Gordon Ramsay has bit back at Alan Sugar amid the BBC stars’ ongoing feud over the chef’s The Aprentice-style cookery show.
In 2022 the potty-mouthed restaurant owner, 56, launched Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars, which he promised to be 'far from any other cooking show' done before.
No stranger to controversy, when asked if he was hoping to upstage Lord Alan Sugar with the format of the programme, which sees Ramsay invest £150,000 of his own money into the winner, Gordon admitted he was keen to do just that.
He said: “Very much so. Alan’s at his best when he gets his, you know, feathers ruffled. And I’m not saying he’s up for retirement, but it’s about time the new kid was on the block.
"I was excited when the BBC were keen to have an Apprentice-style foodie programme that was adventurous, creative and unearthing new talent. And it’s good to ruffle feathers."
News of the show was met with fierce criticism from Sugar, who called the series a “virtual rip-off” of his own BBC show The Apprentice and urged Gordon to “stick to the day job”.
Now, in a new interview with The Sun, Gordon has hit back at the business mogul, urging him to stop “b***ing” and talking “absolute bollocks”.
He said: “He has no right to start throwing his toys out the pram. Do you think Simon Cowell started complaining about The Voice when he was running The X Factor? Of course he didn’t.”
He added: "There is more than enough room for both shows on the BBC. Come on Alan! Share the f***ing love!"
Recalling an occasion when a The Apprentice contestant got in touch with him about coming on the show, he said he wanted to show it to Lord Alan.
The Kitchen Nightmares host said: “I wanted to send it and say, ‘See, you are b*tching about me but your contestants are dying to come on the show!’.”
Speaking earlier this year, Lord Sugar claimed the chef's TV project was a “cockamamie idea”.
“I like Gordon and I think he’s very good and should stick to what he should do, cooking and all that stuff,” he told the MailOnline in January.
“He had something, which was like, I don’t know how the lawyers allowed it because it was a virtual rip-off of The Apprentice. No disrespect to Gordon but stick to your day job mate that’s all I would say.”
Earlier this month Gino D'Acampo shocked fans after announcing he won't be returning to Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip.
He has been on the show with Gordon, 56, and Fred Sirieix, 51, since it debuted in 2018.
A new series - which has already been filmed - is due to air later this year.
The 46-year-old announced his departure on Monday and said there were several reasons he could no longer commit to the programme and head overseas.
He insisted that his friendship with Gordon and Fred remains 'very strong' despite leaving the hilarious show.
Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars begins on Thursday 9.00pm BBC1
