A comment by chef Marco Pierre White on the British TV series, "Hell's Kitchen," has provoked criticism of the culinary celebrity.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I don't think it was a pikey's picnic tonight," he said, using what is widely regarded as a defamatory term for itinerant travelers.
"These distasteful comments are highly derogatory and have caused much offense," a commission spokesman said.
Trainee chef Lee Ryan confronted White on his choice of words.
"I have a lot of friends who are travelers," he told White during filming, "and I know they don't like being called pikeys."A spokeswoman for the ITV network, which airs "Hell's Kitchen," has apologized for White's on-air comments.
