Ray Mears has been dropped as a speaker at a caravan show, after calling the homes on wheels “hideous” when he appeared on a TV panel show.

The survival expert was due to appear at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at Birmingham’s NEC in February, but angered the event’s organisers by choosing caravans as one of his pet hates on TV show Room 101, according to the BBC.

Ray Mears with Room 101 stars Fiona Bruce, Frank Skinner and Katherine Ryan
Ray with Fiona Bruce, Frank Skinner and Katherine Ryan (BBC/Hat Trick/Ellis O’Brien)

His appearance at the show could have netted him a “five-figure sum”, organisers said.

Ray’s segment on Room 101 was recorded in 2014, but was broadcast on BBC One on January 17. In it, he described caravans as “mobile breadbins”, and said: “I get stuck behind them, and I think they’re hideous.

“Swathes of our coastline are just covered in these things. I wouldn’t mind so much if they could be painted green, but they have to be painted white. Gleaming white.

“You go down to Devon and all you can see are cities of these displaced urban people in their ghastly white caravans,” he added.

Ray Mears
(Yui Mok/PA)

Emma Entwistle of Pelican Communications, who are promoting the Birmingham NEC show, confirmed he will not be speaking at the event.

“There was no way we can now have him come along to speak at our event,” she said. “He has slagged off the community we are in charge of promoting and protecting. He has insulted the people who come to the show. He shouldn’t have taken the job if he has fundamental issues with caravans.”

The company has since issued a statement saying: “We feel his agent should have made us aware of this pre-recording the moment we began communicating.”

Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell and TV presenter Matt Baker are set to appear at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show, which runs from February 17 to 22.