Can ‘Big Ron’ do a Gordon Ramsay?

From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Tuesday 10th Jan 2006.

RON Atkinson will do for Swindon Town what Gordon Ramsay does for ailing restaurants.

That's the theory behind the documentary currently being filmed at the County Ground according to Neil Duncanson at production company North One Television.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares saw the acid-tongued chef using his expertise to reverse the fortunes of struggling businesses.

It's the premise which inspired the pending Town documentary.

Atkinson will take the role of Ramsay, only with less swearing.

Duncanson said: "It's a fly-on-the-wall documentary but in these days of trying to please dwindling television audiences you have to be a bit more specialist.

"We need to do something a wee bit different.

"So we thought if Gordon Ramsay can do something with restaurants then we could do something similar with football.

"Ron Atkinson seemed the best person to do that he can tell it like it is.

"He will be able to use his years of experience and connections to offer thoughts and advice and help in a pro-active way to bring money into the club, go out to meetings with Mark Devlin (Town's vice chairman) and push things along, and maybe offer suggestions to Iffy none of which have to be taken, it's a TV show after all.

"Gordon would go into the restaurants and they would say we don't know what we're doing wrong' and he'd go in and scream and shout at everybody.

"The idea is we retain elements of that. For example, someone comes in and says why do you do it that way? Have you thought about doing this?' "They don't necessarily have to agree with the suggestions."

The show is likely to be served up as a post-World Cup dessert rather than the appetiser originally mooted.

"There's no firm plan in the schedule yet.

"Iffy was very keen that it didn't go out during the season so I think we'll try to push Sky into running it on the back of the World Cup and in the run-up to the new season.

"We will be filming until the end of the season with the plan to produce six one-hour shows.

"Sky are very excited about it, we're very excited about it so far .

"We knew the publicity was going to go off in a certain direction at the start due to Ron's history. That was predictable.

"I could live without all that PR. The programme will stand up on its own merit.

"What you will find is a really interesting documentary underpinning the whole thing.

"And Ron's stature in the game can bring a wider audience to it."

Duncanson also confirmed the cameras could return again next season if the show is a ratings winner.

He said: "Sky are looking at it as something with the potential to live on beyond one series.

"If it does well and gets an audience and everyone gets on, I see no reason why it wouldn't happen again."

Meanwhile, Town remain hopeful of completing permanent deals for both Andy Gurney and Aaron Brown in the next few days.

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