ITV's competition show The Voice has apologised after being called out for asking a bakery to provide food without payment. Get Baked UK, run by Rich Myers, shared an email from a producer which he initially believed was a 'wind up' before realising the request was 'totally real'.
Bakery owner calls out ITV for 'free cake' request
In the original email, a producer asked Get Baked to supply their 'amazing products' for the green rooms and talent dressing rooms at The Voice. The catch was that they were 'unable to offer anything monetary or otherwise' as payment, instead highlighting the 'exposure' to presenters and coaches who are 'highly influential', as well as contestants.
Rich branded ITV and production company Lifted Entertainment a 'total disgrace', asking 'how did we get here' when he posted on social media. He said in another post that a company making £350 million in profit asking for free cake 'should be made illegal'.
Bakery's response goes viral
The baker replied to the producer, writing: 'I must admit I'm trying really hard not to bite at this stuff as of late, but on this occasion I simply cannot resist.' He insisted he wasn't blaming the person who sent the email but asked them to tell their 'boss, boss's boss, and boss's boss's boss' to 'f off'.
Within hours, Rich's post had gone viral with hundreds of comments from other prominent food businesses and disappointed viewers. Haircare brand Silkie claimed to have received the same email, with Choc on Choc saying they 'fell for' the offer in 2020.
ITV and Lifted Entertainment apologise
In response, ITV emailed him again, which read: 'We wanted to reach out to apologise for any upset caused by our email. This was not in line with our usual way of working nor does it reflect the standards we expect of ourselves. We're truly sorry to have caused offence.'
In a statement to Metro, Lifted Entertainment said: 'We apologise for any upset this has caused and are reaching out to Rich Myers directly. Immediate steps have been taken to ensure this type of request is never made again.'
Bakery owner accepts apology but warns others
Posting the email on Instagram, Rich wrote: 'You know what, all jokes aside — if ITV stay true to their word here, and this whole thing actually results in the end of them asking for freebies from independents, then it's a massive win. Time will tell.'
To his followers, he added: 'If you own an independent business, and ITV do happen to come knocking, please be sure to let me know. I feel like I'm the new presenter for WatchDog or whatever it's called. Maybe I'm on about Crime Watch? Either way, I'm here for you.'
Ultimately, Rich did accept the apology as he was 'not one to hold a grudge' but warned the company not to do it again.
