Ainsley Harriott would like to revive 'Ready Steady Cook'.
Ainsley Harriott
The 60-year-old celebrity chef presented the culinary show from 2000 until 2010 and has admitted he'd love nothing more than to reboot it because he believes the nation enjoyed seeing kitchen legends create a masterpiece with limited ingredients.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, he said: "A lot of people would like to see it back - it was a fantastic programme. I think it was one of the most natural cooking programmes on TV. You saw the ingredients and it was in real time."
And the television presenter is convinced 'Ready Steady Cook' - which first hit television screens in 1994 and was presented by Fern Britton - would trump shows like 'Great British Bake Off' and 'MasterChef' in the ratings war if it ever were to make a return.
He explained to the publication: "'MasterChef' and all of them, they never do it in real time. If things went wrong, you saw them go wrong. It had an energy of its own. I'd love it to come back as it identifies with a nation of people."
James Martin - who appeared on the contest in the past - set tongues wagging a few months ago when he revealed talks were underway to bring back the "iconic" show.
He said at the time: "It's only a matter of time, it might be coming back. I think 'Ready Steady Cook' is iconic. I think I'd give it a go. It's a great format. I'd be a lot slower now than when I was doing it, cause I'm a lot older. People remember that show however old they were. It was the most successful cooking show of its generation."
The programme saw two teams, each featuring a professional chef and a member of the public, go head to head in the kitchen with a bag of budget ingredients, and James thinks one of the reasons why it was so popular is that it gave viewers at home ideas and tips.
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