Wonderful BBC show we've been watching via Netflix' instant queue.
Given this show ran from 1993-1996, and Gordon Ramsay didn't hit TV until 1998's Boiling Point, one can see where Ramsay developed his acerbic chef character (this is not to be confused with his McKinsey-style business consultant from the sky, which is his own genius). The episode where chef Gareth is filmed documentary-style and profane, and the heaps of positive reviews that appear the next day in the papers, is very telling. If Ramsay isn't giving 5% of his gross takings to star Lenny Henry and writer Peter Tilbury, a lawyer has missed his bet.
EDITED TO ADD: Lenny Henry appeared on Ramsay's The F Word, which can be seen here. That page has both Lenny's recipe for "Jamaican pepper pot soup" and a link to a pop-up video excerpt of Lenny and Gordon talking in the kitchen. Lenny had been doing a production of Othello, Gordon grew up in Stratford -- very easy, very loose, watching the two of them.
Given this show ran from 1993-1996, and Gordon Ramsay didn't hit TV until 1998's Boiling Point, one can see where Ramsay developed his acerbic chef character (this is not to be confused with his McKinsey-style business consultant from the sky, which is his own genius). The episode where chef Gareth is filmed documentary-style and profane, and the heaps of positive reviews that appear the next day in the papers, is very telling. If Ramsay isn't giving 5% of his gross takings to star Lenny Henry and writer Peter Tilbury, a lawyer has missed his bet.
EDITED TO ADD: Lenny Henry appeared on Ramsay's The F Word, which can be seen here. That page has both Lenny's recipe for "Jamaican pepper pot soup" and a link to a pop-up video excerpt of Lenny and Gordon talking in the kitchen. Lenny had been doing a production of Othello, Gordon grew up in Stratford -- very easy, very loose, watching the two of them.