Rockstar Chef - BBC2

[likelysuspect]

Anyone watching this, its about Marco Pierre White primarily but also about how chefs became like rock stars

Heston Blumenthal is on it, looks dreadfully ill and Marco Pierre White looks shocking, real shame how ill they both look.

MPW looks like he’s been dragged through a hedge backwards

Heston has been quite unwell I think.

I think Heston is bipolar & has been treated for a few years now; he gained a massive amount of weight, which I assumed was due to the meds. TBH I thought he looked great in comparison to a couple of years ago!
MPW just looked like an older, fatter version of an arrogant ex rock star
chef. I’d love to see him talking with Anthony Bourdain (RIP).
Fab to see Marcus W talking about dick swinging; really made me laugh!

I had to look it up as I thought HB had a stroke. You're right its bipolar. I know those meds make you put on weight and give you dyskinesia, poor motor control, very sad

Interesting that he was initially diagnosed with ADHD for decades and then bipolar

These days many with biploar are being rediagnosed with ND

It’s very interesting seeing the old film of them in Harvey’s.

Really interesting show. Thought Heston came across so well and absolutely fascinating. MPW has got himself into a right state and seems so spiteful! Ramsey showing a very different side to himself, especially describing bursting into tears when White turned on him.

So interesting!

I’ve been there twice in its current form as Chez Bruce

I really enjoyed the first episode, thought it was really well paced, i didn't know a lot of it as it was a bit before my time, but a great documentary, I can't wait to binge the rest.

What I find amazing is that these names really are household names. I'm not a foodie in the slightest (I don't think listening to dish or off menu counts!) but I knew every single name/face of every talking head.

I don't know a lot about the story between marco and gordon other than they hate each other, so this is going to be fun to find out the history!

MPW comes across as petty, vindictive and humourless with no ability to self reflect. I always like Gordon, even though I don't want to and Heston seems a sweet genius.

I really liked this. I read Kitchen Confidential recently and the kitchen at Harvey’s was just like Bourdains experience. I was mad about MPW when I was younger - he was so good looking. You could tell he’d make a shit partner though.

HB was sectioned and is now on heavy duty meds so his responses were quite slow. Apparently he’s a lot better than he was which is good to hear.
GR seems to still need MPW’s approval. There’s only about 6 years between them. MPW has really aged compared to GR.

All very gifted.

I like Gordon a lot. He’s faired the best out of them all, poor Heston. Marco isn’t coming across well. Even down to the last episode (don’t want to spoiler) but he didn’t ’join in’ like the other two

Binged all three last night. DH worked in restaurants in London back in the lasted 90’s and early 2000’s said it took him back to some crazy days

MPW comes across as an absolute dick.

I watched Gordon’s programme on Netflix and thought he comes across as a nice, polite, friendly man. Very courteous to people. Clearly had a lot of therapy and grown up, but I get the impression if you are respectful to him he will be respectful back.

I don’t know much about Heston - I’ll have to read more. I always thought he was the guy who ducked around with fun stuff on channel 4! Had no idea he was such a serious chef

As a former female chef, I couldn't actually watch this. The men I worked with in kitchens over the years were all a nightmare. Cheffing seems to attract them. The drug taking, the abuse, the level of self absorption is / was off the scale. I didn't take any shit, but I saw front of house staff spat at and called cunts frequently. This was in recent years, too. Female and younger male chefs were told that this was the reality of professional kitchens. HR / workplace laws didn't apply, apparently. I worked in a highly lauded restaurant. The owner couldn't keep most chefs beyond a few weeks because he treated them like shit. Some of the chefs previously worked for HB and GR because they thought that was the way to the top...

Yes, many (mostly) women previously diagnosed with bipolar are now being diagnosed with ND conditions, but also some people do also have personality disorders alongside.

I have Autism and ADHD. IMO HB and some featured on this programme have other serious issues. I'd hate to be married to any of these self absorbed arseholes.

Wow @RainbowZebraWarrior thank you so much for your insight, and I’m so sorry you had to work with such awful & egotistical men.

I imagine being married to some of them would be unbearable!
I worked in traditionally macho professions in the 90’s & 00’s, thankfully not catering, and my experiences were bad enough. Drugs never happened due to genuine legal & safety issues, I dread to think of the abuse if they had been.

