Jamie Oliver documentary to touch on restaurant collapse and his private life

Jamie Oliver is to lift the lid on his personal life and talk about the collapse of his restaurant chain in a new one-off documentary.

The Channel 4 programme will be hosted by Davina McCall, who will explore the celebrity chef’s life and how it has changed over the past 20 years since he rose to fame with his TV show, The Naked Chef.

The documentary, called 20 Years Of The Naked Chef: Jamie Bares All, will cover the highs and lows of his life and his campaigning over the country’s food culture.

It will also cover the recent closure of his restaurant group, which included Jamie’s Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen, leading to around 1,000 redundancies.

Oliver will open up about his difficult times in the spotlight, what motivates him, and his plans for the future, specifically the next decade.

McCall was invited into Oliver’s home, which he shares with wife Jools and their five children, showing an “honest and intimate snapshot” of their family life, Channel 4 said.

The programme will also include unseen clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with his friends, family members, celebrities and politicians, who will be announced in due course.

Oliver, 44, said: “Wow, 20 years. So much has happened in that time. Davina is a brave woman to come and get a taste of life with five kids in the Oliver household!

“But it’s been a pleasure to welcome her in and show her what my world is really like, at home and work.

“I hope everyone enjoys looking back with me at the past two decades, remembering the amazing times and some tough times … not to mention a few dodgy haircuts along the way.”

Channel 4’s factual entertainment commissioning editor, Tim Hancock, said: “At this crucial point in his life, Jamie has allowed unprecedented access to his life, and has opened up to Davina with a real honesty.

“It’s going to make for a fascinating documentary about one of Britain’s most recognisable personalities.”