Roux Scholarship won't be on TV in 2014
The organisers of the Roux Scholarship 2014 have confirmed that the prestigious chef competition will not be televised next year, despite a successful series on the Watch channel in 2013.
The Roux family took the decision to allow this year's competition, won by Paul O'Neill, to be televised in ten one-hour episodes to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
It was a ratings success, attracting four times the normal number of viewers for the slot it was aired in.
The programme grew out of the Roux family's relationship with Cactus TV, which produced the series and has previously produced a one-hour special programme for UKTV about the Scholarship, as well as a number of corporate videos.
But a similar series charting the Scholarship's progress is not likely to be aired for the 2014 Scholarship, which is now open for entries.
Speaking to Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Alain Roux, chef patron of the three-Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray said: "This year the competition will not be televised. That's not to say we won't do it again in the future, but annually is too much.
"Last year's show was a wonderful celebration of our 30th anniversary and it was excellent for the profile of the scholarship. Television is the top of any kind of communication, so it does help boost applications, but our competition is really for professionals. It can be difficult because television is also a business, and while we want to evolve, we don't want the entertainment to be more important than the cooking."
For a full interview with 2013 scholar Paul O'Neill about his stage at Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, as well as interviews with Gagnaire himself and Michel Roux Sr and Alain Roux, look out for the 15 November issue of http://www.catererandhotelkeeper.co.uk/Articles/13/11/2013/350454/in-this-week-s-issue-of-caterer-and-hotelkeeper.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Caterer and Hotelkeeper.