Gordon Ramsay is to host his first ever game show after his production company scored a primetime commission from the BBC.
The British public broadcaster has ordered Bank Balance, a show described as greed versus strategy.
The Hell’s Kitchen star is fronting the show, which will see contestants compete in a high-stakes, high-pressure quiz, where they can literally build themselves a fortune or see it come crashing down in an instant.
The BBC won the rights after a competitive pitch and “a few weeks of intense negotiations”, according to Studio Ramsay. Tabloid reports earlier in the summer had suggested that the show would air on rival ITV. Filming will begin later this year.
The production company is currently in discussions with networks for a U.S. version of the show. You’d have thought that Fox might be participating in those discussions given the fact that Ramsay hosts and executive produces four shows on the network – Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef, MasterChef Junior and Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back.
Studio Ramsay was launched in 2016 and produces shows including the aforementioned Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back, Nat Geo’s Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted and ITV series including Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip and The Savoy.
Bank Balance was commissioned by Kate Phillips, BBC Controller of Entertainment Commissioning, and Jo Wallace is Executive Producer for the BBC. The show was devised by Studio Ramsay’s, Fernando De Jesus, Tom Day, Sam Smaïl and Bronson Payne, and will be exec produced by Ramsay and Chief Creative Officer Lisa Edwards.
Gordon Ramsay said, “This is going to be truly epic. It is such an intense game with so much jeopardy to win big and lose even bigger, where the difference between failure and success is always in the balance. I’m so happy to be working with the fantastic team at the BBC and cannot wait to get in the studio and start stacking those gold bars.”
BBC’s Phillips, added, “It’s fantastic to have Gordon on board hosting this new prime time game show. It promises to test nerve, accuracy and knowledge as well as entertain you.”