The BBC Cooking Segment That Went Horribly Wrong

Over the weekend, BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen host Donal Skehan teamed up with comedian Julian Clary and chef Jun Tanaka to prep some fish for a barbecue segment. It seemed like a dish Skehan could’ve made in his sleep.

Not so for Skehan, who, minutes into the segment, sliced his finger while chopping some herbs. It came just two weeks after a disastrous pudding collapse on the same show, when cooking duo the Hairy Bikers attempted to plate a pudding, though this Saturday's incident was, somehow, even more catastrophic. A reminder that not even the most seasoned and practiced of chefs is immune to the slip-n-slice of a hand.

(WARNING: Though the gore is more discussed than seen, the more squeamish among us may consider this mildly graphic.)

Skehan's composure is certainly something to behold: I marvel at his ability accept the injury and tend to it swiftly, with humor. Though it's hilarious to see his valorous attempts at denying his obvious pain, wrapping his finger in a tea towel to suppress his bleeding.

The episode descended into mild chaos as it wore on, a confused cameraman wandering onto the frame mistakenly. I can’t help but snort when I watch this:

If only I were lucky enough to see this unfold in real time! I’m sitting on the other side of the Atlantic, so I caught wind of this episode’s wild happenings later in the day on Saturday, when the British and Irish presses had spun many stories of out it (inspired, really, by the reaction to the segment on social media). The segment sent some viewers into panic, but hours after it aired, Skehan assured the public he was fine and thankful for the well wishes.

Poor Skehan, down a finger—his minor flesh wound documented televisually, and thus etched into history. I certainly wouldn't want anyone to film me when I severed a limb while dicing some shoots and sprouts. Good on him for smiling through it. May we all handle sliced fingers with such grace.

Does this clip bring back not-so-fond memories of mishaps in the kitchen—knives going where they shouldn’t? Share tales of your kitchen disasters below.