Independent bakery owner Rich Myers, known for his Manchester-based business GET BAKED, has publicly criticized ITV's The Voice for requesting free food for the show's celebrity guests and coaches. Myers shared an email from The Voice team on Instagram, where they asked for products to be supplied for dressing rooms and green rooms. The email stated that ITV was "unable to offer anything monetary or otherwise in return for your products" but suggested the bakery would receive "exposure to our highly influential coaches and presenters in the studios, as well as our contestants."
Myers, who has a significant following on Instagram, called the request from ITV, a "conglomerate posting pre-tax profits of circa £350m," an "absolute disgrace" and suggested it should be made illegal. He noted that The Voice's viewership has declined significantly since 2015 and offered marketing assistance, which he stressed would not be free.
In his reply to the email, which he shared online, Myers stated, "I’m not blaming you because I don’t doubt it’s obviously part of your job, but I would please ask that you tell the following people to f*** off on my behalf: 1. Your boss, 2. Your boss's boss, 3. Your boss's boss's boss." He later clarified that he did not blame the individual who sent the email, but urged corporate employees to refuse such requests.
GET BAKED, which previously closed from 2015 to 2021, has gained attention for its edgy marketing and popular items like the £20 "Bertha cake." The bakery operates a store in Manchester's Northern Quarter and offers nationwide shipping across the UK.
This incident is not isolated, as other public figures and media productions have faced similar backlash for requesting free goods in exchange for publicity. In a separate case, Made in Chelsea star Binky Felstead's team reportedly asked a luxury cake business for a birthday cake for her son in exchange for an Instagram post. The bakery owner, Reshmi Bennett, publicly named Felstead and stated that her staff could not be paid with exposure. Felstead's representative maintained it was a standard inquiry and expressed disappointment over the public sharing of a private exchange.
Additionally, in 2023, former Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley's 40th birthday party planning reportedly involved a PR company asking an independent bakery for a large cake, a smaller cake for her husband, and 100 cupcakes, offering promotion on social media and in OK Magazine as payment. The bakery owner declined the offer, stating her staff needed to be paid. The PR company later claimed the email had been misconstrued and that their client would cover all expenses in exchange for exposure.