I come from a rough backround and I saw a lot of shit growing up
To see the devastation on my Mum's face when she came back from young offenders prison
to wish my little brother happy birthday when he was eighteen. Then he progressed to a big prison.
I know the human cost of prison,
but what frustrates me is that the taxpayer forks out thirty eight grand a year to keep each
of Britain's eighty eight thousand prisoners banged up.
Yet only ten percent of them do any
full time work.
My plans pretty straight forward. It's about getting them working, off their ass
and then working.
Hey Gordon Ramsay, what's going on?
I'm going to try to set up a business behind bars
getting prisoners cooking on the inside to sell on the outside
we are going to make some fairy cakes (prisoners laughing)
whats the secret of a good fairy cake?
I haven't a fucking clue, but I like em'
I've given myself six months inside one of Britain's toughest prisons.
I'll smash you to pieces.
to see if I can get the inmates working, and earning
who else has eaten the tarts - you've eaten one as well, this is an absolute joke
but the prisionrs aren't the only ones I'm fighting
the system has to come first
if he really messes up - he'll be out.
this is so frustrating.
Scoch egg? This is made by prisoners local in Brixton
(hahah) they can spit in it, they can lay it on the floor, they can do anything
Gordon is in for a shock, absolutely
maybe I'm the next Gordon Ramsay, maybe I'm the black gordon ramsay (laughs)
learning to become a great cook, a good cook, an average cook, it takes time
stick your job up your ass
if it's one thing these guys have got on their side it's time.
I've never been in a proper prison
if anything kicks off
and it goes a little bit pear shaped
it's not going to be a friendly place to be in the middle of
Britain's prison population is exploding
it's increased by twenty two thousand in the
last deacade
it cost almost two billion a year
it just seems a complete waste
the amount of money that we spend to keep these guys in there
this is costing us a fortune
there are some prison work schemes
the government say they want to create more
but in cash strapped Britain
few offenders graft
full time to pay anything back
the whole purpose of this
is to get in there
set up a business and to get them grafted
so I'm giving my time and energy
to see if I can get offenders earning
hi it's gordon ramsay
its taken nine months to persuade the ministry of justice
to let me try to set up my pilot business
in the notorious hmp brixton
look at the size of that wall
the governor has put the word out about my idea
and a few of the prisoners are curious about my plan
to cook on the inside and sell on the outside
ID - do you have a mobile phone and car keys? Mobile phone, yeah.
Brixton is a victorian category b prison with eight hundred inmates
locked up for anything from shoplifting to murder
Mr Ramsay - morning -Mark Westguarth, how are you doing welcome to Brixton ok
you handed all your personal items in to the gate there? yea phone and everything. Phone and everything like that
I remind you to do that every day that you come, certainly of corse. ok, let's go inside
Officer Mark Westguarth, is taking me in to the heart of the prison
here the prisoners are kept in their cells up to 21 hours of the day
If he tries to muck me up, by putting me in one of his plays, I want none of that, no problem. I don't need to be made fun of by him, or anybody.
if he tries to muck me up by putting on one of his plays
I don't want none of that, I don't need to be made fun of by him, or anyone else
a lot of these people believe that they are going to do this
and their life is going to dramatically change
do you?
No I don't
what do I think about Ramsay?
He can be a bit fierce with people that he's working with
yea, that's what I think of him (laughs)
I think he will loose a few people along the way
that's how it goes
only the strong survive
Hey Gordon Ramsay, whats going on? are you scared Mr. Gordon Ramsay?
the prisoners are housed in five separate wings
I have no idea who I'm going to be working with