperson for Banijay, the production company behind Sunday Brunch, declined to comment.
