Gordon Behind Bars
| Gordon Behind Bars | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Helen Simpson |
| Starring | Gordon Ramsay |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Tim Whitwell, Sue Murphy |
| Producer(s) |
Jaemie Gallie, Vari Innes |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
One Potato Two Potato (An all3media Company) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Original release | 26 June – 17 July 2012 |
Gordon Behind Bars is a British television series in which Gordon Ramsay teaches inmates of Brixton prison, just about five minutes from Ramsay's residence, how to cook.[1] It was broadcast in four episodes from 26 June – 17 July 2012 on Channel 4.
Premise
Ramsay, a Michelin Star Chef in the UK, enters Brixton prison over a six-month period (December 2011 to June 2012) with the goal of teaching inmates how to cook and run a sustainable business selling goods prepared inside the prison to the general public.
Bad Boys' Bakery
After some training from Ramsay, the inmate chefs of Brixton prison are formed into a business dubbed "Bad Boys' Bakery", under the slogan "Life Changing Taste", selling a Ramsay version of a lemon treacle tart (later changed to a lemon treacle slice). Eventually, Ramsay was able to negotiate an agreement for a trial order of 100 bars (per location) to be sold in 11 Caffè Nero locations across South London. As of June 2013, the bars remain available at 11 cafes near the prison.[2]
The chefs
Of the twelve chefs originally chosen to take part, five had left the program by the end of the series. In the fourth episode, five additional inmates were recruited to replace them, and five more were recruited after Ramsay had left.
Original twelve chefs
| Inmate Chef | Conviction | Sentence | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Gibbons | Actual Bodily Harm | 18 Months | Ramsay asked him to leave the program after a confrontation with fellow chef Rene Smith | |
| Jerome Samuels | Burglary, Actual Bodily Harm |
16 Months | A Wing | Pulled off the program after he was charged with verbally abusing a female officer, was later transferred to a max security prison in Wayland, Norfolk. |
| Rene Smith | Burglary | 4 Years | A Wing | Ramsay asked him to leave the program after a confrontation with Ramsay's assistant Gee |
| Andrew Insley | Burglary | 1 Year 3 Months | A Wing | Released and acquired a job at London restaurant Roast |
| Anthony Kelly | Commercial Burglary, Dangerous Driving | 2.5 Years | G Wing | Released and works for the St Giles Trust which works with ex-offenders to help rehabilitate them, he also becomes a stage-actor-trainee[3] |
| Paul Wyatt | Burglary | 8 Months | A Wing | Released and given a successful tryout at Ramsay's Savoy restaurant, but was revealed to have lost the job due to a relapse into drugs |
| Tesfa Jones | Robbery, Attempted Burglary | 3 Years | G Wing | Released and given a successful tryout at Ramsay's Savoy restaurant |
| Daniel Guwaza | Theft | 9 Months | A Wing | |
| Adonis McQuitta | Possession Of A Firearm , Cartridges Without A Licence | 4 Years | G Wing | Currently Still In Prison |
| Hassan Nour | Burglary | 2.5 Years | A Wing | |
| David Jones | Burglary | 3.3 Years | A Wing | |
| Inmate Chef #12 ("B") |
The face of one of the original 12 chefs was obscured throughout the run of the series and no details were given about him on screen. Ramsay referred to him as "B". | |||
UK ratings
| Episode number |
Airdate | Channel | Share | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 June 2012 | Channel 4 & Channel 4 +1 | 13% | 3,000,000[4] |
| 2 | 3 July 2012 | Channel 4 & Channel 4 +1 | 10.9% (Channel 4) – 2.3% (Channel 4 +1) | 2,891,000[5] |
| 3 | 10 July 2012 | Channel 4 & Channel 4 +1 | 2,365,000 | |
| 4 | 17 July 2012 | Channel 4 & Channel 4 +1 | 2,158,000 | |
Safety Issues
During filming of the programme, there were incidents where fights would break out. Ramsay has stated "I was standing close by one bloke with another opposite me, and then this guy lunged over and went to headbutt him. I had to sort it out.". Ramsay's wife was also concerned about his safety and instructed him to take self-defence classes.[6]
US version
Ramsay personally pitched the idea of an American version to Kevin Reilly at Fox Broadcasting; however, Reilly declined, saying "We have a lot of Gordon on the air right now."[7]
References
- ↑ I had to stop prison fights
- ↑ http://www.caffenero.com/food/Lemon_Treacle_Slice.aspx
- ↑ James, Erwin. "From criminal to chef: 'I owe Gordon Ramsay a lot' | Erwin James". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ↑ "Gordon Behind Bars detains 3m viewers on Channel 4". Radio Times. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
- ↑ "Gordon Ramsay's 'Behind Bars' a hit for Channel 4 on Tuesday nights". Digital Spy. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
- ↑ http://metro.co.uk/2012/06/24/gordon-ramsay-i-had-to-stop-prison-fights-during-gordon-behind-bars-487247/
- ↑ "Gordon Ramsay's prison series is not on the menu for Fox". The Daily Telegraph. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-28.