JAMIE OLIVER may have rubbed some viewers up the wrong way with his recent series using air fryers, but it doesn’t seem to have put off Channel 4.
And the broadcaster has snapped him up for two new shows.
First, he will serve up a series called Jamie’s Money Saving Meals, which will see him dish out tips on cutting costs to make decent dinners.
Then he’s making a new food travel show called Jamie Cooks Georgia, which sees him head to the southern US state — the country’s No1 producer of peanuts — to explore their cuisine.
A TV insider said: “Bagging these two shows sees Jamie still going strong as a television chef — and they couldn’t have come at a more momentous time.
“He’s currently celebrating 25 years of being on our telly screens as his debut series, The Naked Chef, first aired back in 1999.
“It’s hard to believe that after a quarter of a century he’s still enjoying making cookery shows and enjoying a huge following.
“That’s despite the fact that he did get a few digs over his air fryer series which aired last month.”
There was a steady flow of snide remarks about the shows, which featured him using several versions of the trendy devices to create his meals.
The main criticism was that while he was juggling several of the gadgets, the average person only has one, at most, in their kitchen.
When the series aired, Jamie was in Georgia making one of his new shows.
Over there, news of the chef being in the state even saw him get a mention in the local media.
They stated: “Jamie will learn about the country’s unique food culture as he meets local artisans and learns how to cook Georgian dishes.”
The programme will air on his social media channels and is likely to transfer to Channel 4 within months.
Meanwhile, Jamie’s Money Saving Meals is expected to air later this year.
I wonder if either of his new series will include air fryers.
Matt’s gotta hurt
AS a former doctor, you would expect Matt Smith to be able to handle most cases.
But the actor finds himself bowled over by one in his upcoming drama, The Death Of Bunny Munro, currently being filmed for Sky.
The ex-TV Time Lord, seen here taking a tumble, plays the lead in the six-part adaptation of a novel by singer Nick Cave.
As Bunny, Matt finds himself struggling to come to terms with his wife’s suicide, so he goes on a road trip across England with his son, who he is not the best parent to.
It’s hardly a surprise given he’s a sex addict whose life skills amount to seducing women and selling beauty products door-to-door.
Which at least explains what’s in that case – but most ladies like a man who can remain upright.
Secret’s out for ITV Tom
ITV News presenter Tom Bradby has breaking news of his own, as the channel has announced a new espionage thriller series based on his crime novel.
Adapted from Tom’s book Secret Service, the drama is a suspenseful story deeply rooted in today’s political landscape.
It delves into the age-old tensions between Russia and the UK and follows a senior MI6 officer whose undercover operations reveal alarming evidence that a UK politician is possibly a high-level Russian asset.
Tom said: “I am so thrilled ITV have commissioned this.
“I felt the themes were achingly topical when I wrote the novel – and they have only become more so since.”
Has Sean Bean bad again?
THREE years after his Bafta-winning role in prison drama Time, Sean Bean is back on the wrong side of the law in another gritty BBC drama.
In This City Is Ours, he plays gang leader Ronnie Phelan, who begins to imagine a life beyond organised crime.
In This City Is Ours, he plays gang leader Ronnie Phelan, who begins to imagine a life beyond organised crime. The eight-parter, which has started filming in Liverpool and Spain, will see Sean joined by James Nelson-Joyce, Hannah Onslow and Julie Graham.
There’s a punchy team behind it too, with the director of recent Bafta-honoured drama The Sixth Commandment at the helm and Stephen Butchard, known for The Last Kingdom, as writer.
Producer Andy Harries said: “Stephen is a master storyteller. He throws us in at the deep end with fascinating, multi-faceted characters and we have put together a top-tier cast to bring them to life. This City Is Ours is going to blow the bloody doors off.”
'It's disgusting'
COMIC Romesh Ranganathan tells how upset he was when he witnessed the homophobia that exists in Uganda.
In the first part of his new Misadventures series on BBC Two tonight, he says: “People feel empowered to be homophobic because they’re backed up by law – it’s horrible, it’s disgusting.”
Step too far for joker Mo
MO Gilligan wasn’t impressed when he played football alongside Madonna’s son Rocco Ritchie.
The Masked Singer judge says he first met Rocco when he teamed up with other celebs on Rod Stewart’s footie pitch at his LA home.
On Russell Howard’s Wonderbox podcast, Mo revealed: “Basically we’ve got this kid in our team and he’s just doing loads of little stepovers.
“I’m like, ‘Come on man – we’re one-nil down’. We lost.
“We start playing the next game, and he starts doing stepovers. I said to my mate, ‘What’s wrong with this kid? Tell him to pass the ball!’.
“My mate’s like, ‘That’s Madge’s son’. And I’m like, ‘Who’s Madge?’.
“I’m in football mode. For this kid to be doing stepovers, I don’t care who your mum is.”
I bet he wouldn’t dare take it up with the Queen Of Pop . . .
Josh on soap cameo
JOSH Widdicombe revealed during his guest appearance on quiz show Pointless that EastEnders once asked him to play Sonia’s boyfriend on the soap.
He said: “They described him as a nerd. They emailed my agent and said, ‘This would be perfect for Josh!’ I’ve never been so offended!”