Guest host on Have I Got News for You

On 13/10/2006, Gordon Ramsay guest-hosted the premiere episode of Series 32 of the BBC satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You. Broadcast on BBC One, the episode featured regular team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, with guest panelists Andrew Neil and Peter Serafinowicz. Ramsay took the host’s chair for the first time, joining the program’s long-running format in which a different guest presenter leads each episode while moderating the topical comedy discussion and reading from the autocue. During the broadcast, Ramsay made a notable on-air promise connected to his performance. He stated that he would buy dinner for the entire studio audience at his restaurant in Claridge’s if he failed to read the autocue correctly. As the episode progressed, Ramsay struggled at several points with the scripted lines and timing, which became part of the episode’s humor. The show’s retrospective commentary and later BBC compilations frequently referenced Ramsay’s difficulties in the host’s chair, including the moment when he acknowledged the errors and backed away from the dinner promise. The episode followed the established Have I Got News for You structure, mixing news-based rounds with improvised exchanges between panelists and host. Ramsay’s appearance stood out for placing a high-profile chef, better known for culinary television, into a live comedy panel format that required precise delivery and timing. His performance, including the Claridge’s bet and subsequent autocue slips, became one of the memorable guest-host moments from the program’s mid-2000s run.