Ready Steady Cook

Ready Steady Cook is a BBC daytime TV cooking game show. It debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last original edition was broadcast on 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host. In August 2000, when Harriott took over, the duration of the programme was extended from 30 to 45 minutes.

Ready Steady Cook
Third logo, used from 2004 to 2010
Genre	Cooking show
Presented by	Fern Britton (1994–2000) Ainsley Harriott (2000–2010) Rylan Clark (2020–2021)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	32
No. of episodes	1,888
Production
Running time	30 minutes (1994–2000) 45 minutes (2000–2010, 2020–2021)
Production companies	Bazal Productions (1994–2001) Endemol UK Productions (2002–2006) Cheetah Television (2006–2010) Remarkable Television (2020–2021)
Original release
Network	BBC Two BBC One (1997–2003)
Release	24 October 1994 (1994-10-24) – 2 February 2010 (2010-02-02)
Network	BBC One
Release	2 March 2020 (2020-03-02) – 15 April 2021 (2021-04-15)
Related
MasterChef

On 2 September 2019, it was confirmed that Rylan Clark-Neal would host a revived daytime series on BBC One in 2020. On 7 September 2021, it was announced by the BBC that the series ended after two series.

Format

Ingredients

Two members of the public provided two celebrity chefs with a bag of ingredients they had bought, usually to a set budget of £5. Essential ingredients such as bread, milk, eggs etc. are provided by the show. The two teams were designated "red tomato" and "green pepper" (referred to as "red kitchen" and "green kitchen" after the August 2007 revamp, though the tomato and pepper motifs still featured on the guests' aprons and in the show's logo).

Occasionally, the permitted budget was increased: a so-called Bistro Bag allowed for ingredients of up to £7.50, while the Gourmet Bag could have a value of up to £10. On some occasions, they used a £3.50 Budget Bag. Also on a few shows, a Lucky Dip Bag was used, which contained ten items. The chef closed their eyes and picked out half of the items at the beginning. At the halfway mark, the chef randomly picked a sixth item, which might have helped or hindered the chef. The chefs had no prior knowledge of the ingredients they had to prepare. Another format was used on occasion in which both kitchens were given the same ingredients and the toss of a red and green die determined who had first pick.

The Main Course

The chefs had to make several dishes out of the said ingredients in 20 minutes, with the help of the contestants and the programme host. As the contestants taste the prepared food, the host asks the chef some questions about their dish. Prior to the September 2006 season it was customary for the chefs to name their creations, which usually included a pun.

The preparations were voted on by the studio audience, who each held up a card showing either a red tomato or green pepper. In the newer episodes, the audience members pushed a button on their seat keypad to indicate who they would like to win. The winner received a cash prize of £100, which celebrity guests donated to charity (an example the regular guests sometimes followed) but this was changed to a plate towards the end of the series. The runner-up used to receive a hamper which included a variety of items, such as a set of knives, pasta and sauces, olive oil and balsamic vinegar but later received a Ready Steady Cook mug due to budget restraints.

Quickie bag

The quickie bag section of the show then followed. This was introduced in 2000, the same year Ainsley Harriott became presenter (having previously been one of the celebrity chefs on the programme during Fern Britton's tenure as host), extending the programme from 30 to 45 minutes. The contents of the quickie bag used to be decided on by the series producer and a home economist. Their decision was based on produce that was currently in season or unusual ingredients that had not featured on the show recently. In late August 2007, the quickie bag changed format with the bag being brought in by an audience member, who challenged the chefs to prepare the dish.

The two chefs each had a chance to describe what they would cook using the bag of ingredients and the audience members voted to choose which dish they would like to see prepared. The winner then had 10 minutes to complete the described dishes, with the help of the other chef and Ainsley. The hectic preparation of the chosen chef's suggested dishes often includes a slight element of chaos and ad-libbing along the way. A viewer's question relating to a cooking problem is usually put to the chefs, further adding to the pressure upon them to complete their dishes in the time allowed.

Variations on the format

• Classic Bag – The original format where the contestant brought in a bag of ingredients costing up to £5.
• Budget Bag – Similar to the 'Classic Bag' but the ingredients could only cost up to £3.50.
• Bistro Bag – Ingredients worth £7.50.
• Gourmet Bag – Worth £10.
• Doubling Up Bag – Both contestants bring in the same ingredients. The host used a coin or die with a Green Pepper and Red Tomato on to decide which chef would decide what to do with the ingredients first. The other chef must do something different.
• Forfeit Bag – The chefs had to choose a card at random with a forfeit which prohibited their use of a certain store cupboard ingredient such as No Fresh Herbs, No Spices, No Citrus or No Wine.
• Gamble Bag – The chefs were presented with three mystery ingredients and are given the opportunity to swap one of their ingredients with one of these mystery ingredients. They do not have to swap but if they do, they cannot change their minds once the new ingredient is revealed.
• Lucky Dip – The Chefs were presented with a bag of ten items from which they had to pick five at random. After 10 minutes had passed, they then chose a sixth ingredient, which depending on what the chef has started cooking, can help or hinder them.

Celebrity Ready Steady Cook

Originally as a spin-off that ran alongside the original, Celebrity Ready Steady Cook had celebrities, often competing against a family member or friend, provide the bag of ingredients to the same budget of £5. Later series would see the public completely replaced with celebrity guests.

Celebrity appearances include: David Tennant, Wendy Richard, Kate Winslet, Honor Blackman, James May, Richard Hammond, Paul O'Grady as alter-ego Lily Savage, Cliff Richard, Twiggy, Rakie Ayola, Fiona Bruce, Gail Porter, Midge Ure, Edd China, Amanda Redman, Ade Edmondson and Alan Davies.

