JAMIE'S LONG-LOST BUSINESS.

Byline: BRIAN READE

Davina McCall is hosting an hour-long Channel 4 celebration of Jamie Oliver's two decades as a celebrity chef.

Which should go down like a side dish of cold sick with the 1,000 staff who lost their jobs last month when his restaurant chain went under.

We're told that the chirpy charmer will discuss his restaurant empire's collapse, no doubt blaming delivery services, too many mid-range restaurants, rising ingredient costs and people having less to spend on eating out etc.

But as someone who twice visited his Jamie's Italian restaurants, I think the answer is more simple. The food was overpriced, undercooked and overhyped, and my eyes could not escape Oliver's face advertising the many in-house products they were trying to flog.

In short, the chubby chappy who lectured us on how easy it was to lose weight by eating healthy fayre at a reasonable price, served up overpriced tat in a setting that was cheesier than a deep-fried Stilton burger.

And you left his gaff feeling not so much pukka as a puker.

But I doubt very much Davina will get to hear that.

CAPTION(S):

CHIRPY Jamie and Davina, inset, host of show