Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt replaced after emergency surgery
"We know we are in safe hands."
Saturday Kitchen will look a little different this weekend as TV chef Matt Tebbutt will not be hosting the BBC cooking show.
Instead, chef Angela Hartnett will take over presenting duties on the Saturday morning show, the BBC has confirmed to RadioTimes.com.
It comes after Tebbutt revealed that he had undergone emergency surgery to remove his appendix.
The 48-year-old, who has hosted the BBC One show since 2016, took to social media on Wednesday 19th January to share details of his hospital visit.
He shared a picture from his hospital bed on a morphine drip at The Grange Hospital in Grent on Instagram.
“Me, a morphine drip and an emergency appendectomy are keeping me from a much anticipated lunch at @manteca_london," he wrote.
Matt added that he was “so grateful” to the NHS after having an appendectomy, a procedure which removes the appendix when it is infected.
Appendicitis can cause extreme pain and can lead to life-threatening complications if the appendix is not removed – via keyhole surgery – as soon as possible.
“But everything and everyone here at The Grange hospital in Gwent have been fantastic. Couldn’t ask for more from such a brilliant health service. So grateful,” he added.
The official Saturday Kitchen Twitter account wished the TV chef a speedy recovery on Thursday (19th January), writing: "Get well soon Chef!" alongside the picture Matt posted on Instagram.
Amanda Ross, executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, told RadioTimes.com: "Obviously Matt’s emergency surgery took everyone by surprise including him! He is still in hospital, and it’s not clear when he will be well enough to leave."
Talking about Matt's replacement, she added: "Angela is a very popular chef who has hosted the show many times before, and always does an amazing job, so we know we are in safe hands. She will take everything in her stride despite this short notice. We will try and check in with Matt on Zoom if he is well enough.
"Matt is obviously very disappointed as we have such a great guest, Rob Brydon, who we have all been really looking forward to having on the show. The rest of the team, chefs Anna Haugh and Ravneet Gill and our wonderful Wine Expert Olly Smith will help Angela fill Matt’s shoes brilliantly, but it’s obviously never the same without Matt!"
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Matt has been popular with Saturday Kitchen viewers ever since he took over James Martin’s acclaimed presenting stint back in 2016. Martin now helms a rival show on ITV called James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
Tebbutt also currently hosts Food Unwrapped on Channel 4 alongside Kate Quilton and Jimmy Doherty.
He has also co-presented two seasons of Save Money: Good Food for ITV alongside Susanna Reid and, back in 2020, he hosted Daily Kitchen Live alongside Jack Monroe.
Saturday Kitchen airs every Saturday at 10am on BBC One.
If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
