Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt shares concerns over James Martin's 'very loyal following'

express.co.uk:

Matt Tebbutt, 48, has hosted BBC's Saturday Kitchen since James Martin's departure in 2016, having previously covered for the chef on the show before.The TV personality has spoken exclusively to Express.co.uk about his concerns over James' "very loyal following" when he took over the role and his worry they would not stay for him.James presented the cookery series Saturday Kitchen from 2006 until 2016, before leaving the BBC.He now works for ITV, hosting Saturday Morning with James Martin since 2017.Matt took over from James in 2016 and has spoken exclusively to Express.co.uk about how he felt filling such big shoes.He said: "James had a very loyal following, so I’ve been really pleased that so many viewers have stuck with me."Luckily, I had covered for James quite a few times, so I already knew the ropes and how things worked behind the scenes."The entire team at the show are so friendly and very supportive of me."Matt also worried prior to taking over the show how its viewers would take to him due to the pair's contrasting personalities.He continued: "James and I are quite different personalities, so I just hoped I could put my own stamp on the show, do it in my own way and add my own personality."I hope I’ve achieved that, and viewers are still happy."James has spoken previously about his departure from Saturday Kitchen, admitting he never realised the "impact" he had.Speaking on the Talkshire Podcast podcast, James confessed: "It just really didn't really hit me until I left Saturday Kitchen, which is five years ago now, I didn't realise how big a deal it was and I genuinely mean that."I remember saying to Chris Evans before I announced the fact that I was leaving and he spat his drink out, he couldn't believe it."I.