Gordon Ramsay is desperate for fans to see 'the real him’ as he talks "intrusive but brutally honest" Netflix series

Gordon Ramsay has been a mainstay on television screens for decades, taking audiences inside restaurants worldwide from Hell's Kitchen to Kitchen Nightmares, but nothing has been quite as personal as his new Netflix series, Being Gordon Ramsay.

The six-part series, which Ramsay has executive produced, follows the celebrity chef as he embarks on his most ambitious project yet, the opening of five culinary experiences in one of London's tallest buildings, 22 Bishopsgate. But the series also offers an emotional glance at the celebrity chef, as he delves into his childhood and fatherhood.

But, with over 90 restaurants worldwide and 22 Bishopsgate being perhaps his most stressful project yet, why was this personal venture the project he wanted people to see?

With the question posed to the chef, Ramsay told Radio Times: "I think for me, no one quite understands just how chaotic a chef's life is. And so to get that kind of insight of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, coupled with the pressure of what was going on in terms of 22 Bishopsgate, I was desperate to show not just the real me, but just the connect with the family and the amazing bond we have."

Elaborating further on having the cameras follow his every move, Ramsay admitted it was "intrusive but brutally honest".

"And it was incredibly moving because they caught me at a very difficult, tough, demanding year," he added.

Along for the ride is not only Gordon, but his daughters Tilly and Holly Ramsay also feature predominantly throughout as well as his wife, Tana, the latter of whom he stresses he "couldn't have done any of this without".

"And so when we're on, we're on and when we're off, we're off," Ramsay told Radio Times. "And so it was understanding that level of disruption when we're off. But we're all together, whether we're in Cornwall or in London, we're all together. So she was excited, happy, and I think it was really nice to see just how tough she is in this documentary."

As for Tilly and Holly, it wasn't completely new to them, with Ramsay noting Tilly had appeared in The F Word, a reality series in which amateur teams and celebrity guests cook in a high pressure environment.

But part of the series featured Ramsay and his family looking after animals, in which they raised pigs and turkeys.

Ramsay told Radio Times: "I think I go back to the beginning of The F Word years ago when I got those animals to look after to make sure they didn't waste food going forward.

"So we raised sheep in the back garden, we raised pigs in the back garden, and then they had turkeys for Christmas, so they understood the importance of being resourceful. No waste, and more importantly, understanding where your food comes from, and that was filmed. That was an amazing insight to showing kids the importance of food and not to waste."

He continued: "There was a moment where Tilly had taken her turkey to bed and I went downstairs, I thought it'd been eaten by a fox [but] Tilly had hidden the turkey in her wardrobe because she didn't want to go to slaughter. Quite traumatising for an 8-year-old girl.

"So in many ways they're sort of used to having that camera around and understanding, you know, it's work. It's dad's work."

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The F Word is just one of over 25 shows Ramsay has fronted, but despite what he calls "shiny glossy shows with big budgets and incredible production", this Netflix series is "raw" and separates itself from the rest.

"This is real and in many ways, I forget the camera's there," he told Radio Times. "I don't really stare down the barrel or start obsessing, I'm just me. And so if I come down in my pyjamas and I wanna make the tea, have toast and make some scrambled egg for the kids, [I will].

"I want it to be natural. And [Tana] was very good at exposing that, I think because, again, how you see her, that is exactly how she is at work and that's the first time we've ever done that, with that kind of insight. 24/7 behind the scenes, first thing in the morning to last thing at night."

Being Gordon Ramsay is available to watch on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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