GORDON RAMSAY'S F WORD - BACK WITH A U.S. PREMIERE SEASON

Celebrity guests show off their cooking skills but will the diners pay?

The irrepressible Gordon Ramsay returns with a U.S. premiere season of television's most entertaining food show, Gordon Ramsay's F Word. In the series, the world-renowned chef shares his infectious passion for great cuisine and gets people eating, cooking, thinking and talking about food centered round his F Word restaurant. In addition to offering easy to make, healthy recipes, Gordon's joined by a revolving cast of celebrities, their friends and families. He challenges them to prepare a three-course meal for 50 diners using recipes that anyone can cook at home. But the diners get to decide if the food's up to scratch and if they'll pay the bill. Gordon Ramsay's F Word premieres Wednesday, June 17, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Gordon also travels the world in search of the very best ingredients and most exhilarating food experiences. He visits the U.S. to "noodle" catfish in Oklahoma and joins the U.S. Army at Georgia's Fort Benning to take on a ferocious, but tasty, enemy - wild hogs. Other trips include catching puffin on a remote island off Iceland, a spell of father-son fishing in the Scottish Highlands, discovering sustainable caviar in Southern Spain and, having admitted he's a Dim Sum virgin, learning how to properly cook this famed delicacy.

Among the celebrities brave enough to have a recipe face-off with Gordon are Meatloaf, chat-show host Graham Norton, pop singer Dannii Minogue and Tony-nominated actor Jessica Hynes. Gordon's also on the war path to get everyone eating healthier. Those in his sights include boxer Ricky Hatton, who the press nicknamed Ricky "Fatton" for his post-fight binges, Britain's elite fighting force The Royal Marines, who first challenge Gordon to survive their gruelling training course and supermodel Erin O'Connor who's started her own business training young models on healthy eating.

Culinary bruiser Janet Street-Porter takes on the huge challenge of rearing two veal calves in a healthy, cruel-free environment. 'Elton' and 'David' will be served in the F Word restaurant at the end of the series accompanied by a beer brewed by Gordon for the occasion. And, son of Camilla and author of Year of Eating Dangerously, Tom Parker Bowles, visits Sardinia to track down various delicacies and brings all his resourcefulness to the table as he attempts to cook a whole pig, nose to tail, using every single part of the animal.

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies and life-changing makeovers. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 64 million homes.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Series Director John F. D. Northover

Series Producer Sarah Lazenby

Executive Producers Jon Swain, Ben Adler, Patricia Llewellyn

Gordon Ramsay's F Word is an Optomen Television production for Channel 4.

EPISODE SYNOPSES

Episode one

In tonight's first program, Coronation Street's Wendi Peters and her family face the white heat of the F Word kitchen, while Spice Girl Geri Halliwell challenges Gordon to beat her recipe for Spanish meatballs. BAFTA-winning Gavin & Stacey star James Corden bites off more than he can chew, and Gordon goes in search of the ultimate deep-sea delicacy, urchins.

Episode one premieres Wednesday, June 17, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode two

News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy and his family have to cook for 50 hungry diners, while television presenter Kate Garraway challenges Gordon to beat her recipe for bread and butter pudding. Janet Street-Porter continues her struggle to rear veal that will match Gordon's exacting standards, and Gordon takes his son, Jack, on a hunt for rabbits.

Episode two premieres Wednesday, June 24, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode three

Boy band McFly face the music in the kitchen, while comedian Ben Miller goes head-to-head with Gordon in the recipe challenge with his version of the classic Victoria Sponge cake. Janet Street-Porter champions a new low-fat superfood, ostrich, while Gordon attempts to get a fan of take-out ready to run a marathon by teaching him how to make a fantastic healthy home-made meal.

Episode three premieres Wednesday, July 1, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode four

Pop stars Nicole Appleton and Melanie Blatt and their mums cook a delicious starter of angel hair pasta and clams, spiced pork chops with crushed sweet potatoes and a classic apple tart, while Nicole's husband, Liam Gallagher, watches from the dining room. British politician David Blunkett showcases his version of Shepherd's Pie in the recipe challenge, while Gordon's put through his paces by U.S. Marines and then shows them how to cook a healthy, low-calorie and delicious beef curry. Gordon searches through the night for one of Britain's rarest and most delicious food delicacies, young eels, or elvers.

Episode four premieres Wednesday, July 8, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode five

Comedian Paddy McGuinness and his family cook a delicious starter of scallops, quail's eggs and pea puree, a main course of escalope of chicken, saut�ed potatoes and chard and a mouth-watering raspberry souffl� for dessert. Meanwhile, Gordon teaches comedian Dara O'Briain how to cook a healthy prawn and crayfish pilaf, proving that low fat food doesn't need to be boring. Janet Street-Porter's veal calves undergo an important operation and singer Jamelia takes on Gordon in the recipe challenge with her Jamaican chicken soup. Gordon travels to Oklahoma for an extraordinary food adventure spent catfish noodling - catching powerful, sharp-toothed catfish using nothing but his hands.

