Top TV chef James Martin creates delicious dishes but can't explain recipe for hit show

Scottish Daily Record - HE flunked cookery at school and James Martin yesterday admitted he is still amazed at becoming one of Britain's best-known chefs.

The host of BBC daytime hit Saturday Kitchen might have had a disaster with his home economics GCSE but the three million viewers who tune into the show every week don't seem to mind.

Straight-talking Yorkshireman James, 37, has even become one of the most eligible bachelors on TV thanks to the astonishing success of the programme.

He said: "Don't ask me why it's so successful. I haven't been to performing arts college and I don't try to pretend to be something I'm not - which I think is probably the key.

"When I got the job I started phoning round all the top chefs I knew - many of whom I'd worked with - and asked if they would come on the show.

"People like the Roux Brothers agreed, which was brilliant because they don't normally do TV.

"Before we knew it, we had a queue of people waiting to get on. Loads of celebrities want to do it now.

"At one point I found myself interviewing Jackie Collins and I thought: 'I'm a kid from Yorkshire. Why on earth does Jackie Collins want to come on my show?' I still think it's amazing."