Gregg Wallace has reacted to the outraged critics of his ‘human flesh’ documentary, which received hundreds of complaints from Ofcom.
The British Meat Miracle, which aired on Channel 4 on Monday night and followed the MasterChef presenter, 58, as he toured a plant making ‘human’ steak, leaving viewers perplexed.
The product, which began at 99p, was positioned as a cost-cutting option in the midst of a severe cost-of-living crisis, with a new ‘premium’ version, known as ‘toddler tartare,’ also in the works.
While the documentary was entirely fictitious and meant as a comedy of the desperate measures necessary to live as electricity and food prices skyrocketed, the audience was perplexed, with one noting, ‘This has got to be a joke!’ Is it that horrible that we’re resorting to cannibalism?’
Brenda Edwards of Loose Women chimed in, saying she was’so worked up’ after seeing the mockumentary, which left her scared she might be swallowed up during the night.
Gregg, who earlier offered a brief but amusing reaction to the anger, has now gone into further detail about the inspiration – and research – behind The British Meat Miracle.
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While the programme was “pure fiction,” the former greengrocer added that the crew sought to “raise concerns” about the expense of living and our connection with food, which was supported by experts and research.
He continued to The Sun: ‘The programme makers consulted with experts to make sure what we were saying reflected what is actually happening and didn’t wander into the realms of science fiction.
‘Scientists in the US have already come up with the concept of a “grow your own” kit, where it would be possible to create a steak from cells scraped from the inside of your own cheek.
‘The creation of synthetic meats is an area of huge scientific research, with millions being invested in it. More and more “fake meat” products are filling our supermarket shelves every day. Advances such as this raise a load of fascinating moral questions.’
Gregg’s response echos a statement from Channel 4 which described the documentary as ‘a thought-provoking commentary.’
‘This “mockumentary” is a witty yet thought-provoking commentary on the extreme measures many people are being forced to take to stay afloat in our society during the cost of living crisis,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Channel 4 has a long and rich history of satire and has often used humour as an accessible way to highlight society’s most important issues.’
Gregg Wallace: The British Miracle Meat is available to stream on demand on Channel 4.
