But after the channel tweeted a trailer introducing Darren, viewers were quick to single out one of his tattoos - a prominent '88' on his cheek - which they took as a right-wing symbol. Sky History says 88 represents the year his father died. During Lee Mack's interview Mr Lumsden he commented on the amount of ink on the carpenter's face after he introduced himself as 'The Woodman'. But about 10 years ago I saw someone with facial tattoos and started to work with my tattooist on my look. The channel insisted its production team carried out extensive background checks on all contestants and confirmed Darren had no links to racist groups, views or comments. The clip remained live until Monday evening, however at 6pm Sky told The Independent that the clip had been pulled and that future episodes would not be broadcast until the matter had been investigated. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. No one went on the show to become famous. The father of Sky History's The Chop contestant Darren Lumsden today declared 'I'm alive' after the channel claimed he was dead to defend his sons Nazi-style tattoos. 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Darren Lumsden is an actor, known for Badland (2007). When you get to see the effort that goes into making these items its quite incredible. He described Trevor as a lovely man and very much alive. [37], An argument started in the camp between Jermaine and Selena on Day 15, which resulted in some participants stating that they felt intimidated by his actions. The Chop: Britain's Top Woodworker, hosted by Lee Mack and Rick Edwards, began on Thursday, with the second episode due to be aired this Thursday. Sky said Darren Lumsden's face inking of the number 88 was in memory of the year his late father Trevor lost his life - and nothing to do with a code, fashioned around the numerical order of letters in the alphabet, meaning Heil Hitler. Numbers inked on tattooed contestant Darren Lumsden's face and head have links to Nazism and white supremacists. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. I'm alive and kicking so I'm not dead yet. For the 2001 television episode, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "A life of grime: Could you survive for three weeks on a dump, existing only on other people's rubbish? Sky History tweeted: 'Darren's tattoos denote significant events in his life and have no political or ideological meaning whatsoever. I'm alive and kicking so I'm not dead yet.'. Movies. Amongst the various numerical tattoos on his body, 1988 is the year of his father's death. But just hours later Sky put the programme on hold - and now a man called Trevor has spoken to Mail Online claiming to be Mr Lumsden's father. The Chop: Britain's Top Woodworker, featuring comedian Lee Mack, had invited carpenters to test out their skills to be crowned Britain's best. [4] Television adverts, using the 1998 single "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" by Mercury Rev, featured people performing everyday tasks such as bathing whilst on the landfill. The Chop: Sky pulls TV woodwork show over contestant's tattoos The Chop: Britains Top Woodworker sees 10 of Britains best carpenters, carvers and woodworkers compete on a series of tasks overseen by comedian Lee Mack and presenter Rick Edwards. [10] One participant, Darren Lumsden, voluntarily left the programme after just three days, claiming that the experience had taught him nothing,[citation needed] though years later he would turn up on another reality TV show called The Chop (in October 2020). Posts went on to explain that the tattoos "denoted significant events" in Mr Lumsden's life, including "the year of his father's death" in 1988. The UK's History Channel has suspended broadcasting of its new show The Chop: Britain's Top Woodworker after viewers pointed out that one of the contestants had neo-Nazi tattoos on his face. 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Their most recent appointment, in our records, was to STAIRS2U LIMITED on 2008-07-17, from which they resigned on 2008-12-20. [35][36] Channel 4 controller Julian Bellamy commented on the programme's failure during Edinburgh Television Festival 2008, saying that it "didn't have the human narrative you need" and that it was "a little bit too like other reality shows". He is a lovely guy, so funny to be around.. Sky History has axed its new woodworking show The Chop after producers said a contestant's tattoos "could be connected to far-right ideologies". "Sky History stands against racism and hate speech of all kinds.". However, Mail Online claimed it had later spoken to Mr Lumsden's father Trevor who told the website: "I'm alive and kicking, so I'm not dead yet.". He tweeted: 'I spend a lot of time on white supremacy forums online, and they have dozens of really idiotic numerical codes, most of which are substitution ciphers that a 7 year old would come up with. It has now announced further broadcasts of the series will be scrapped. 