''Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live'' is a British cooking show starring

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...

. Originally conceived as a one-off episode, Channel 4 later commissioned a full series for late 2008. A Christmas special aired on 25 December 2011 and a second on 25 December 2012.

Background

The original episode was part of The Big Food Fight, a January 2008 promotion featuring Channel 4 shows starring Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and

. On live television, Ramsay invited the entire nation to prepare a three course meal for four with him in just under 60 minutes Ingredients and instructions were available on the official site to help viewers prepare for the event at home. Often, he would teach viewers basic cooking techniques, such as chopping an onion or boning a chicken. The show was expanded to a seven-episode series for autumn 2008, and began on 24 October 2008. Each week Ramsay prepared a themed menu ranging from curry night to a 1970s theme, and even participated in a challenge with that episode's celebrity guest in cooking a dish chosen by the celebrity.

Episodes

Christmas Specials

A Christmas special aired live on 25 December 2011. It saw Ramsay making a Christmas lunch at his own home in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

. Guests included David Hasselhoff, Russell Grant, Jermain Defoe and Dynamo. Another special was aired the following Christmas. 2011 Menu: Starter Smoked salmon parcels with fennel and apple salad Main course Roast turkey with herb butter Chestnut, pistachio, sage, sausage and apricot stuffing Apple and sherry gravy Spiced and honey glazed carrots and parsnips Brussels sprouts with bacon and chilli Perfect goose fat roast potatoes Bacon wrapped cocktail sausages Dessert Christmas trifle

International versions

An American version of the same name, also hosted by Ramsay, aired as a one-hour special on the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

network on 15 December 2009. Guests included Whoopi Goldberg, Cedric the Entertainer, Alyson Hannigan and

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...

, with home cooks featured live via Skype. The three course meal shown on the U.S. premiere was identical to episode 3 of the original British series. In September 2008, an Australian version was announced for airing on the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

, also hosted by Ramsay. However it never eventuated. Optomen and One Potato Two Potato licensed the Cookalong format for Swedish television. ''Tina's Cookalong'' starring

Tina Nordström Maria Kristina "Tina" Nordström Holmqvist (born 6 August 1973) is a Swedish celebrity chef and television personality from Helsingborg, Sweden. She hosted the second season of ''New Scandinavian Cooking'' on PBS stations on American televisio ...

premiered in September 2009, with Ramsay appearing as a guest. A Spanish version titled ''Cocina conmigo'' was announced to premier on

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

on 24 February 2013, hosted by Rodrigo de la Calle. A Bulgarian version hosted by

Silvena Rowe Silvena Rowe (née Lauta, born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian chef, food writer, television personality and restaurateur. Biography Rowe was born in Plovdiv to a Bulgarian mother and a Turkish father. Rowe's father, who was a newspaper edit ...

has aired on bTV since September 2013.

References

External links

* {{Gordon Ramsay Channel 4 original programming 2008 British television series debuts 2012 British television series endings British cooking television shows Television series by All3Media English-language television shows