As Know Your Meme puts it: “An ‘idiot sandwich’ refers to a scene in which Gordon Ramsay holds talk-show host Julie Chen’s head between two slices of bread while yelling at her.”
“What are you?” Gordon Ramsay yells. “An idiot sandwich.” “An idiot sandwich what?!” “An idiot sandwich, chef Ramsay”. The rest, is history.
Nine years after the idiot sandwich meme was born on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Gordon Ramsay has decided to turn it into a new show. What’s more, he’s collaborated with the unlikely indie title Sandwich magazine, “idiot sandwiching’ himself”, to promote its launch through a special issue.
Gordon is apparently a long-time fan of the magazine, first coming across the BBQ Brisket issue a couple of years ago. “I was struck by this fresh take on food journalism, using the humble sandwich as a lens for culture,” he says. “When my new show Idiot Sandwich got the green light, it was a no-brainer that we should collaborate with Sandwich magazine.”
The special issue will look at the evolution of the modern-day chef, Gordon’s relationship with meme culture and his love for sandwiches more broadly. For example, Gordon has asked some of the world’s leading chefs, including Thomas Keller, Paul Ainsworth, Christina Tosi and Grant Achatz, what sandwiches they make in their lunch break at work for the project.
The new show will be a sandwich competition series starring social media creators. Three contestants go head to head to create a sandwich they think “will take the internet by storm, in just 20 minutes – with the added pressure of being judged by Gordon”, says a release. It is unclear if the traditional Idiot Sandwich format, an idiot between two slices of bread, will be recreated in the show, or how many times per episode.
The meme has seen enduring success since its creation in 2015, particularly among young fans. “Wherever I go, there’s some young kid somewhere that wants to be called an idiot sandwich,” Gordon recently told People.
“The idiot sandwich meme is ubiquitous within social media culture, so partnering with Gordon to build a world around his new show has been a dream,” says Simon Baker, managing director of TCO London, which publishes Sandwich. “As long-time fans of Gordon, we were excited to use the unique voice that Sandwich has to drive awareness of Idiot Sandwich to our community and beyond.”
Sandwich will be launching an event to celebrate the partnership in early March in London. Idiot Sandwich premieres on Gordon’s YouTube channel from Wednesday 17 January.
