July 24, 2025
Mel Giedroyc is taking us back to the “naughty ‘90s” with a wild revelation about her and long-time co-host Sue Perkins’ time on Channel 4’s Light Lunch. In a recent appearance on the Parenting Hellpodcast with comedians Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe, Mel claimed that Sue was groped on-air— by none other than Orville the Duck, the puppet made famous by late ventriloquist Keith Harris.
“It was the ’90s, there was a lot going down — it should have been called Heavy Lunch,” Mel joked, recalling the bizarre episode from 1997. “We had three puppeteers on the show, and Keith Harris with Orville got a bit naughty with Sue. Well, Orville did.”
Sue and Mel were co-presenters on Light Lunch, which aired from 1997 to 1999. During one particularly memorable episode, Harris — who passed away in 2015 — appeared with his green, nappy-wearing duckling puppet, Orville. According to Mel, Orville got a little too handsy with Sue, in a moment she described as typical of the “very naughty decade.”
Podcast host Rob Beckett quipped, “Of course you forget there’s a hand in there,” to which Mel replied, “There’s a ruddy hand!” Josh Widdicombe added, “They’d get away with it by claiming it was a grey area,” prompting Rob to joke, “It’s a hand in a beak. Get off my t**!”
The episode also featured puppet legends Roger De Courcey with Nookie Bear and Matthew Corbett with Sooty. Mel revealed there was visible tension between the puppeteers, particularly between Roger and Matthew, due to a perceived lack of ventriloquism skill on Corbett’s part.
But the real center of attention, according to Mel, was always Sue: “She was the honey trap… they bloomin’ loved Perks, all of them.”
Mel also recalled other quirky Light Lunch memories, including the time she kissed a then-unknown Dermot O’Leary, who was working as a runner on the show and now co-hosts This Morning on ITV.
Mel and Sue later found mainstream fame co-hosting The Great British Bake Off from 2010 to 2016, before the show moved to Channel 4. But clearly, their Light Lunch days were just as unforgettable — if not a little chaotic.
I could not refrain from commenting. Perfectly written!