Stefan Gates
Encyclopedia
Stefan Gates is a British food writer and television presenter.
. They were the child models on the cover of English rock band Led Zeppelin
's album Houses of the Holy
(1973). Stefan was aged five at the time of the photo shoot.
in the 1980s, where he took a degree in English.
series Full on Food in the winter of 2004.
, which has been shown in 25 countries, as well as broadcast globally on BBC World News. In each episode of the series he visits crisis zones around the world such as Afghanistan
, Chernobyl
, Haiti
and Burma where the living isn't easy and the food is unusual. This has gained him a reputation for travelling to difficult or extreme places and eating unusual or shocking food. The series won the Slow Food
award for best TV series at the 2008 Slow Food On Film Festival, Bologna and was nominated for the 2009 Guild of Food Writers
Food and Travel award.
. The series was nominated for the 2009 Guild of Food Writers
Broadcast of the Year award. He wrote and presented 'Feasts', broadcast on BBC4 in 2009 - it consists of three episodes, each one hour in duration. In 2010 he presented a three-part series on food additives for BBC Two, E Numbers
: An Edible Adventure. In 2011, he is to be the new presenter of Food Factory (formerly Jimmy
's Food Factory) on BBC One.
He also appears regularly on the Good Food Channel's Market Kitchen
, Five's The Wright Stuff
and BBC Two
's Something for the Weekend
. In 2010 he presented a documentary for Radio 4
, Stefan Gates' Cover Story, concerning his part in the Houses of the Holy photoshoot.
was published, titled In the Danger Zone. He has also written 101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die and On E Numbers, which is a companion to the TV series E Numbers: An Edible Adventure.
Early life
As a child, Stefan, along with his sister Samantha, were photographed for knitwear patterns and appeared separately in commercials and TV dramas, including PoldarkPoldark
Poldark is a BBC television series based on the novels written by Winston Graham which was first transmitted in the UK between 1975 and 1977.-Outline:...
. They were the child models on the cover of English rock band Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's album Houses of the Holy
Houses of the Holy
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed "Houses of the Holy". It was the second Led Zeppelin album to not...
(1973). Stefan was aged five at the time of the photo shoot.
Education
Gates was educated at the University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in the 1980s, where he took a degree in English.
TV career
After leaving Oxford University, Stefan spent the first 16 years of his working life in film and TV - the jobs were varied and included: Assistant Director, scriptwriter, director and producer, finally ending up in BBC Comedy as a development producer. Due to his fascination with unusual foods he started writing about them and this led to him becoming a presenter and co-writer on the BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
series Full on Food in the winter of 2004.
Cooking in the Danger Zone
Stefan presents food programmes including three series of Cooking in the Danger ZoneCooking in the Danger Zone
Cooking in the Danger Zone is a documentary television series produced by the BBC and presented by Stefan Gates.In each film food writer Gates explores unusual food stories in some of the world’s more dangerous places. He uses food to explore and understand people’s culture and the challenges they...
, which has been shown in 25 countries, as well as broadcast globally on BBC World News. In each episode of the series he visits crisis zones around the world such as Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and Burma where the living isn't easy and the food is unusual. This has gained him a reputation for travelling to difficult or extreme places and eating unusual or shocking food. The series won the Slow Food
Slow Food
Slow Food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It was the first established part of...
award for best TV series at the 2008 Slow Food On Film Festival, Bologna and was nominated for the 2009 Guild of Food Writers
Guild of Food Writers
The Guild of Food Writers is the professional association of food writers and broadcasters in the United Kingdom. It has over 390 authors, broadcasters, columnists and journalists amongst its members.-Activities:The Guild:...
Food and Travel award.
Other TV and radio programmes
Stefan also presents a children's TV series, based on his Gastronaut concept, called Gastronuts and produced by Objective ProductionsObjective Productions
OBJECTIVE PRODUCTIONS is a UK-based television production company, based in London and Glasgow and was founded by Andrew O'Connor and Michael Vine in 1991...
. The series was nominated for the 2009 Guild of Food Writers
Guild of Food Writers
The Guild of Food Writers is the professional association of food writers and broadcasters in the United Kingdom. It has over 390 authors, broadcasters, columnists and journalists amongst its members.-Activities:The Guild:...
Broadcast of the Year award. He wrote and presented 'Feasts', broadcast on BBC4 in 2009 - it consists of three episodes, each one hour in duration. In 2010 he presented a three-part series on food additives for BBC Two, E Numbers
E number
E numbers are number codes for food additives that have been assessed for use within the European Union . They are commonly found on food labels throughout the European Union. Safety assessment and approval are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority...
: An Edible Adventure. In 2011, he is to be the new presenter of Food Factory (formerly Jimmy
Jimmy Doherty (farmer)
Jimmy Doherty is a Suffolk based farmer and television presenter for the BBC, famous for the show Jimmy's Farm, based around his and his partner Michaela Furney's Essex Pig Company.-Biography:...
's Food Factory) on BBC One.
He also appears regularly on the Good Food Channel's Market Kitchen
Market Kitchen
Market Kitchen is a cookery programme, made by Optomen, that premiered on Good Food in 2007. Presented by Rachel Allen, Amanda Lamb, Matt Tebbutt, Tom Parker Bowles and Matthew Fort, the programme concentrates on seasonal cooking and features visits to a local market to obtain seasonal produce...
, Five's The Wright Stuff
The Wright Stuff
The Wright Stuff is a British television chat show, hosted by Matthew Wright, and currently airing on Channel 5 each weekday morning from 9:15 to 11:10am....
and BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's Something for the Weekend
Something for the Weekend (2000s BBC TV series)
Something for the Weekend is a British television series, broadcast on BBC Two on Sunday mornings. It features cookery, drinks, interviews with celebrity guests and clips from the week's television, as well as classic clips in the 'Deja View' section...
. In 2010 he presented a documentary for Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, Stefan Gates' Cover Story, concerning his part in the Houses of the Holy photoshoot.
Writing
Stefan has written four books, Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave, winner of the 2005 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Best Food Literature Book. In 2008 a companion to the TV series Cooking in the Danger ZoneCooking in the Danger Zone
Cooking in the Danger Zone is a documentary television series produced by the BBC and presented by Stefan Gates.In each film food writer Gates explores unusual food stories in some of the world’s more dangerous places. He uses food to explore and understand people’s culture and the challenges they...
was published, titled In the Danger Zone. He has also written 101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die and On E Numbers, which is a companion to the TV series E Numbers: An Edible Adventure.
TV
- Full On Food BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
2004 - Cooking in the Danger ZoneCooking in the Danger ZoneCooking in the Danger Zone is a documentary television series produced by the BBC and presented by Stefan Gates.In each film food writer Gates explores unusual food stories in some of the world’s more dangerous places. He uses food to explore and understand people’s culture and the challenges they...
series 1-3 BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
and BBC FourBBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
2006-08 - Food Uncut UKTV FoodUKTV FoodGood Food is a lifestyle channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its current format on 22 June 2009. Good Food is available on satellite through Sky and on cable services, primarily...
2007 - Gastronuts BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and CBBCCBBCCBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
2008-09 - Feasts BBC FourBBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
2009 - E Numbers: An Edible Adventure BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
2010
Books
- Gastronaut (2005), ISBN 978-0563522720
- In The Danger Zone (2008), ISBN 978-1846072642
- 101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die (2009), ISBN 978-1407564418
- On E Numbers (2010), ISBN 978-1840915617