Chef-restaurateur Gordon Ramsay has signed a four-year deal with Channel 4 reputed to be worth £9m.

Ramsay, famed for his expletive-strewn shows, Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word, is said to have rejected offers from the BBC and from ITV, which aired the reality TV show Hell’s Kitchen, of which Ramsay was the original star.

The deal, which will make Ramsey one of the highest-paid TV stars in the UK, gives Channel 4 exclusive TV rights to the chef until July 2011.

Ramsey’s current three-year contract with the channel was due to run out in July next year.

A new series of The F Word starts this month and Ramsay will work with Channel 4 to develop new shows as part of the deal.

By Matthew Batham

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