Marcus Wareing has quit Gordon Ramsay's new BBC cooking show, throwing production into chaos just months after the pair vowed to put their 16-year feud behind them.
Wareing, a MasterChef judge, had been set to host the new programme, which was being made by Ramsay's production company, Studio Ramsay. The show was said to combine home cooking with extraordinary human stories.
Work on the project has now been halted after Wareing, 56, allegedly told producers he wanted no part of the programme. It is unclear why he pulled out, though there is not believed to be another feud brewing with his former mentor Ramsay, 59.
"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 said. "It's a shame as there was so much excitement about the reunion."
The insider told The Sun the situation "feels pretty final", but suggested the BBC could still try to rescue the concept in another form, adding that the broadcaster liked both the idea and the talent involved.
The BBC declined to comment. Representatives for the broadcaster, Wareing and Ramsay have been contacted for comment.
Wareing had previously spoken of his excitement for the project, announcing last year: "This is a fantastic opportunity to work alongside Gordon again. It's been many years since we last shared a kitchen, and I can't wait to get started."
A 16-year feud finally ended
The setback comes after Ramsay and Wareing publicly called an end to a bitter feud that had run for nearly two decades. Wareing once said he hoped he would never have to speak to Ramsay again for the rest of his life.
In 2025, the pair buried the hatchet, reuniting for an amicable make-up dinner and both posting a photograph of themselves together in an unnamed kitchen on social media.
Ramsay and Wareing worked together for 15 years, with Wareing regarded as Ramsay's protege after starting out as sous chef at his Aubergine restaurant. They were once so close that Ramsay was best man at Wareing's wedding and is godfather to his eldest child.
The Petrus split
In 1999, the pair opened a joint restaurant venture, Petrus, with Wareing as head chef. The restaurant earned two Michelin stars but ultimately proved to be the undoing of their friendship.
In 2008, Wareing decided to go solo and sought to take over the lease at London's Berkeley Hotel, sparking a legal dispute. Ramsay retained the Petrus name, while Wareing went on to open his own restaurant at The Berkeley.
"It was me who started it. I picked a fight. I no longer wanted to be kept in a corner, so I spoke up. And, well, it got nasty," Wareing once admitted.
Wareing retired from the restaurant business last year but remains a judge on BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals.
'Mental torture' in the kitchen
Describing the fallout in a 2011 interview with Weekend Magazine, Wareing said: "Gordon verbally kicked the s*** out of you. Then he would buy you a beer. He put me through mental torture. I'd be first in in the morning, and I'd lock up at night. All day, there'd be Gordon being Gordon. It's a wonder we all survived."
Wareing said the pair came close to physical violence, recalling one Saturday night about six months before they parted ways, when Ramsay came into the kitchen and the two had a tense conversation.
In 2023, Wareing said the feud was ultimately "the best thing that ever happened to both of us," telling the Daily Mail's Richard Eden that the rivalry pushed him to find a different ambition.
"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," said Wareing, who is a father of three.
