ITV axes big Gordon Ramsay show after ratings flop

GORDON RAMSAY has suffered a kitchen nightmare with his new cookery contest Next Level Chef getting the chop by ITV.

It comes after the series failed to impress in the ratings and was expensive to make.

The show, made by his Studio Ramsay production company, will go down as a one-series wonder on his telly CV, just like his BBC One game show Bank Balance.

A source said: “Gordon is highly competitive and he’s gutted the series wasn’t given a second run.

“These types of shows always take a while to get going and for viewers to connect, so he thinks it wasn’t really given a proper chance.”

“But he accepts TV is a brutal world and sometimes shows just don’t work out.”

Next Level Chef involved 12 aspiring cooks battling it out to be crowned champion by Gordon, helped by judges and mentors Paul Ainsworth and Nyesha Arrington.

Plus, they had the chance to win a £100,000 prize and a year of mentoring. Social media chef Jade Greenhalgh won the first and only series earlier this month.

A spokesman for ITV said: “There are no current plans for a second series but viewers can watch series one on ITVX.”

It is not all bad news on the telly front for Gordon. The second series of his BBC One show Future Food Stars starts on Thursday, following its successful first run last year. It features 12 new contestants also hoping for investment in culinary businesses taking on food challenges.

Meanwhile, a new series of his ITV Roadtrip show is also in the pipeline, despite contract wrangles with co-star Gino D’Acampo.

Gordon was believed to be stunned by Gino announcing his departure last week.

But sources close to the show are hopeful the Italian chef will make a U-turn and join Gordon and Fred Sirieix for the next instalment.

The popular trio have previously filmed three series, plus a number of specials.