Nadiya Hussain responds to critics

[PruthePrune]

Nadiya Hussain responds to critics

I can understand her being upset that her shows have been axed, apparently ratings were falling, However, I find it hugely disappointing that she has brought race/religion into it. No one is entitled to a BBC show and I think she has had a bloody good run. AIBU?

And also...chefs run out of steam - no-one can come up with new recipes and new approaches for ever. They have their USP, and then we've seen it all. Joe Public gets tired of people - sad, but true. TV gobbles up original material at the speed of light and people get chewed up and spat out.

I used to like Nigella in the early days, but once the shows became so silly, over-staged, OTT and especially when they'd obviously told Nigella to flirt so much with the camera, I stopped enjoying it.

I cannot - really - wrap my head around how people come to these opinions.
On what basis do you conclude she was axed because she was not being 'a good little muslim' and nit because her show was not attracting enough viewers?
It blows my mind that people can twist and warp things to fit their agenda to such a staggering degree.

Agree.

That is utter nonsense and I say this as someone who knows people who work on the TV/books side of things with her (won’t say which). She no longer sells as she did. Her recipes haven’t been that great of late. She’s been pulling out of TV appearances.

It’s a very, very crowded market. Up against instagram and TikTok, someone in the traditional TV + book deal market has got to produce quality content year after year after year. She isn’t anymore.

CatRoleplayTycoon · Yesterday 19:41
Indeed. Did the Hairy Bikers tick a ‘hairy and northern’ box? Jamie Oliver a ‘cheeky chappy with an annoying vocab’ box? Nigel Slater a ‘feathery stroker from North London who wraps things in paper a lot’ box? Mary Berry a ‘Thatcherite traditionalist’ box?

I think the BBC's line with Mary Berry was 'everyone's lovely granny'. Now Mary Berry has had a long and successful career, more in print journalism, recipe testing and as a sort of 'backroom woman' for decades before the BBC picked her up. And fair play to her - she knows her stuff, but she's not a flashy, glamorous, trendy young chef.

I'm a super-cynic and once I get a whiff that I'm supposed to relate to these cooks in some kind of adoring, personal way, I run for the hills. I just want their recipes and their expertise.

I don't particularly warm to Mary Berry, but I to be fair that's more to do with the BBC's sentimental manipulation of her image than anything she's done with food!

Katypp · Today 09:51
I cannot - really - wrap my head around how people come to these opinions.
On what basis do you conclude she was axed because she was not being 'a good little muslim' and nit because her show was not attracting enough viewers?
It blows my mind that people can twist and warp things to fit their agenda to such a staggering degree.

I totally agree with this. What? What's being a Muslim got to do with this? What an enormous stretch!

Nadiya has had her moment in the sun, and that's more than most people get. If someone's suggested she should be grateful for that, I'm sorry - I can't see what's wrong with that. I've heard many a has-been TV personality express gratitude for the time they had, and gracefully accept that there are now new kids on the block.

If TV personalities stayed in post for ever, how would that give opportunities to new younger people coming up behind? They too deserve a break.

Move along the bus, Nadiya!

That isn't what I mean. I mean that the BBC likes to have a diverse offering of talent (as they should), but when presenters etc. speak up about issues which affect them like racism, Islamophobia, misogyny etc., the BBC is much more likely to manage them out than to stand by them or give them a platform for their views.

Because they are publicly funded under the BBC charter. That requires them to be politically neutral. If they just let anyone who works for them to shout off about what they like they will be in breach of their charter. If they want to take licence payers money via the BBC then that is the price they have to pay.

She was interesting and refreshing along time ago. As others have said the world moves on, no one in the entertainment industry is owed a living. I have to conclude it’s a disappointment that she feels the need to play that tired and outdated race card. Move on.

@Tandora
”She's reflecting on her experiences as a(n) immigrant woman”

She’s not an immigrant. She was born and raised in Luton and has spent her whole life since in the UK.

RTFT

I've always liked Nadiya, but I don't think she's covered herself in glory here and suspect alot of people will now wonder if her approach to dealing with this situation is how she is generally and what led to the decision being made by the BBC.

I understand she must be disappointed and it sounds like the BBC were trying to make out it was her decision which is off, but that's show business.

I can see her point about the tone of the message about being grateful. But her situation is exceptional as I think most people would be told to be grateful regardless of their background if they managed to get 10 years on a cooking show on prime time TV and lots of lucrative cookbooks etc after a baking competition.

It's a shame she's done this as I think she's reduced other options. I like her presenter style and how warm she is when she speaks to people on her shows, she would have been a good presenter. I hope she gets another chance after this.

A 10 year tv and book career ... for winning a cooking show??? Not bad going! How many other winners can you name? Maybe that's what she has to be grateful for? Maybe it's got nowt to do with what race, colour, or creed she happens to be?

Exactly this. ^

She was still whining and griping a few days go, saying she no longer fits into the BBC's 'very neat box.' WTF does that even mean?

www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/culture/nadiya-hussain-bbc-cooking-show-b2789161.html

Tell me you're bitter without telling me you're bitter. 🙄

As many posters have said, she should be bloody grateful that she got the 10 years she had. She is supremely ungrateful and childish, and as a poster said earlier, she will struggle to get ANY work now, because people can see that she's hard work, and will rant and rage and throw shade over them, if they don't renew her contract!

Her last show, Cook once, Eat twice was not as appealing as her previous shows. I think she’s great but now needs new ideas

Her cooking was very basic, Rice Krispie cake level. Amazed she got 10 years out of it. Nowt to do with race, gender etc. You wouldn't say Rick Stein was axed because he was white and very late middle-aged.

I bought her 5 spices cookery book. TBH none of the recipes I've tried were nice. I cook a lot of Indian food and wanted some recipes that I could make with the spices I have. Some of the recipes were actively unpleasant. I didn't make many things as the 2 or 3 things I tried weren't nice. I think BB she's been given a lot of slack, she has written a niche book (for Ramadan, so really has restricted her market) and then complained about being dropped by the BBC after a much longer run than most.

Just read a magazine article where she's saying she's been working as a teaching assistant?!? Very strange that she had 10 years on mainstream TV, several books and now she's working at a school?

Now I don't expect she was paid millions by the beeb, but she must have been on a good wage, plus personal appearances (I know from personal experience that BBC gardening experts were charging £500 for a couple of hours 20 years ago). Plus she must have signed an endorsement deal or two.

I then watched a YouTube interview where she's saying she's gone back to scratch and got rid of her agent and team.

All smacks of someone who has a high opinion of themselves and is trying to garner the sympathy vote prior to a relaunch.

Let's be honest she is an untrained home cook who would struggle to run a restaurant, no one on here has said her recipes are great and ground breaking, she's allegedly difficult to work with and her cake for the late queens birthday wouldn't have been presented if it wasn't hers as it looked dreadful.