Sunday Brunch presenters in awkward opening as they choke on words

Watch: Sunday Brunch got off to a chaotic start

What did you miss?

Channel 4's cookery talkshow Sunday Brunch began with a whimper as opposed to a bang this morning (April 28).

Not quite poised for the cameras, presenting duo Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer were seemingly mid-gulp on their cups of tea/coffee as the exterior shot of Television Centre cut to the studio.

Today's guest line-up of Sue Perkins, Sophie Thompson, Josh Widdicombe, Jason Fox and Jess Glynne watched on rather awkwardly as both Lovejoy and Rimmer pushed through their opening salvo with a laugh.

What, how and why?

The chaos was immediately evident as chef Rimmer could be heard trying his best not to cough out a mouthful of hot liquid.

Laughing, Lovejoy told the audience: "Morning and welcome to Sunday Brunch live on Channel 4. I'm not ready and I'm Tim Lovejoy."

"And I'm not ready either and I'm Simon Rimmer," his colleague went on to quip.

Lovejoy, who co-presented Soccer AM for 11 years alongside Helen Chamberlain, continued running with the joke by asking award-winning actress Thompson whether she was ready to start the programme. Following a brief pause of confusion, she replied: "Am I ready? Yes..."

"Thank goodness for that," said Lovejoy. "Josh Widdicombe is here, Sue Perkins is here, Jason Fox is here and Jess Glynne is here. How is everyone this morning, are we all well?"

Former Great British Bake Off star Perkins then joked: "Not ready, barely prepared."

What else happened on Sunday Brunch?

Further along, comedian Widdicombe was left stunned when Lovejoy and Rimmer casually pulled him up on some comments he'd previously made about Sunday Brunch while speaking on his and Rob Beckett's podcast Parenting Hell.

Impersonating Widdicombe and Beckett via an official transcript, the presenters revealed how he'd complained of not being involved enough during prior guest appearances.

Acting as Widdicombe, Lovejoy read out: "I wasn't on for a lot of it, I was on for the first two bits and then they were like, 'You've got an hour off now' and you're like, 'Uh.. uh... I've got nothing to do I might aswell be on the show!'"

An apologetic message from the show's producers was then provided, while Lovejoy subsequently explained that the podcaster's Sunday Brunch screen time was influenced by own his vegetarianism at a time Rimmer was only rustling up meat-based meals.

Sunday Brunch airs weekly on Channel 4.

Read more:

• Emily Atack asks Sunday Brunch crew member for phone number

• Simon Rimmer explains why he stokes the myth he invented pulled pork

• Tim Lovejoy falls to the floor in Sunday Brunch intro gone wrong