Has ranting Ramsay gone cheesy on us?
IMAY NEED urgent help. This week I was in danger of enjoying a show hosted by Gordon Ramsay. It’s called Gordon Ramsay – Future Food Stars (BBC One, Thursday). It has to have his name in the title because that’s the measure of the man. To be honest, no one thought the BBC would give Ramsay another shilling, let alone a series, after the shameful gameshow nonsense called Bank Balance.
There was only one person who enjoyed that effort – and now he’s back. But this time it’s with some of his own money.
With apologies to the makers of The Apprentice, Ramsay has simply borrowed some of the format in which he promises to give a £150,000 investment to the best foodie idea from 12 excited candidates.
I thought Lord Sugar had done that by investing in several posh cake businesses himself down the years, and recently in a “coffee and cake business” – that’s a café to you and me.
But let’s be as generous as possible to the normally foul-mouthed restaurant owner who, in this show, seems to have temporarily rediscovered his manners.
Perhaps it’s related to not having Gino D’acampo by his side, enough to make anyone curse. Ramsay didn’t even utter a swear word when he spat out some over-spiced chicken, or when the sparky candidates started rowing with each other in their practice kitchen.
He simply walked away saying, “You will have to resolve it yourself.” Let’s face it – it’s better television. Some of these guys really didn’t like each other, going hammer and tongs – sorry, spatula and whisk – as they argued over whether to use the shiitake or button mushrooms in a vegan recipe. Beef indeed.
There were typical Ramsay moments. Most men of a certain age don’t appear in a wetsuit on prime-time television. At the very least, their families should be spared the blushes. But not here.
Ramsay must have been hoisted into his rubber suit before jumping 80ft into the sea off Newquay in Cornwall.
As he touched down, you could hear the nation shout, “The ego has landed”.
So is Masterchef in any danger? I think not. In Ramsay’s show, one of his “handpicked” candidates came up with a super-creative idea for street food – a cheese toastie! With a bacon chutney… Still the first episode was engaging and had a picturesque beach setting. But it looks like they’re each filleting salmon in a busy kitchen next week. Stay closer to your swearometer.
And most importantly, we still don’t know whether Ramsay will survive filming the first episode in Cornwall after saying he loved Cornwall but hated the Cornish. It will be vegan pasties at dawn. National Treasure, National Disgrace: Savile, Hall, Harris (Channel 5, Thursday) was a superbly told documentary with a hideous story at its heart. This two-hour feature was a reminder of how far-reaching this appalling episode was in the history of television.
The phrase “in plain sight” was used regularly as this unrelenting documentary told how three men – Jimmy Savile, Stuart Hall and Rolf Harris – were shielded by those around them, particularly at the BBC.
It’s worth remembering that no one has been held properly accountable for this unforgettable episode.
Many of the testimonies had been told before, but they are still vivid and tragic and need to be regularly retold.
Peaky Blinders (BBC One, Sunday) delivered its best episode of the series.
We almost had two full garrottings, one far more exotic than the first. The finale is now looking like a cracking episode as gangsters Tommy Shelby and brother
Arthur, neither of whom are currently at their best, appear to be facing their makers.
It may well be the most explosive drama instalment of the year.
Don’t expect Tommy to get a slap on the cheek. So warm up your faux Brummie accent tonight to see off one of our most creative-ever dramas.
After watching Edward VIII:
The Traitor King (Channel 4,
Sunday) it seems clear now that Edward was a Nazi, or at the very least a paid-up sympathiser. I do hope our dear monarch, his niece, wasn’t watching, although she probably already knew.
Andrew Lownie’s impeccably researched film laid out some compelling evidence that Edward, through a spy with whom he was consorting while in exile during the war, was giving away weak Allied positions in France. It beggars belief.
Was he strung up? Of course, not. According to this documentary, Churchill and others in government conspired to keep it secret. Shall I throw something, or will you?
Finally, Kate & Koji (ITV, Wednesday) is still finding an audience, said to be “live”, though I dispute most people could maintain a regular heartbeat through this twaddle.
The good news is that an under-utilised GP is available for use in the café. You will need to order a cheese toastie – with bacon chutney – to book a consultation.