This Morning chef James Martin has quit social media - here's what happened

This Morning chef James Martin has quit social media after receiving backlash for his virtual cookalong event that was branded a “disaster” by attendees.

The chef says that he has been the target of “vile abuse” by those angry that they had experienced technical issues during the sold-out cooking masterclass.

What happened?

Martin held a virtual cookery class on Saturday 3 October, which invited fans and foodies to create a three course meal alongside Martin during the 90-minute experience.

The menu was set to consist of a start of halloumi with chilli jam, a main course of chicken saute with vinegar and pilaf rice, and a dessert of a raspberry tart.

Tickets for the event had launched at 10am on Friday 11 September, and cost cookery fans £35 for the virtual masterclass - not including the individual cost for ingredients.

However, many attendees were left frustrated after technical issues left their screens frozen or unable to connect to the event.

Some of those who attended the event called it “a chaotic shambles” and a “complete disaster”, with many commenting that Martin moved through the cooking instructions too quickly.

Others questioned if the event itself was even live, stating that it was “clearly pre-recorded”.

What has James Martin said?

Taking to Twitter, the chef explained that he would be taking a break from social media following the online abuse he received after the show.

In a thread of tweets, Martin wrote: “Having seen some of the comments posted online regarding last night’s cook along and the anger towards me given the technical issues that the production team were having, I would like to apologise again for this and I will be chasing up with Live Nation, the production company IT team and all the people they hired, to find out the problem.