CEE to cook up Kitchen Nightmares

Broadcasters across Central and Eastern Europe are set for local remakes of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and are looking for their own versions of the fiery chef.

Nova in Bulgaria, Pro TV in Romania and TV2 Hungary are all set to embark on their own versions of the restaurant-rescue show, each fronted by local chefs taking the place of Ramsay.

Meanwhile Prima in the Czech Republic has ordered a fifth run while TVN in Poland will air a ninth season of the show, which was first made by All3Media-owned Optomen and One Potato Two Potato, All3’s joint venture with Ramsay, and sold globally by the Optomen International.

Kitchen Nightmares began in the UK on Channel 4 and the format has since been sold around the world, including to Fox in the US. Ramsay recently revealed that the current seasons in the UK and the US would be his last.

The remakes are the latest CEE deals for Optomen, which says it has sold more than 400 hours of content into Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Russia, the Baltic States, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania since Mipcom in October.

Kevin’s Man Made Home and Kevin McCloud: Homes in the Wild have been acquired by AMC Networks for Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while TVN has added the first series of the UK’s Hotel Hell, with Brendan’s Love Cruise and Superior Interiors being picked up by Pro TV for Romania.

Caroline Stephenson, director of sales for Optomen International, said the sales showed the CEE region’s “growing enthusiasm for high-end factual entertainment programming.”