Tim Lovejoy was left confused by Penn Jillette’s comments during the latest edition of the Channel 4 show
Sunday Brunch presenter Tim Lovejoy was left baffled by one guest.
The weekend show returned to screens on Sunday (September 13), with presenters Tim and Simon Rimmer at the helm. Joining them on the show were guests Beverley Knight, Lara Pulver, Jay Sean, Bloc Party, Van Tulleken, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Penn Jillette.
As the usual format got underway, the Sunday Brunch studio made for engaging viewing but American magician Penn shared a rather surprising confession.
During the segment where the presenters ask their guests to “dump their grumps” by openly sharing their dislikes, Penn confessed that he was rather lost and only understood a fraction of what was being said.
While discussing the topic of Marmite, and whether they have the sticky spread in the US, Penn said: “I haven’t understood very much of anything that’s being said.”
Revealing that he has bad hearing, Penn also shared that he wasn’t a fan of the British accent. He said: “I don’t hear well and I don’t understand accents so, so far on the show I’ve understood about 30% of what is going on. So when I’m in England, which I am often, I spend most of my time understanding no one.”
He then added that he wrote what he believes he hears and believes that this should be one of his grumps he would dump. He added: “It’s just totally a garble nonsense, which I hear every time you speak.”
Emphasising his point, he then said: “I have no idea what you’re saying. I’m sitting here nodding and smiling in total ignorance.”
Confused by Penn’s admission, Tim branded his complaints as “weird”. He said: “I think that’s really weird because I think we’re speaking like…” Penn interjected: “No, you are! You are speaking wonderfully for people like you!”
It comes after Tim was missing from the show at the end of August. The surprise switch was likely to have been noticed by regular Sunday Brunch viewers, particularly given the long-standing on-screen partnership between Tim and Simon.
The pair have worked together for many years, first joining forces on Something for the Weekend before becoming the faces of Sunday Brunch when the Channel 4 programme launched in 2012.
Their presenting partnership has remained a familiar part of Sunday mornings for more than a decade, making Lovejoy’s absence from this week’s episode all the more striking.
Stepping in to replace him was presenter Yinka Bokinni, who is an experienced broadcaster in her own right. She has worked across both radio and television and has established herself as a familiar face through a range of TV appearances, as well as her work covering entertainment and culture.
There was no explanation given during the programme for Lovejoy’s absence. At the beginning of the show, Yinka simply told viewers that she would be stepping in as his replacement.
Sunday Brunch airs Sundays from 10am on Channel 4.