Featured chefs

Original version:

• Ross Burden
• Gino D'Acampo
• Garrey Dawson
• James Martin
• Nick Nairn
• Paul Rankin
• James Tanner
• Tony Tobin
• Brian Turner
• Phil Vickery
• Lesley Waters
• Kevin Woodford
• Antony Worrall Thompson

Revived series

In September 2019, the BBC announced that Ready Steady Cook would return.

Returning in March 2020, Celebrity MasterChef finalist Rylan Clark-Neal serves as host. He is joined by chefs Ellis Barrie, Romy Gill, Anna Haugh, Akis Petretzikis, and Mike Reid.

Ready Steady Cook introduced various sustainability efforts, including favouring glass over plastic, initiating a recycling programme, donating leftover food to a local food bank, and using locally sourced seasonal ingredients and Fair Trade items when available.

The second series following the revival started airing in March 2021. Clark-Neal returned as host, with the chef team largely remaining the same. Jeremy Pang replaced Mike Reid as Reid was unable to return to the UK from Australia during the pandemic. For the first time, the chefs decided the winner as the show was filmed without an audience.

Series overview

Original series

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes	Presenter
1	24 October 1994	23 December 1994	24	Fern Britton
2	9 January 1995	2 June 1995	70
3	16 October 1995	17 June 1996	121
4	2 September 1996	19 June 1997	142
5	20 August 1997	15 June 1998	136
6	7 September 1998	12 July 1999	109
7	6 September 1999	30 May 2000	108
8	14 August 2000	5 January 2001	65	Ainsley Harriott
9	22 January 2001	30 July 2001	65
10	3 September 2001	21 December 2001	55
11	21 January 2002	28 May 2002	47
12	12 August 2002	6 May 2003	108
13	18 August 2003	26 May 2004	124
14	31 August 2004	10 May 2005	123
15	5 September 2005	10 May 2006	120
16	18 September 2006	20 April 2007	123
17	27 August 2007	26 October 2007	47
18	11 February 2008	16 May 2008	57
19	19 May 2008	7 October 2008	32
20	19 January 2009	15 June 2009	40
21	24 November 2009	2 February 2010	35

Revived series

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes	Presenter
1	2 March 2020	27 March 2020	20	Rylan Clark-Neal
2	1 March 2021	15 April 2021	30

Celebrity Ready Steady Cook

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes	Presenter
1	11 July 1997	29 August 1997	8	Fern Britton
2	7 January 1998	4 March 1998	9
3	8 July 1998	24 December 1998	15
4	8 January 1999	12 February 1999	6
5	11 June 1999	15 December 1999	9
6	27 December 1999	2 July 2000	12
7	18 October 2000	16 April 2001	17	Ainsley Harriott
8	4 May 2001	29 June 2001	23
	8 September 2001	29 June 2002
9	6 November 2002	3 January 2003	2

Specials

Date	Entitle	Presenter
24 December 1997	Christmas Special	Fern Britton
20 November 1998	Children in Need
12 February 2002	Happy Birthday!	Ainsley Harriott
13 February 2002
23 December 2004	Christmas Special
12 July 2006	Sports Relief Special
17 March 2021	Red Nose Day Special	Rylan Clark-Neal

Daytime Celebrity Christmas specials

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes	Presenter
1	27 December 2002	3 January 2003	7	Ainsley Harriott
2	26 December 2003	31 December 2003	5

International versions

Country	Title	Broadcaster	Presenter(s)	Premiere	Finale
Australia	Ready Steady Cook	Network Ten	Nick Stratford (2005) Peter Everett (2006–2011) Colin Lane (2011–2013) Miguel Maestre (2024–present)	4 April 2005 8 March 2024	12 December 2013 present
Germany	Kochduell	VOX	Britta von Lojewski	1 September 1997	27 August 2005
Greece	Στην κουζίνα ολοταχώς Stin kouzina olotahos	Mega Channel	Ilias Mamalakis	2001	2004
	Ready, Steady, Cook	Alpha TV	Akis Petretzikis	8 May 2017	10 July 2017
Finland	Kokkisota	MTV3	Sikke Sumari	25 February 1999 18 January 2017	13 May 2004 present
Italy	La prova del cuoco	Rai 1	Antonella Clerici (2000–2008; 2010–2018) Elisa Isoardi (2008–2010; 2018–2020)	2 October 2000	26 June 2020
New Zealand	Woolworth's Ready Steady Cook	TV3 (1998) TVNZ (1999, 2005)	Kerre Woodham (1998–1999) Clayton Carrick-Leslie (2005)	1998 2005	1999 2005
Poland	SmaczneGO! Gotowi do Gotowania. Start!	TVP 2	Olga Bończyk (2007–2008) Marzena Rogalska (2019)	10 March 2007 9 September 2019	24 May 2008 26 November 2019
United States	Ready... Set... Cook!	Food Network	Robin Young (1995–1996) Sissy Biggers (1996–2000) Ainsley Harriott (2000–2001)	2 October 1995	1 January 2001

Books

• Ready Steady Cook: The 10 Minute Cookbook. BBC Books. 28 September 2006. ISBN 978-0-563-49389-1.
• Ready Steady Cook 365. BBC Books. 3 September 2009. ISBN 978-1-84607-801-9.

External links

• Ready Steady Cook at BBC Online
• Ready Steady Cook (2020 revival)
• Ready Steady Cook at IMDb
• Ready Steady Cook at UKGameshows.com
• Ready Steady Cook at BFI
• Celebrity Ready Steady Cook at IMDb
• Celebrity Ready Steady Cook at BFI