Sunday Brunch stars issued strict rule on set as one major item is 'banned'

Sunday Brunch has banned all guests on the Channel 4 show from posing with cutlery, in case it is interpreted as "celebrating knife crime", Frank Skinner has claimed. The comic made an appearance last year on the show, alongside hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer and a string of other celebrity guests from Yvette Fielding to X Factor's Alexandra Burke.

However, there was one major rule which all of them were obliged to follow, despite the fact it's a cooking show - no cutlery in photoshoots. Talking on his podcast Frank Off The Radio, he revealed: "When you do Sunday Brunch and you pose for the publicity photos, they always say, 'You have to put the knife down!'" As his co-stars broke into laughter, he explained: "You can't be photographed holding a knife because of current sensitivities and celebrating knife crime."

His co-star Pierre Novellie playfully shot back: "Well, they're not going to use that photo on the news when you go on a rampage!"

However, Frank joked: "They might be glad, it might come in handy if you go on a rampage!"

The decision was taken following reports that there were more than 50,000 criminal cases recorded involving a knife or sharp object in England and Wales in a single year alone.

Sunday Brunch stars have had to stick to brandishing plates and mugs instead, with viewers never seeing them so much as eating with cutlery in publicity shots now.

Meanwhile, Frank caused shock during his appearance on the Channel 4 show by revealing a very divisive food preference.

He enjoys tucking into bananas with a side of mustard powder for seasoning - and it left horrified fans glued to their screens when he first tried out the peculiar combination, on air.

"I was on a show where we had powdered mustard and just for the hell of it, I dipped a banana in to see what it would be like – and it actually tasted great," he defended, adding: "Sort of a sweet and sour thing going on!"

His podcast, Frank Off The Radio, follows the end of a 15-year-stint on Absolute Radio, when he'd made a name for himself in his Saturday slot.