Kim Woodburn’s last recorded television appearance aired Tuesday on Channel 5, prompting an outpouring of praise from viewers who described the late presenter as "a true icon" and "a one off."
The episode of Supermarket Own Brands: The Big Taste Test, filmed more than a year before broadcast, pairs Woodburn with presenter Mason McLaughlin and actor Neil Burgess as they compare supermarket own-brand products with name brands and offer their verdicts. The programme was scheduled to air at 7 p.m. on Channel 5.
Viewers reacted on X, formerly Twitter, as the episode screened. One user wrote, "I’ve always liked Kim Woodburn. She has a keen sense of smell for bull**** and spoke plainly. She was a one off." Others urged friends to tune in, calling her a "true icon" and encouraging audiences to watch what was promoted as her final television appearance.
In the run-up to the broadcast, show presenter Mason McLaughlin shared a photograph on social media of himself, Woodburn and two other participants, and invited viewers to watch the programme. The episode was recorded well before Woodburn’s death and had not been presented as a tribute.
Woodburn, who rose to fame as co-host of Channel 4’s How Clean Is Your House? alongside Aggie McKenzie and earned the informal title the "Queen of Clean," died on June 16 at age 83 following a short illness. Her representative said at the time, "It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved Kim Woodburn passed away yesterday following a short illness," and asked for privacy for her husband, Peter, and close friends.
A familiar face on British daytime television, Woodburn made regular appearances on ITV’s This Morning and Loose Women and participated in reality series including I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2009 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2017. Her last public appearance before her death was reported to be at the funeral of fellow television personality The Vivienne in Denbighshire, Wales, on Jan. 27, when she attended with her husband.
In the weeks before she died, Woodburn cancelled work commitments for health reasons. Her husband was reported to have been managing her Instagram account, and a notice on her Cameo page said she would not be recording further personal video messages because of a health problem. In March she posted on Instagram, "No more videos for now, my loves, I need to get better."
Following the Channel 5 broadcast, tributes from viewers and colleagues highlighted Woodburn’s blunt, forthright on-screen persona and long career in television. Her representative reiterated requests for privacy for family and close friends after her death, and no further personal details were released.
The Supermarket Own Brands episode will remain part of Channel 5’s scheduled programming, and the airing served as the final televised performance of a presenter who became a household name over three decades in British media.