'There is no further comment to make at this stage. Something went wrong, please try again later. 'But they soon warm to me after a few minutes. No one went on the show to become famous. Sky History series The Chop scrapped after investigation into Darren [4] Advertisements for the programme appeared on websites such as Yahoo, The Guardian, New Scientist, The Daily Telegraph and MSN. 'I have read the article and have passed it on to the investigating team. Darren Lumsden, from Portishead, is a contestant on Sky History show The Chop, where contestants are competing to be crowned Britain's Top Woodworker. They include the number 88, which white supremacists use as a code for "Heil Hitler", with the letter H being the eighth letter of the alphabet, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The working title of the programme was Eco-Challenge. Ive also made bedroom furniture for my daughter too.. They said the number 88 in white nationalist or neo-Nazi circles can be used as a code to represent 'Heil Hitler', because 'H' is the 8th letter of the alphabet. Im alive and kicking so Im not dead yet, says 66-year-old Trevor Lumsden, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. She added: 'During the show he didn't have any tattoos on his face but he definitely wasn't a Nazi or a racist. He found himself at the centre a Twitter. And I'm not even 20% of the way into the story! [2] One contestant, Darren Lumsden, voluntarily left the programme on Day 3. ", Historian Elizabeth Boyle, of Maynooth University, tweeted: WHAT THE F***, @HISTORYUK ? "But if they are saying I'm dead, I'd like them to know I'm not.". A promotional video for the series was posted to Sky Historys Twitter feed on Monday, introducing one of its participants, Darren Lumsden a bespoke joiner from Bristol. What a terrible coincidence., Following the broadcasters second statement, Bad Education actor Ethan Lawrence tweeted: I hope your investigation dives deeper than your background checks, which failed to notice multiple Nazi tattoos on his literal face.. The show -. I had other tattoos already, he said. "There will be no further comment apart from the below [Twitter] statement until verifications are made.". 'If Sky HISTORY is indeed 'intolerant of racism' as it claims, then it must urgently provide a credible clarification or remove the contestant from the programme.'. [6] Coming Down the Mountain, also airing at the same time on BBC One, was watched by 4.7million and a 20% share. Man says he's The Chop contestant's dad - Bristol Live Darren Lumsden: 27 Tattooist: Bristol: Pre-series publicity. [11], The 11 contestants who participated "represented the complete spectrum of public opinion on environmental issues". I'm alive and kicking so I'm not dead yet.'. Sign up to our daily newsletter for the latest local and breaking news in Bristol. View the profiles of people named Darren Lumsden. I built it all in my workshop and then fitted it. 'Trevor has short term memory loss after a brain injury in a motorbike accident but he remembers his two sons. I work with lots of different materials including Corian and all different laminated surfaces.. The symbols are often mistaken for lightning bolts. Darren Lumsden, from North Somerset, was seen with the number 88 on his cheek. Sky paused the screenings of all episodes and removed all clips of Mr Lumsden from its social media feeds and launched an investigation. A spokesperson for the group said: 'Sky HISTORY has made a terrible mistake by including in 'The Chop' an individual adorned with what appear to be neo-Nazi tattoos without providing serious evidence to show that the tattoos mean something other than how they appear. Britain's Top Woodworker is AXED by Sky after viewers spotted 'Nazi Darren has also made special furniture for his children, aged 11 and six. Darren Lumsden has been appearing in the Sky History show The Chop, . The bloke has Nazi tattoos on his face ffs.'. Darren Lumsden is appearing on the new series The Chop, Lee Mack, Rick Edwards and master craftsman William Hardie host The Chop. Sky History has announced they are cancelling the programme after an intenal investigation found contestant Darren Lumsden's facial tattoos 'could be linked to the far-right'. 'Some people ask for selfies with me. Mr Lumsden, who grew up in Frenchay, told Bristol Live in an interview published ahead of the show's first episode on 15 October that he started started to work with his tattooist on his "look". Doing such unusual, one off projects, youve got to be able to do anything, he said. Another interpretation, of course, would be that he did. Drew Lumsden "I am an old woman, named after my mother." This Account is Private. ', The comments below have not been moderated, By The Sky History Channel is finally investigating contestant Darren Lumsden's neo-Nazi tattoos, but only after serious pushback from viewers. ', He continued: 'There's also:1/11 = AK = Aryan Knights 3/11 = 3 K = KKK 109 = the claim that Jews have been expelled from 109 nations throughout history, sometimes coupled with 110 = in the hope that the US will be the next one.'