Episode five premieres Wednesday, July 15, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode six

Singer Neneh Cherry and her family cook smoked trout fillets, glazed beef and a delicious pear tatin. Gordon teaches British politician John Prescott how to cook mouth-watering fish cakes with anchovy dressing, proving that healthy food can satisfy even the biggest appetite. Extreme foodie Tom Parker Bowles visits Sardinia to track down one the world's most fascinating food delicacies and Gordon joins the U.S. Army as they take on a ferocious enemy - wild hogs. Pop star Dannii Minogue challenges Gordon with her vegetarian risotto.

Episode six premieres Wednesday, July 22, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode seven

Gordon takes his son Jack fishing in the Scottish Highlands and then gets the rest of the family to help turn an old Robin Reliant car into a salmon smoker in his back garden. Janet Street-Porter decides whether or not to make her veal calves free range. Gordon teaches a female fire fighter how to make a deliciously healthy beef burger with potato wedges and a beetroot relish. The one, the only, Meatloaf takes on Gordon with his tuna bake. Plus actor Angela Griffin and her family cook stir-fried duck in lettuce cups, saffron bream and peppers, and summer berry mille feuille for the F Word diners.

Episode seven premieres Wednesday, July 29, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode eight

Gordon goes shooting for pigeon and makes a delicious warm pigeon salad while Janet takes her veal calves to a country show. Tom Parker Bowles attempts to cook a whole pig, nose to tail, using every single part of the animal. BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman takes Gordon on in the recipe challenge with her version of one of Scotland's greatest dishes - haggis, while rapper Dizzee Rascal drops into the restaurant for dinner. Plus former rugby world champion Matt Dawson and his family help Gordon cook a fantastic glazed salmon with salad starter, a main course of duck, and a honeycomb dessert.

Episode eight premieres Wednesday, August 5, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode nine

Gordon goes back to the floor, becoming a junior chef at a Chinese restaurant. He learns how to make one of the world's most ancient delicacies, Dim Sum. Janet's veal calves are living happily in her field in Yorkshire, but not all calves are so lucky � she reveals what can happen to some veal calves that are sent abroad. Comedian Jo Brand takes Gordon on in the recipe challenge with her vegetable curry while fellow comedian Harry Enfield drops into the restaurant for dinner. Plus singer Mica Paris and her family cook a delicious mackerel and warm potato salad starter, a pigeon casserole for main course, and a fantastic strawberry dessert.

Episode nine premieres Wednesday, August 12, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode ten

Janet Street-Porter faces one of the most difficult moments of her life - her veal calves have had a very happy life in a field in Yorkshire, but now it's time for them to go to slaughter. Meanwhile, Gordon visits London Zoo to find out why the animals are eating better than the humans. Tony-nominated actor Jessica Hynes challenges Gordon with her macaroni and cheese, and in the restaurant, the diners, who include comedian Rob Brydon, enjoy a delicious three course meal, cooked by actor Christopher Biggins and family, of pea soup, chicken stroganoff, and vanilla cheesecake.

Episode ten premieres Wednesday, August 19, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode eleven

Gordon meets supermodel Erin O'Connor to find out what models really eat. Janet Street-Porter spit roasts one of the veal calves she's raised in a field near her home. News anchor Jon Snow takes on Gordon in the recipe challenge with his salmon fillet dish. In the restaurant, Spice Girl Emma Bunton and her family help Gordon cook a starter of gnocchi with peas and broad beans, a main course of Dover sole, and a delicious dessert of gooseberry and elderflower crumble. Gordon teaches a group of London Underground emergency workers how to cook a delicious, low-fat breakfast.

Episode eleven premieres Wednesday, August 26, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Episode twelve

The series comes to a spectacular finish as Gordon goes "sky-fishing" for puffin on a remote island off Iceland's southern coast, discovers one of the first organic caviar farms in the Sierra Nevada area of Spain and makes an emotional return to his old football club in Scotland. In the restaurant he takes on the ultimate challenge - cooking one of Janet's veal calves for 50 vegetarians who want to try meat again. In the recipe challenge, Graham Norton and Gordon compete to have their roasted peach dish served to the diners for dessert. The winning kitchen brigade from the series return to cook three luxurious dishes that everyone can cook at home - a starter of lobster and caviar with new potatoes and a truffle mayonnaise, a main course of veal marsala with saut�ed vegetables (made with meat from one of Janet's veal calves), and the winning dessert from Gordon's recipe challenge with Graham Norton.

Episode twelve premieres Wednesday, September 2, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.