Enjoyably old-fashioned: ITV’s The Lady reviewed |
I lasted all of five minutes with Netflix’s tasting menu-length Being Gordon Ramsay. This surprised me, because I’ve long had a bit of a soft spot for the irascible, crevice-faced, sweary old ham. I know that all reality TV is fake but I’ve always quite enjoyed watching carrot-top pretending to lose his rag yet again in some rat-infested culinary cesspit before transforming it, in the space of a month, into a Michelin three-star.
But the dishonesty and contrivance and brazen commercialism of this autohagiography are just too much to stomach. Supposedly, a small film crew has been hanging around the Ramsay household for months, capturing the chef’s most intimate, unguarded moments. And guess which scenes made the edit. Yes: Gordon being a great dad with his toddler; the toddler saying – with no cattle prod at least visible on camera – how much he loves his dad and misses him when he goes away; Gordon stopping impetuously to offer his patronage to a new boutique café because he just can’t help himself supporting small businesses; Gordon going with his amused, adoring wife to visit the site of his most ambitious and exciting restaurant venture........