And to the PP who commented on GR’s appearance, he had quite a bit of cosmetic surgery a few years ago to remove the deep wrinkles especially around his mouth & chin. He seems to have grown into his new face & certainly seems more polite & mentally well balanced now.

I’m on episode 2. It’s fascinating. Loving the 90s soundtrack too. Interested to hear them discuss being in an industry where the working class could get to the top. I’m not a foodie at all but the interviewees are interesting too. Janet, Stanley, Lenny, Max Beesley. It’s really well done.
Angela Hartnett is fabulous.

Wow @RainbowZebraWarrior thank you so much for your insight, and I’m so sorry you had to work with such awful & egotistical men.

Seconded

Urgh, MPW. It took me quite a while to realise his waistcoat was made of flecked fabric, not a good look when he also appears somewhat reluctant to use shampoo.

The pedo glasses don't do him any favours either.

I've seen the first two episodes.

I'm surprised how much I like Gordon - he was a nasty dick-swinging arsehole for many years, and a shocking bully. I remember him being vile the the young lad on Faking It, and conning a vegetarian bloke into eating meat then mocking him on another TV show.
He really seems to have mellowed and matured. I'm glad for him.

MPW is a petty, bitter swine. Yes he may have been a culinary wunderkind, but he was a vicious human being.

Poor Heston's really been through the wringer. I loved the flights of fancy his culinary ideas took him on, executed with precision. A very rare mix.

Angela Hartnett is a bloody legend. Love her. I saw her in her restaurant once while I was there for dinner (again). She's amazing and the food is to die for.

Absolutely loved the first episodes but the big event was a bit of an anti climax really.
I wonder whose idea it was to have the waitress popping up to interrupt and invite the chefs into the kitchen? It felt like a massive intrusion into what could have been an intimate and emotional conversation.

Watched the first episode last night and loved it. Agree with others that Gordon Ramsay seems by far the most well-adjusted one. Who would have thought?!

Marco Pierre White comes across as an utter nightmare

I think they were trying to manage the dynamic. I don’t think MPW could have tolerated a real conversation about his behaviour, he certainly seemed the least reflective of the 3. Having each of them step away from the table gives a natural fire break if things aren’t going well.

I just watched the third episode last night, it felt to me like it needed another episode. I didn't learn a huge amount about Heston - when they said it was the first time the three of them had been in a room, i couldn't understand why Heston had had a problem. So much was devoted to Gordon and Marco, I felt like I was thinking "why would he be nervous?". And the dinner itself should have been a full episode just alone.

Marco is clearly never going to admit that he was in any way wrong.

Heston just needs to be wrapped up in a giant hug and protected by everyone. What an absolute sweetheart.

And I've always liked Gordon. I think he's mellowed a lot. I like the fact that he's so emotional and wears his heart on his sleeve, and how he's always very polite to people. He's clearly done a lot of work on himself and it shows.

MPW is a huge narcissist.
He behaves abominably and when someone stands up to him he focuses only on their actions, which were caused by him, with zero reflection.

I presume he is a lonely old man because nobody could cope with anything more than very limited contact with his toxic behaviour. He must have to pay well for any human to tolerate him.

I never thought I would feel sorry for or like GR but after watching this I have changed my mind.

HB seems a very delicate and vulnerable man now. I hope he has happiness in his life.

It was reminding me of The Bear
he certainly was full of himself, MPW
and I never liked Ramsey with his swearing, so turned off after half an hour
i also found it quite boring

I havent seen the final episode, saving it for myself!!

MPW fascinates me as I never knew he was from Leeds or a council estate, I thought he was some posh boy

I had no idea about all the long hair and smoking and not caring about that in the kitchen when he's being so precious and precise about a bit of fish being cooked 20 seconds too long that he grabs Ramsey by the neck

And what a state he is now, sorry to say.

Had a terrible childhood by the sounds of it but then replicated that in his behaviour with his staff.

And he is an outright liar, he said on one episode that he never touched drink or drugs until he was 41, yet there he is, large as life in multiple photos of him when younger swigging glasses of wine. Did no one call him out on that?

Yes Michel Roux said there was no such thing as HR then.