Hell’s Kitchen UK return: Everything we know as Claudia Winkleman is reportedly confirmed to host
Creator Gordon Ramsay confirmed earlier this year he was in talks with ITVClaudia Winkleman is reportedly heading back to Hell’s Kitchen UK, with ITV said to have snapped her up to host its long-awaited revival of the cooking competition.
The Traitors icon fronted the final series of the original show in 2009 and, according to The Sun, she has now signed a contract to return.
A source told the paper: “This is a major coup for ITV and everyone is very excited. Claudia was exceptional on Hell’s Kitchen back in the Noughties and is absolutely still the right person for the job.”
ITV has not officially announced the revival.
Is Hell’s Kitchen UK coming back?
Talk of a UK return has been building for years, and Gordon Ramsay, who created the format, confirmed this year that he was in discussions with ITV.
“I think we’re gonna come back to the UK with Hell’s Kitchen live next year,” he told The Sun.
“And it’s about time, because everywhere I go across the UK it’s ‘Please bring it back’. So we’re talking now with ITV to bring it back.”
That suggests the revival could arrive in 2027, possibly in a live format. We do not know yet whether Gordon will return as head chef, or whether the new series will feature celebrities or members of the public.
How did Hell’s Kitchen UK work?
The original series saw celebrities, who were often total beginners in the kitchen, take on the pressure of running a working restaurant under a famously demanding head chef.
Contestants were split into teams and cooked for diners, many of them famous faces, in a purpose-built restaurant in London. Viewers then voted to decide who left, Big Brother-style, until a winner was crowned.
The first series, with Gordon Ramsay in charge, aired live every night for two weeks in 2004. ITV shook up the format in 2005, when members of the public competed for £250,000 to open their own restaurant, before celebrities returned for the final two series.
In the 2009 series hosted by Claudia, head chef Marco Pierre White decided the first four exits himself, before the public vote took over for the final stages.
That live element could be key to the revival, with Gordon’s hint at a return for Hell’s Kitchen live.
Read more: Celebrity Traitors finalist James Blunt admits why he didn’t want to make the last episode
Claudia Winkleman’s history with Hell’s Kitchen
Claudia took over as host for the fourth series in 2009, with Marco Pierre White in charge of the kitchen.
Dynasty star Linda Evans won that series, with Ade Edmondson as runner-up.
Hell’s Kitchen UK: every winner
The original show ran for four series on ITV between 2004 and 2009:
- Series 1 (2004): Jennifer Ellison won, with Gordon Ramsay as head chef and Angus Deayton as host.
- Series 2 (2005): members of the public competed under Gary Rhodes and Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Terry Miller took the title.
- Series 3 (2007): boxing legend Barry McGuigan won, with Marco Pierre White in the kitchen.
- Series 4 (2009): Linda Evans won, with Claudia Winkleman replacing Angus as host.
Hell’s Kitchen UK does not have a return date; we will update you as soon as we know any more about the reported revival!
This article was produced with the assistance of AI technology to synthesise source reporting and structured data. It has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by our human editorial team before publication.
