Entertainment

New documentary features never-before-seen footage of Gary Rhodes before death

He was filming in Dubai before he died in November last year.
He was filming in Dubai before he died in November last year. He was filming in Dubai before he died in November last year.

A new documentary about Gary Rhodes will include never-before-seen footage from the series he was filming before his death at the age of 59 in Dubai.

Gary Rhodes: The First Rockstar Chef will also explore his culinary career and his passion for celebrating British food.

It features celebrities including Gordon Ramsay, Sir Alex Ferguson, Cheryl Baker and Ainsley Harriott, who pay tribute to the award-winning chef, and remember him as a family man and as a dear friend.

Gordon Ramsay new show
Gordon Ramsay new show Gordon Ramsay is among the chefs paying tribute (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Ramsay says: “Behind all that facade, behind all that character, was a real genius of a chef.”

“He opened the door for so many of us to prove that you can be talented in your restaurant and on TV and that’s the difference.

“In the 90s, 95% of TV chefs didn’t have restaurants, they barely had delis and sandwich bars, but this guy managed to have both.

“He was the real deal, he really knew his onions.”

Rhodes Twenty Four Restaurant launch
Rhodes Twenty Four Restaurant launch The one-off programme will include archive footage from across the years (Andy Butterton/PA)

Football manager Sir Alex remembers of the time he took the Manchester United players to Mayfair’s Greenhouse restaurant, where Rhodes was head chef at the time.

He said: “He was a great chef, we spoke for years and years after that.”

Also in the show, Rhodes’s two sons, Sam and George, share their memories of their father cooking for his family, remembering the painstaking process of the preparation of his puddings after Sunday roasts.

The one-off programme also includes archive footage from across the years, showing Rhodes preparing his famous bread and butter pudding.

The TV chef died from bleeding between the skull and the brain, according to a statement from his family.

He collapsed at home and was rushed to hospital.

Gary Rhodes: The First Rockstar Chef is on February 15 at 11.40am on ITV.