. 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He was quoted as saying: Im here arent I? 'If Sky HISTORY is indeed 'intolerant of racism' as it claims, then it must urgently provide a credible clarification or remove the contestant from the programme.'. Darren Lumsden AKA "The Woodman" was a contestant on The Chop SkyHistory Announcing it would now not be airing the rest of series, Sky History said in a statement: "Following an independent. [4] Some bus shelters within London featured posters which were made out of rubbish, and 2 September 2007 edition of The Sunday Times featured a biodegradable bag wrap to promote the programme. Hes always been my favourite comic, he said, so to get the chance to work alongside him was amazing. Personal trainer and actressSasha Gardner, 38, met Mr Lumsden on aChannel 4 reality show called Dumped in 2007,in which contestants survived on other people's rubbish in a landfill site for three weeks. Mr Lumsden is one of 10 of the countrys finest joiners to showcase their talents in the new series hosted by Lee Mack, Rick Edwards and master craftsmen William Hardie. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Broadcaster says Darren Lumsdens tattoos denote significant events in his life and similarities with far-right symbolism entirely incidental, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Darren Lumsden said the "88" referred to his dad's death Credit: Sky History However, Trevor Lumsden, 66, was stunned to hear he had been described as dead after a clip of his woodworker son. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [9], 11 participants, who were not initially informed of their task, must live on a purpose-made rubbish dump adjacent to a working landfill site for 21 days after being left equipped only with a sleeping bag, drinking can and one roll of lavatory paper each. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Tom Bedford The comedian said: 'If you were in my town, you wouldn't be known as the woodman, you'd be known as the man with all the tattoos, surely they would take precedence. A carpenter from Portishead is to appear alongside comedian Lee Mack in a new TV show to find Britains Top Woodworker., Darren Lumsden, is one of 10 of the countrys finest joiners who will be showcasing their talents in the new Sky History series The Chop. Viewers also raised concerns about some of his other markings, claiming they included other numerals that could be associated with white supremacist slogans. [12] Potential participants were not told that the programme would involve living on a landfill, but were instead told that they would be part of "a unique eco-challenge". But they soon warm to me after a few minutes. He was also accused of having a sig rune symbol - used by Nazis to symbolise victory and often mistaken as a lightning bolt - on the right side of his nose, and a number 14 on his scalp which can represent '14 words', a slogan coined by white supremacist terrorist David Lane. Sky History's The Chop axed while contestant's 'Nazi and white Some people ask for selfies with me. During Lee Mack's interview Mr Lumsden he commented on the amount of ink on the carpenter's face after he introduced himself as 'The Woodman'. The carpenters father said he suffers from short-term memory loss due to a brain injury he sustained in a motorbike accident and has a support worker, who declined to be named, visiting him every day. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. ', The interview was met with negative tweets, including one from Luke O'Riordan calling the channel 'morons' and asking: 'Are you for real. Believe me, I'm as upset about it as my readers are going to be, but, hey--life is tough on the mean streets of Yerba City. He found himself at the centre a Twitter storm yesterday over his facial tattoos. My little boy wanted a bed like a castle, he said. Father whose 'death' was used by Sky show to explain contestant's 'Nazi But today his 66-year-old parent revealed he was very much alive - and living in a smart three-storey house in Bristol, not far from his carpenter son. 'Even though it was only a short time, you spend a lot of time with people in a situation like that and he was never a problem.'. @BethanyMinelle. 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'But if they are saying I'm dead I'd like them to know I'm not.'. The first episode aired on 15 October. 'Darren appears to have these two on his face 88 = HH = Heil Hitler 23/16 = WP = White Supremacy There's also: 18 = AH = Adolf Hitler 1488: a reference to the so-called 14 words, coined by white supremacist terrorist David Lane. Viewers spoke out after Darren Lumsden, a father-of-two from Bristol whose face, head and neck are covered in tattoos, was featured in a trailer for The Chop earlier this month. Among them is the number 88, which viewers of the show pointed out is a numerical code used by white supremacists to mean Heil Hitler.