The Plonker Club

With all of the bad press Gordon Ramsay has been copping lately, one would be forgiven for thinking that his latest award could be something negative. Recently Gordon Ramsay has won or made the top ten in best looking as well as ugliest man surveys – not to mention his no regulation Michelin stars and other culinary prizes.

This prize however, is another on his mantle for television. Only a few weeks ago Gordon rRmsay won a broadcast award for Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live. The award was for Best New Programme at this and according to the Optomen website (producers of many Gordon rRmsay shows) ““Brave” was the word that cropped up most frequently in comments from the judges on one of the year’s biggest live TV events. I don’t think this was chosen necessarily because one of the episodes aired only days after the Sarah Symonds allegations of infidelity. At the start of that episode Gordon Ramsay even says “well, it’s been a tough week but…” and then just got on with the show!

other comments from the article (which can be seen in full at http://www.optomen.com/newsitem.aspx?content=898) include – Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live was a refreshing change from the studio-dominated cookery format and it was this, plus the level of interactivity, that pushed it ahead of the competition.

The ambitious, interactive set-up had the potential to be a logistical nightmare for the show’s producers, prompting one judge to comment that Cookalong Live was ”an innovative and risky way of involving the viewer.” Another went further, describing the show as “inclusive of the whole nation”.”

Optomen Television was also shortlisted for Best Popular Factual Programme for Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and for Best Independent Production Company.

David Driscoll
The Plonker Club

The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite
www.theplonkerclub.com

It seems that the Gordon Ramsay Brand is pushing on with the ‘family theme’ as evidenced by the latest ad featuring the entire family. This is despite some ‘experts’ claiming that the allegations made by Sarah Symonds (and now other women) would destroy his wholesome image.

This latest campaign (which we would assume was recorded before the scandal) features Gordon and Family around a Christmas tree, stating their Christmas shopping list. The full 30 second ad appears on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5GohC-GpL4), on the ‘Taste of Christmas’ account page.

More information on the live cooking event, being held in London on December 4-7 can be found at www.tasteofchristmas.com

It seems that there is still nothing official from the Gordon Ramsay Camp on the scandal, short of the soundbites taken from various other live cooking performances, including the Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong live television show. The Story According to Gordon (Ramsay) – Well, sort of …. (http://www.theplonkerclub.com/wordpress/9/the-story-according-to-gordon-ramsay-%e2%80%93-well-sort-of-%e2%80%a6/) summarises the best of ‘unofficial’ response!

David Driscoll
www.theplonkerclub.com
The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite.

Yesterday I saw an ad on the back of a bus for Gordon’s latest cookbook – ‘Cooking for Friends’ – and I only had to run half a block to snap it on my mobile phone!