Front Row: Told off by a grumpy celebrity chef, a dad joke gone wrong and Wills’ awkward appearance

Front Row is a new weekly column on nine.com.au bringing you behind the scenes of some of the Aussie entertainment industry’s biggest parties, premieres, and more. Got a tip? Email us at frontrow@nine.com.au.

Welcome back to Front Row! This week, we’re living it up at SXSW London 2026, where we got told off by an angry chef, joined a crowd cringing at Serena Williams′ husband’s dad joke and had an eye-opening glimpse at royal life.

Feast on the drama from the Feast or Famine premiere

Let’s start this week with a palate cleanser, shall we? Famed chef Marco Pierre White lived up to his reputation at the world premiere of his new documentary Feast or Famine.

Front Row innocently asked the famed grump about his yet-to-be-announced, industry-changing plans, but he took the question entirely the wrong way.

“Your negativity appals me,” he quipped, bidding us a very frosty good day.

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Unsurprisingly, he didn’t stick around for the post-screening Q&A, which meant guests dined out on choice anecdotes from the doco’s director and producers about their star narrator. Bon appetit!

Alexis Ohanian’s dad joke goes wrong

While that was very juicy, across town another famous man was making a meal of his SXFW London appearance.

You would have thought Serena Williams would be front and centre just the day after announcing her tennis comeback, but ahead of Wimbledon, the tennis GOAT was spending some family time in London.

Front Row had a (front row) seat to see Williams in mama mode, as she sat (also front row) with one of her daughters to watch her Reddit co-founder hubby Alexis Ohanian take part in the festival’s Building the Next Era of Women’s Sport panel.

The father-of-two was sweet in his praise and admiration for his wife – at one point telling the crowd to clap louder for Williams. He was also very candid about their family dynamics… and the very self-serving reason for his newest business venture, female athletics league, Athlos.

“I feel a tremendous responsibility knowing that my daughters have such an amazing [role] model with their mum – and I’m a very competitive person,” he admitted to laughs from the crowd.

“I want lots of people to tell my daughters about how cool their dad is too.”

Unfortunately, his cool dad cred instantly evaporated as he ended with a “six seven” joke, complete with hand movement.

Not one single person laughed.

“Tough room... wait, is that not a thing in the UK?” he asked.

It was a thing – last year. And hopefully, unlike his wife, it doesn’t make a comeback anytime soon. Awkward.

We brush shoulders with (or simply see from afar) royalty and political icons

No London event is complete without a little royal sprinkle, but SXSW London was practically Salt Bae on Wednesday, with Prince William, Queen Rania of Jordan and the Saudi royals all making appearances in hipster East London.

It’s not surprising that a crowd would gather for a glimpse at the future king, but what was surprising was the dead silence when it finally happened.

When he eventually came back outside, Front Row expected cheers, screams or even a polite British clap, but instead everyone stayed very quiet, camera phones dotted the air. Hopefully they at least put some fun music over top when they posted their footage to TikTok.

Wills delivered a single wave before jumping in his car and bolting – no impromptu walkabout for this extremely dispassionate crowd.

Meanwhile, the hottest ticket in town wasn’t a sports panel or an angry chef, but Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson recording an episode of their podcast IMO. The desperation to catch a glimpse at a former US first lady (ah, simpler times!) was obvious from the media centre, as supposed professional journalists elbowed each other in the ribs angling for a look on a single TV.