Chef James Martin reportedly enjoyed his highest viewing figures in eight years last year and, according to his friend Chris Evans, there’s an unusual reason behind his continued success11:18, 15 Aug 2026James Martin has apparently stumbled on an unusual way to lift viewing figures for his ITV show Saturday Morning. The TV chef, who has fronted the programme since 2017 after his Saturday Kitchen stint on the BBC, is said to be enjoying some of his best ratings yet.‌Reports last year claimed the Yorkshire-born presenter had notched up his strongest audience figures to date, with viewing up eight per cent on the slot’s 2024 average. And according to Holly Willoughby, she had heard that James Martin brightening up his style had contributed to the show's success.‌Speaking on her YouTube series Together, which has over 18,000 subscribers, Holly told comedian Joanne McNally she’d heard James “had his colours done” - then returned to screen in more vivid shades, with ratings jumping dramatically and staying high. “He went back on Saturday Morning wearing colours and the ratings went up like 40 per cent,” she claimed to have heard.‌The chat took a comic turn when Holly’s outfit briefly got caught on a coat hanger, flashing her underwear. “That’s how I get my ratings up,” she joked, before returning to the subject.In response, Joanne said she didn't believe this was the reason behind Jame's success, adding: "It can't be because of that, this sounds like he's got a very powerful stylist who's paddling that, there's no way."‌She went on to urge Holly to experiment with stronger colours too, after acknowledging her safer choices.The story regarding James and his show is believed to trace back to broadcaster Chris Evans, who shared the story on his Virgin Radio Breakfast Show in 2019.Chris told listeners a colour consultant had approached the chef during his Saturday Kitchen era, offering to choose what he wore on screen. He claimed the result was immediate, adding: “The ratings went up by a million the next week and they never, ever went down again.”‌The presenter also said he follows the same approach himself, insisting orange and turquoise work best for him.James' show is filmed in a relaxed weekend style from his home, but despite being a familiar face on TV, he has admitted he never watches himself back.Article continues below“I’ve never watched myself in 34 years of doing it. I can’t watch it,” he told The Independent. "Usually my mum phones me up and says, ‘That shirt looks s**t, you can’t wear that again’."That’s usually the comment I get on Saturday Morning – ‘What the b****y hell are you wearing that shirt for?’ That’ll be the one, after all these years," he added.James Martin's Saturday Morning airs weekly at 10.30am on ITV and ITVX