Rise of the Rockstar Chef

“My heart sank when I first read that Rise of the Rockstar Chef (BBC2), starring the swashbuckling careers of Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay, had been made by Ramsay’s production company. Here we go, I thought. Yet another vanity epic in which we learn how brilliant and marvellous Ramsay is. But now I’m eating my words because this series is delicious. It sizzles with gossip, snark, strutting macho energy and anecdotes that are the stuff of HR managers’ nightmares. It evokes the rebellious, swaggering spirit of the 1990s, when anything felt possible and shouting at someone until they cried at work was no big deal. The money shot, the sequence the entire series is teasing, comes 35 minutes before the end of episode three when Ramsay and White meet for the first time since their big fallout — a rematch between the Sweary Chef and the Great White.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The heavily trailed reunion happens in the finale. It’s both as fascinating and infuriating as you might expect. White truly is the master(chef) of mind games. Prickly and unrepentant, he calls Ramsay “boy” to make him feel like an apprentice again. For all his conciliatory gestures, Ramsay still has a huge triple-cooked chip on his shoulder. At least White and Blumenthal are touchingly affectionate together. What’s ultimately dished up is a flavoursome study of three gamechanging gastro geniuses. A sort of foodie Mount Rushmore, with their craggy heads carved from fondant potato rather than granite. It’s both an exercise in Cool Britannia nostalgia and an elegy for a lost era. Does it make for delicious entertainment? Yes, chef! Service please.”
Michael Hogan, The Guardian

“The rivalry between White and Ramsay is covered in detail, with both men giving their sides of the story on the various fall-outs and slights, including the highly entertaining tale of Ramsay staging a raid on his own restaurant, stealing the reservation book, making off with Wareing as his getaway driver then blaming White for the theft. We’ve seen enough of Ramsay on TV over the years. It’s far more interesting to listen to White, who retains a knack for stealing the show. You can’t help but compare the appearance of the two – global superstar Ramsay looks fit as a butcher’s dog, while time has not treated White so well.”
Anita Singh, Telegraph

“Wonders will never cease. Gordon Ramsay, whether he’s haranguing luckless cooks on Kitchen Nightmares, pratting about with Fred and Gino, or presenting some abysmal game show, is always the biggest ego on display. But as he paid uneasy tribute to his mentor Marco Pierre White on Rise Of The Rockstar Chef, Gordon seemed cowed and diffident — so nervous that at one point he even forgot to swear.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail