Chef Marcus Wareing has reportedly quit the TV show he was filming with Gordon Ramsay, halting production before it even got underway. The 56-year-old MasterChef star was due to work alongside Ramsay, 59, on a new cooking programme for BBC Two, with filming scheduled to begin in September.
Reunion Show Halted
The pair had spent years embroiled in a bitter feud after clashing over the lease of their two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Pétrus. However, they had put their differences aside to collaborate on the new show, which was set to celebrate home cooking and explore "extraordinary human stories".
It has been reported that Wareing no longer wants to be part of the programme, although it remains unclear what prompted the decision. "Sadly, the format has already fallen apart. Last week, Marcus told the producers he didn’t want to do it anymore, leading to the show being halted," a source told The Sun.
Previous Excitement
Wareing had previously expressed his excitement about working on the show, which is being produced by Ramsay's production company and was set to be hosted by Wareing. "This is a fantastic opportunity to work alongside Gordon again," Wareing previously 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."
An insider has said Wareing hasn't fallen out with Ramsay, despite the decision. "It’s a shame as there was so much excitement about the reunion. It all feels pretty final, but the BBC could try to rescue it in another way," the source added. "They liked the concept and the talent involved."
History of Feud
Wareing met Ramsay when he started working at Albert Roux at Le Gavroche in 1993. He went on to become a Sous Chef at Ramsay's London restaurant Aubergine, working closely with him for 15 years. In 1999, Wareing and Ramsay opened Pétrus, with Wareing taking on the role of head chef. The restaurant quickly earned a Michelin star before moving to the Berkeley Hotel in 2003, where it eventually gained a second star.
By 2008, Wareing wanted to go solo and take over the Pétrus lease at the Berkeley, sparking a public feud and legal battle between the pair. Following the dispute, Ramsay retained the Pétrus name, while Wareing went on to open Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley. "If I never speak to that guy again for the rest of my life, it wouldn’t bother me one bit," Wareing told The Telegraph in 2009.
In 2023, he described their fall-out as the "best thing to happen to him", adding: "It was the best thing that ever happened to both of us." He added to 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."
