The 54-year-old returns to screens today as he appears on James Martin’s Saturday Morning from 9.25am on ITV. Plato, who has twice been crowned British Touring Car Championship Champion, will be joined by former I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! contestant and music producer Naughty Boy. The pair will try a variety of dishes served up by chefs Asma Khan, Jude Kereama and Daniel Galmiche, while also enjoying burgers, potted shrimp and sea bass rustled up by Martin.
The racer is not shy when it comes to the TV camera, as Mr Plato has been a presenter on Quest’s motor show Fifth Gear, a role he has carried out since 2004.
And it would appear when it came to politics, in particular Brexit, Mr Plato was as comfortable sharing his opinion on the European Union, as he was the latest Vauxhall Allegra.
But his anti-Brexit beliefs got the racer in trouble with one fan, who turned on the Oxford-born motorist, who lashed out at him on Twitter.
Last year, Mr Plato shared with his 119,000 followers that he had “ordered a load of light fittings from a UK website”, which had totalled around £430.
He continued: “It’s taken the best part of two weeks and just been informed by UPS (United Parcel Service) that I have to pay £90 duty as they are originating in Belgium!
“Never mind at least we can get blue passports.”
Mr Plato added the hashtag “BREXS**T” before two angry emojis.
While some agreed with Mr Plato’s frustrations at the apparent additional price of duty on his goods, others were frustrated at yet another attack on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
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Plato’s fury towards Brexit is at odds with the opinions of today’s host, who has spoken openly in the past about how the UK’s break from the EU could be a good opportunity for British chefs, and the food industry more generally.
Although he admitted that he knew Brexit was “going to be a bit of a cock-up”, he said the “least we can do is support all the amazing producers that produce all the food or wine or beer in the UK”.
In 2019, when Martin made his comments to i, the 48-year-old acknowledged that within the industry, and with Remain-backing voters, “there are still concerns” about what Brexit would mean.
But he shut down Remainer fears over food shortages, arguing “we’re not going to starve”, before saying the UK should be proud of what it produces.
He added: “We should be talking about what’s amazing about this country and its producers rather than slagging it off and moaning, which is what we do a lot.
“We are good at moaning and groaning, not so good at praising people.”
Brexit helped the former Ready Steady Cook chef come up with his new show James Martin’s Great British Adventure, which he hoped would give farmers and producers a platform to demonstrate the ingenuity of British cuisine.
In 2019, Martin told the Daily Mail how he planned to travel the country, while eating in the “finest restaurants in the land”, cooking up treats on British beaches and enjoying good, old-fashioned chip shops.
He said after the Brexit vote: “I remember thinking, ‘Well, let’s show the country at its best'”, adding: “If one good thing comes out of it, then maybe it’ll be that we support the food we produce.”
James Martin’s Saturday Morning airs today at 9.25am on ITV.