BRITAIN'S MOST POWERFUL FOOD CRITIC CROSSES THE POND FOR BBC AMERICA'S "MILLION DOLLAR CRITIC," PREMIERING JANUARY 22

How far would you go for a review worth a million dollars?

New York - Tuesday, December 16, 2014 - BBC AMERICA's new restaurant series, Million Dollar Critic, introduces Giles Coren (Gordon Ramsay's The F-Word) the bitingly funny and controversial restaurant critic of The London Times to North America. It's said that a positive review from the vigorous writer is worth a million dollars and that his words can change the fates and fortunes of the restaurants he visits. With help from his researcher Julia Pileggi, in each episode the host samples meals from five worthy restaurants and thrusts one lucky winner into the limelight by giving them his million dollar review. The six-part hour-long culinary journey, Million Dollar Critic, premieres Thursday, January 22, 10:00pm ET following the final episodes of the original Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC AMERICA.

Giles Coren has eaten at the world's finest restaurants, but nothing excites him more than discovering a hidden gem - a place that's doing everything right and deserves recognition. In this new series, he travels city-to-city to discover some of North America's most enticing and authentic restaurants in need of the acknowledgment that can help them pop on the culinary map. From Philadelphia, Charleston, and Providence, to Toronto, St. John's Newfoundland, and Québec City, he'll assess and select one winning restaurant in each city. Along the way, Coren receives some helpful insight from local residents including Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in the series premiere.

In Toronto, Coren visits The Atlantic, a restaurant with no menu, pay-what-you-think-it's-worth philosophy, and an eccentric, multi-tasking owner, who is also the host, bartender, chef, and server; Opus, a pricy old-school restaurant with 3,000 bottles on its wine list; hugely popular Indo-Pakistani buffet King Place; hipster bistro Small Town Food Co.; and Mexican food stall turned restaurant, Agave y Aguacate.

Caring little if the restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall, or a Michelin-starred destination, Coren judges his experiences based on the chef's passion for food, the restaurant's atmosphere, and service. This levels the playing field for all restaurants hoping to win his review. While it can get hot in the kitchen, it's Coren's British wit and blunt honesty that drives this new culinary series.

Million Dollar Critic is produced by Temple Street Productions and BBC AMERICA, in association with W Network. The series is distributed by BBC Worldwide.

BIOGRAPHIES

GILES COREN - HOST

Giles Coren has been the restaurant critic for The London Times for over 12 years. Prior to that he was restaurant critic for The Independent and Tatler. In 2005, Coren was named Food and Drink Writer of the Year, published his first novel, Winkler, and began appearing on Gordon Ramsay's F-Word. Although he's known for his candid critique, the writer is passionate about giving recognition to great restaurateurs, who truly deserve it and assisting them in finding their spot on the culinary map.

JULIA PILEGGI - RESEARCHER

Julia is a food culture enthusiast and passionate traveler. Always on the hunt for food and restaurant experiences, her interests developed while growing up watching her parents and grandmothers cook. Having eaten some of the best Italian home-cooking out there and having worked in the food industry for years, Julia has developed a high standard for quality and authenticity while also understanding the challenges of running a food business.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. A joint venture between BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and AMC Networks, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including four Emmy(R) Awards, five Golden Globes(R) and 12 Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in 80 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.BBCAmerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.