Despite being warned that one of the Celebrity MasterChef semi-finals would feature a round centred on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, several fans were left in shock by the celebratory nature of the episode.
Tonight, a double bill of the competition aired on BBC One after being rescheduled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Earlier this year, the late monarch, who died at the age of 96, celebrated her Platinum Jubilee with an extravagant concert outside Buckingham Palace, which honoured her 70 years on the throne.
During the first Celebrity MasterChef semi-final to air on Thursday September 15, celebrities including former professional footballer Jimmy Bullard, presenter Lisa Snowdown and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Kitty Scott-Claus were tasked with coming up with dishes inspired by the Jubilee.
The episode was filmed before the Queen’s death, with MasterChef releasing a statement on social media that read: ‘#CelebrityMasterChef returns to BBC One & @bbciplayer with a double bill from 8:30pm tonight. The first episode includes a challenge inspired by Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and was filmed before last week’s sad news. #MasterChefUK.’
However, that didn’t stop viewers from remarking on the ‘deeply unfortunate timing’ of the episode.
‘#CelebrityMasterChef needed a trigger warning tonight,’ one person tweeted, while another said: ‘Awww this is making me sad.’
Someone else said that the round made them realise ‘why they originally pulled this episode for a few days’, while another shared: ‘Turn on #celebritymasterchef for a break from all the news and they’re making a dish that pays tribute to the queen.’
Another expressed that in their opinion, the semi-final was ‘badly timed’.
The first semi-final of the night also saw national treasure Dame Mary Berry make a special appearance, with the celebrities tasked with making dishes based on her recipes.
At one point, Dame Mary was left looking gobsmacked over a cheeky reference to her former Great British Bake Off co-star Paul Hollywood.
Celebrity MasterChef returns tomorrow at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
