Cooking up controversy
Jamie Oliver’s latest TV show, Jamie’s Great Escape, has provoked complaints from Catholics, the Italian embassy, and animal rights groups.
The Independent reports that some viewers were upset by his behaviour at the Farfa monastery in Italy, where he bunked off morning prayers and phoned his wife during a silent meditation period. When he served the monks a meal he claimed “it don’t get much holier than that”; and when asked to say grace he said: “For what we are about to receive, may God be truly thankful”.
Animal rights groups were upset by last night’s episode, when Oliver slit the throat of a lamb. The Mirror even had the idea of asking Massah John Beyer of Mediawatch-UK for his opinion, and the smut campaigner leapt at the chance to have a pop at Channel 4:
Channel 4 should have paid attention to people’s sensitivities. The scheduling of this scene before the watershed was inappropriate.
The Daily Mail also thought it important get a quote:
The slaughter of animals on television is something that would be shocking for young children. It might be all right for a butcher or a chef to see on television but to others it would be upsetting. Channel 4 should really have been a bit more intelligent about this.