ITV has been forced to issue an apology after The Voice production team emailed a small bakery business requesting free food for the singing competition show. Get Baked UK, owned by Rich Myers, received an email from ITV producers asking for complimentary products to boost the energy of talent and celebrity coaches during long filming days.
Email Request Sparks Outrage
The email, shared by Rich Myers on Instagram, stated: “I’m working on ITV’s The Voice this year. We have a very high calibre of talent lined up for the show, along with our celebrity coaches who are soon to be revealed. We start filming in a couple of months, and we are looking for amazing products to boost their long working days!” It added: “Unfortunately, we at ITV are unable to offer anything monetary or otherwise in return for your products, but if you did agree to provide us with your products, it would have exposure to our highly influential coaches and presenters in the studios.”
Rich Myers admitted he initially thought the request was a “wind up” before realising it was “totally real”. He wrote on Instagram: “ITV and Lifted Entertainment, you’re a total disgrace. Honestly, how did we get here? Stop whatever this is because I wanna get off.”
Celebrities and Public React
Celebrities including Ulrika Jonsson and Laila Rouass commented on the post. Ulrika fumed: “I honestly thought this was a joke… the audacity is insane.” Laila added: “This is cringe!” The post quickly went viral, drawing widespread criticism of ITV’s approach.
ITV Apologises
Following the backlash, ITV sent a follow-up apology letter, which Rich also shared. It read: “We wanted to reach out to apologise for any upset caused by our email. This was not in line with our usual ways of working, nor does it reflect the standards we expect of ourselves. We’re truly sorry to have caused offence. Immediate steps have been taken to ensure this type of request is never made again.”
Rich responded: “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 f***ing massive win. Time will tell. If you own an independent business, and ITV do happen to come knocking, please be sure to let me know.”
Lifted Entertainment Responds
A spokesperson for 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.” The incident has highlighted the pressure on small businesses to provide free products in exchange for exposure.
