When it was announced that James Martin was stepping down from his role as presenter of Saturday Kitchen, we were shocked. Who was going to fill the omelette-challenge-shaped hole in our hearts?
Since then, the Kitchen has seen a plethora of different chefs step into James’ shoes to present the show, from Rick Stein to Lorraine Pascale.
This has caused a little controversy, with Saturday Kitchen fans unimpressed by the presenting skills of certain guest hosts. Some viewers have even pleaded with BBC bosses to have a permanent presenter.
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And it seems that the man for the job is Irish chef Donal Skehan...
The 30-year-old chef won praise from fans online as he presented last weekend’s show, featuring Olympic rower Helen Glover and chefs Andy Oliver and Vivek Singh.
The chef was such a hit that some viewers began begging BBC bosses to make him a permanent fixture on the show that’s been on our screens since 2002.
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So who is Donal Skehan?
The Dublin-born food presenter and writer has always been an avid food enthusiast, rising to foodie fame with his blog, Good Mood Food.
Before that, he was member of band Streewize, and even auditioned to be Ireland’s representative in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008.
He’s also been a co-presenter and judge on Junior MasterChef with John Torode, and hosted various food series, including Kitchen Hero on RTÉ and Follow Donal, on Food Network.
He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Sofie Larsson, whom he married this year.
In October this year, the Saturday Kitchen team announced that, despite the programme being hosted by various presenters, Michel Roux Jr, Donal Skehan, Matt Tebbutt and John Torode would serve as regular fixtures on the show.
But whether they’ll pick a long-standing presenter like James Martin (who succeeded Greg Wallace and Antony Worrall Thompson), remains unknown.
What we do know is that the show will remain on our screens until March 2020 – hooray!
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