about both the language and the events in Boiling Point . Gordon’s ‘persistent use of the f-word’ triggered most of the complaints but, as the ITC explained, ‘Some viewers also felt that scenes in which he bullied his staff and indulged in unhygienic kitchen practices gave the impression that such behaviour was acceptable.’
The complaint about strong language was the first to be rejected, however. Attempts by Channel 4 to bleep out the worst of the language had not worked, the report said, because ‘Strong language was indivisible from Ramsay’s excitable and aggressive persona at work’. The ITV ruled that Channel 4’s strong warning about what was to come at the start of each show should have alerted any sensitive viewers. It also dismissed the broader complaints about what went on in Gordon’s kitchens because ‘No encouragement was given to regard Ramsay’s behaviour as normal or acceptable’.
While some may have seen a statement such as this as a pretty strong insult, Gordon said he was just pleased to be able to carry on as before. But, before he could do so, he had to face some fire from his peers. David Wood, chief executive of the Hotel and Cater ing International Management Association, said the ITC wasn’t the only organisation being inundated with complaints about Gordon’s onscreen antics. ‘I am getting phone calls from parents saying their children are no longer going to become chefs,’ he said. ‘There are so many positive portrayals of chefs but Ramsay pushes it all down the pan.I wish he were still in football. Then we could send him off.’
Anne Walker, managing director of catering recruitment company Springboard UK, said, ‘At a college last week, students were saying that they were so horrified by what they had seen that they were no longer sure that this was the kind of industry they wanted to go into.’
After dealing with Gordon, some existing workers found they couldn’t get out of the industry fast enough. In fact, in the summer of 1999, Gordon was actually arrested for allegedly beating up one of his staff – 22-year-old pastry chef Nathan Thomas. The row, of all things, had begun over the shape of a banana parfait.
‘Ramsay kept going on about it not being ball-shaped enough,’ Nathan told the police. ‘He just went berserk. When I said I was quitting, he went mad, telling me I was ungrateful. He’s a bully. A genius, but a monster.’
Police confirmed the arrest and Ramsay was bailed to appear at Chelsea police station the following month. Fortunately, by then, all sides had accepted that it was a storm in a restaurant teacup and the case, with all charges, was dropped. Gordon’s tough-guy reputation, however, had moved up another gear.
One final person was ready to speak out against the way Gordon was acting and the language he was using in 1999: his mother Helen. ‘She rang me up and told me that my language is appalling. I said, “Mum, you should have been sat in the dressing room at Rangers when we were losing 2–0.” When I’m working I get upset and I tried to explain that to her. All I am using is the language you hear in every kitchen and she does seem to accept that. Everyone swearsin kitchens if they want to produce the best food. If a kitchen is silent and everyone says “please” and “thank you”, then you’d never hit the heights. I’m focused on producing the best and, if swearing makes that happen, then I’ll keep on doing it.’
The good news for Gordon was that his diners seemed to like the fact that their food was being prepared with passion. As its popularity grew, the restaurant became a fixture of the gossip columns and saw a near-endless stream of famous names pass through the doors, sometimes a little worse for wear from drink. And the rest of the world had also started to wake up to the Gordon Ramsay phenomenon – though the man himself continued to take it all in his stride.
‘There was one American critic who demanded
The complaint about strong language was the first to be rejected, however. Attempts by Channel 4 to bleep out the worst of the language had not worked, the report said, because ‘Strong language was indivisible from Ramsay’s excitable and aggressive persona at work’. The ITV ruled that Channel 4’s strong warning about what was to come at the start of each show should have alerted any sensitive viewers. It also dismissed the broader complaints about what went on in Gordon’s kitchens because ‘No encouragement was given to regard Ramsay’s behaviour as normal or acceptable’.
While some may have seen a statement such as this as a pretty strong insult, Gordon said he was just pleased to be able to carry on as before. But, before he could do so, he had to face some fire from his peers. David Wood, chief executive of the Hotel and Cater ing International Management Association, said the ITC wasn’t the only organisation being inundated with complaints about Gordon’s onscreen antics. ‘I am getting phone calls from parents saying their children are no longer going to become chefs,’ he said. ‘There are so many positive portrayals of chefs but Ramsay pushes it all down the pan.I wish he were still in football. Then we could send him off.’
Anne Walker, managing director of catering recruitment company Springboard UK, said, ‘At a college last week, students were saying that they were so horrified by what they had seen that they were no longer sure that this was the kind of industry they wanted to go into.’
After dealing with Gordon, some existing workers found they couldn’t get out of the industry fast enough. In fact, in the summer of 1999, Gordon was actually arrested for allegedly beating up one of his staff – 22-year-old pastry chef Nathan Thomas. The row, of all things, had begun over the shape of a banana parfait.
‘Ramsay kept going on about it not being ball-shaped enough,’ Nathan told the police. ‘He just went berserk. When I said I was quitting, he went mad, telling me I was ungrateful. He’s a bully. A genius, but a monster.’
Police confirmed the arrest and Ramsay was bailed to appear at Chelsea police station the following month. Fortunately, by then, all sides had accepted that it was a storm in a restaurant teacup and the case, with all charges, was dropped. Gordon’s tough-guy reputation, however, had moved up another gear.
One final person was ready to speak out against the way Gordon was acting and the language he was using in 1999: his mother Helen. ‘She rang me up and told me that my language is appalling. I said, “Mum, you should have been sat in the dressing room at Rangers when we were losing 2–0.” When I’m working I get upset and I tried to explain that to her. All I am using is the language you hear in every kitchen and she does seem to accept that. Everyone swearsin kitchens if they want to produce the best food. If a kitchen is silent and everyone says “please” and “thank you”, then you’d never hit the heights. I’m focused on producing the best and, if swearing makes that happen, then I’ll keep on doing it.’
The good news for Gordon was that his diners seemed to like the fact that their food was being prepared with passion. As its popularity grew, the restaurant became a fixture of the gossip columns and saw a near-endless stream of famous names pass through the doors, sometimes a little worse for wear from drink. And the rest of the world had also started to wake up to the Gordon Ramsay phenomenon – though the man himself continued to take it all in his stride.
‘There was one American critic who demanded
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