{"id":19410,"date":"2025-07-24T03:46:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T03:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/19410\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T03:46:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T03:46:08","slug":"sue-perkins-touched-inappropriately-by-orville-the-duck-on-light-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/19410\/","title":{"rendered":"Sue Perkins &#8216;touched inappropriately&#8217; by Orville the Duck on Light Lunch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Comedian Sue Perkins was allegedly touched by puppet Orville the Duck during her TV series Light Lunch, which she hosted with best pal Mel Giedroyc during the 1990s<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_BAFTA-Television-Craft-and-BAFTA-Television-Awards-Nominees-Party-Inside.jpg\" alt=\"Sue Perkins was 'touched inappropriately' by Orville the Duck\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Sue Perkins was &#8216;touched inappropriately&#8217; by Orville the Duck(Image: Getty Images for BAFTA)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Sue Perkins&#8217; co-host has claimed she was touched by puppet Orville the Duck as she spoke out against the &#8220;Naughty Nineties&#8221;.<a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/sue-perkins\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> The comedian and former Great British Bake Off host, 55,<\/a> claimed the famous green bird got handsy with her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Her best friend and co-star Mel Giedroyc, 57, spoke of the alleged incident on <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/channel-4\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Channel 4<\/a> daytime show Light Lunch. <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/mel-and-sue\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">They were hosting the programme together<\/a> in 1997 when they saw that children&#8217;s entertainer Keith Harris was invited on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">He turned up with the giant green duckling, who wore a nappy. Mel recalled: \u201cWe\u2019re back in the Naughty Nineties &#8211; woof! Weren\u2019t they naughty &#8211; they were a very naughty decade.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_Keith-Harris-funeral.jpg\" alt=\"Keith Harris, who found fame with his puppet duck, Orville\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Sue claims she was touched by Keith Harris and puppet Orville the Duck(Image: PA)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cThe most memorable of all the lunches, we had three puppeteers with their puppets for lunch. We had Keith Harris with Orville, who got a bit naughty with Sue! Well, Orville did,&#8221; she claimed on the Parenting Hell podcast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">She added: \u201cYes. Harris via Orville got a bit \u2018Naughty Nineties.\u2019\u201d Fellow comedian and podcast host Rob Beckett asked: \u201cHe was nipping at the body?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Mel replied: \u201cYes. There is a ruddy hand (in there)!\u201d Josh Widdecombe added: \u201cThey\u2019d get away with it by claiming it was a grey area,&#8221; to which Mel agreed as she said: &#8220;Exactly!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Keith, who died in 2015 aged 67, and the two other guests Roger de Courcey with Nookie Bear and Matthew Corbett with Sooty, were all allegedly captivated by Sue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Mel claimed: \u201cThey were trying to get all over Perks\u2019s grill, she was the honey trap, I was just the fly buzzing round the edge rather desperately. They bloomin\u2019 loved Perks, all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Sue and Mel met while studying at Cambridge University, where they <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/tv\/tv-news\/inside-life-sue-perkins-famous-34041346\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">launched their long-standing career together. <\/a>In the 1990s, the comedy duo wrote for <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/bbc\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"BBCLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC<\/a> Radio 4 show Weekending and created sketches for French &amp; Saunders.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_Arqiva-British-Academy-Television-Awards-Inside-Arrivals.jpg\" alt=\"Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc \" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>She hosted Light Lunch with best mate Mel(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">They went on to host daytime shows Light Lunch and Late Lunch for Channel 4 between 1997 and 1998. Their series ended in 1999 and Mel insisted they have fond memories of Light Lunch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Mel even revealed there was plenty going on off screen as she admitted to snogging a runner on the programme. She said it was a then-unknown Dermot O&#8217;Leary as he was working one of his very first TV jobs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cThere was a lot going down &#8211; it should have been called Heavy Lunch,&#8221; she teased. Mel and Sue returned to screens years later as the hosts of Great British Bake Off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">They held the positions between 2010 and 2016 on the BBC. However, the pair quit in protest of the show&#8217;s move to Channel 4 and would go on to host their short-lived chat show on <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/itv\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"ITVLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ITV<\/a> called Mel and Sue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">The pair confessed they were &#8220;shocked and saddened&#8221; to discover the news of Bake Off&#8217;s move and explained they &#8220;made no secret&#8221; of their desire for the show to remain where it was.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">The <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Mirror<\/a> has contacted Channel 4 for comment.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/money\/shopping-deals\/40p-day-gp-backed-supplement-35597391\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">40p-a-day GP-backed supplement gives &#8216;stressed&#8217; shoppers a &#8216;full night&#8217;s sleep&#8217;<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Like this story? 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