Gordon Ramsay has sensationally ended a 16-year feud with top celebrity chef Marcus Wareing and will reunite with him for a new television show. The Kitchen Nightmares star, 59, and Marcus Wareing, 55, spent years clashing over a bitter business dispute in 2008 concerning the lease of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Pétrus at The Berkeley hotel. The friction escalated when Wareing, who had worked as Ramsay's head chef, decided to launch his own independent venture at the location after Ramsay's contract expired.
Now, after burying the hatchet, the pair are planning to work together on a new cooking programme for BBC Two. 'This is a fantastic opportunity to work alongside Gordon again,' Wareing told The Sun. 'It's been many years since we last shared a kitchen, and I can't wait to get started. I'm really looking forward to unwrapping the memories from our cooks and taking them on a journey down memory lane.'
New BBC Two Series
The daytime series, which does not yet have a title, will explore 'extraordinary human stories' and help cooks improve by 'mastering the simplest things'. Sharing his thoughts on the series, Ramsay said: 'Every chef knows that food is about more than what's on the plate. It's about bringing people together and creating connections. This new format does exactly that. It combines fantastic home cooking with extraordinary human stories and celebrates the kitchen as the heart of every home.'
Commenting on their previous history, the Hell's Kitchen chef continued: 'Marcus and I go back a long way, and I'm delighted that we're coming together to bring this very special series to BBC Daytime.'
Timeline of the Feud
- 1993-2003: Wareing joins Ramsay as his chief lieutenant at the launch of Ramsay's Aubergine restaurant in London. He then becomes head chef at the two-Michelin-starred Pétrus at the Berkeley Hotel.
- 2008: The lease on Pétrus comes up for renewal. Maybourne Hotel Group opts to offer the lease directly to Wareing rather than Ramsay's holding company. Ramsay's company hires lawyers to fight the move, but Wareing eventually secures the lease. Wareing gives a tell-all interview making aggressive remarks about Ramsay, later admitting he picked the fight to step out of Ramsay's shadow.
- 2009-2021: The pair scarcely speak apart from a chance encounter at 10 Downing Street during the 2012 London Olympics.
- 2023-2026: In new interviews, Wareing claims their rift is now 'water under the bridge' and praises Ramsay for his foundational role in his career. In 2026, the pair officially bury the hatchet and announce a collaborative new BBC Two television project.
Past Reflections
In 2023, Wareing claimed that his feud with Ramsay, who was recently the star of Netflix's documentary Being Gordon Ramsay, was 'the best thing that ever happened to both of us'. He told the Daily Mail: 'I wanted to be in his shoes and I can't be in his shoes – they're too big. I knew I couldn't fill them and I think I had another ambition and I had another goal. So I had to try.'
However, he did previously reveal during an interview with Weekend Magazine in 2011: 'Gordon verbally kicked the s*** out of you. Then he would buy you a beer. He put me through mental torture. I'd be first in in the morning, and I'd lock up at night. All day, there'd be Gordon being Gordon. It's a wonder we all survived.'
Wareing has been a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals since 2014, making this his 12th year on the show. He first joined the programme to replace Michel Roux Jr. alongside co-judges Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace.
