Ainsley Harriott
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Ainsley Harriott (born February 28, 1957) is a British celebrity chef. His most well-known role is perhaps that of presenting the quick-fire cookery programme Ready Steady Cook.
Harriott was born in Balham in south London. Harriott is married to former costume designer, Clare Fellows. They have two children and a dog called Oscar. Clare is the sister of the creator of John Shuttleworth and Jilted John, Graham Fellows. His famous catchphrase is: "What am I like?!" which he often says upon making a faux pas.
[edit] Career
At sixteen, he obtained an apprenticeship at an East End restaurant and later worked as a commis chef. However his talents lay in comedy and singing as well as cooking and Harriott formed the Calypso Twins with Paul Boross and released a record in the early 1990s. He appeared on television for the first time in a small role in the sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf in 1993 (see below). Meanwhile, he continued to work as a chef, rising to head chef at Lord's Cricket Ground's Long Room when he was asked to present More Nosh, Less Dosh on BBC Radio 5 [1].
He then crossed over to television to become the resident chef on Good Morning with Anne and Nick and then as the main presenter of Can't Cook, Won't Cook and later Ready, Steady, Cook. These shows involved heavy participation with somewhat reluctant members of the public and were ideal for showcasing Harriott's rash, happy-go-lucky demeanor. However he has also presented more straightforward how-to-cook programmes such as Ainsley's Barbecue Bible, Ainsley's Meals in Minutes, Ainsley's Big Cook Out and Ainsley's Gourmet Express.
In 2000, Ainsley made his debut on US television with The Ainsley Harriott Show on WNBC in New York City. It lasted for 100 episodes before it was cancelled due to low ratings. Following this he went on to host Ready.. Set... Cook!, the US version of Ready Steady Cook.
Ainsley is a fan of the British sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, having played the part of a GELF chief in the episode Emohawk: Polymorph II in 1993. In 1998, for the show's 10th anniversary, Harriott presented a special edition of Can't Cook, Won't Cook called Can't Smeg, Won't Smeg with the cast of the show cooking a meal while remaining in character.
Ainsley also does the voice over on the television advert for Covonia cough medicine and also appears on Fairy Liquid television adverts.
