Linda Herrick: The monster's brawl

One of the foulest men in the western world was on the screens over the holiday season. Gordon "bleeping" Ramsay fronted a series called Ramsay's Passion For Flavour, and what a strangely muted affair it was, with nary a tantrum, a curse or a @#$ per cent&* meltdown. Watching this kind of Ramsay (the weather was bad) was a dislocating exercise for those who made his acquaintance via the frightening Boiling Point show a few years back.

Ramsay seemed clone-like, with the anger chip removed. He tried to engage the audience by earnestly discussing his "passion" for excellence, he cooked dishes which ranged from scrambled eggs (apparently many British chefs can't do this, he sneered) to fast-roasted chook, and he went fishing on a river bank.

How dull it was. Ramsay's dialogue was cliche-ridden and flat; his most frequently turned phrase, "Like so". He displayed no sense of humour and on the rare occasion he smiled, his great big face looked set to crack like a brulee.

It was a thin veneer. There was a telling moment when he introduced his kitchen staff to the camera and referred to one poor young chap as useless. "That was a joke," he hastened to add. Cut to chap's face: absolutely petrified.

Those days of pretending to make nice for the camera have long gone, as we know, and now Ramsay is making a fortune out of being himself — a shouting bully.

Last year he hit the headlines (and the ratings) in Britain with Hell's Kitchen, a show we'll see at some stage on TV One. Hell's Kitchen features a lineup of alleged celebs trying, mostly failing, to cook for the public, their gastronomic efforts condemned by the raging Ramsay.

Now the success of Ramsay, TV star, has gone to his huge head. This month, he has started filming the American version of Hell's Kitchen for Fox, with whom he has a five-year deal worth "seven figures", according to news reports. This time, it's not about "celebs", which is hardly surprising considering the celebs he had in London were the likes of former pop star Belinda Carlisle (of the Go-Gos), former Coro star Amanda Barrie (Alma) and Gimme Gimme star James Dreyfus.

No, American stars will not be humiliated on screen so this time the victims are ordinary folk, like you and me. And Fox is predicting Ramsay will be a major star in America, even offering him a chat show. Imagine being interviewed by Ramsay. "What the eff did you say you had for effing breakfast this effing morning, you bleeding git!?"

He turned that gig down, thank God, telling the Observer, "I'm not some showbiz Johnnie".

Oh yes, you are Gordon Ramsay. But if he doesn't mend the ways that have made him the unpleasant star he is today, he may fall foul of the law. One of the chefs heading up a team on American Hell's Kitchen, Scott Leibfried, told the same newspaper that cussing at staff in California was illegal, and "I haven't heard stuff like he's dishing out in a very long time".

Ramsay has already had some sort of physical tussle with a contestant, who went to hospital, but the details have been shut down by lawyers and an out-of-court settlement.

So the falsely moderate Ramsay on the telly during the festive season has died, and the monster is having a ball. And a bawl.

Oh dear. Food should be about pleasure. Give me the Living Channel and the benign charms of Antonio Carluccio, Sophie Grigson and Rick Stein any day. They may be low key, but the only things they pound are the steak, for cooking.