Marco Pierre White: Kitchen Wars is the toughest show on earth!

If you think that The Apprentice's Lord Sugar is the most intimidating man on the television, think again. Yes, Sugar may be a bit on the scary side, but he's an absolute pussycat compared to celebrity chef Marco Pierre White.

Marco, who at his time was the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars, is set to return to our television screens in his new Channel 5 show Kitchen Wars and if you're afraid of sharp objects, then it's probably best that you only watch from behind the sofa.

In the show, Marco is equipped with a knife that's almost as sharp as his tongue and he has no qualms about

waving it around and pointing it at his terrified contestants. Not that we mind though - watching them squirm before Marco certainly makes great telly!

Marco's latest TV dish sees couples from different areas competing to become the best restaurateurs in Britain - not only do they have to cook Marco delicious food, they have to serve it to him too. An easy task? Marco certainly doesn't think so. When we caught up with him to talk about Kitchen Wars, the chef told us that his new programme is "the toughest cooking show on earth".

And, we believe him. After all, Marco is one of the most notoriously tough, yet brilliant, chefs on the planet - he wasn't known as the enfant terrible for nothing. Marco explained to us why he thinks the show is so hard; "Firstly, the couples have to feed and serve 25 people in the first round, three different courses and in the final, the couples have to cook two different starters, mains and puddings for 28 people. They only have 4 hours."

Of course, watching cool-as-cucumber chefs breeze through the rounds wouldn't be too exciting. So we were happy when Marco assured us that the immense pressure of the tasks often gets too much for some of the couples on the show; "They have four hours to do all their cooking in and you watch them implode. They're so convinced that their strategy is going to work, but wait until you see them crumble."

Despite the explosive drama (which we can't wait to see) Marco also highlighted that one of the most entertaining points of the show isn't watching the contestants break-down, but watching them build themselves back up again; "You also see them find inner-strength, tackle their problems and push on forward. It's quite amazing."

It was clear to us that Marco believes that the backstories of the various couples are almost as interesting and important as the food that they produce. Marco admitted that, although seeing two people cook and serve food on the television might not seem too exciting, it's their backstories which really bring the show to life.

He said: "Being on the show, you start to watch each couple's journey through life and their backstory. And, I think journeys are important." He added; "To see two people cooking and serving on television, it's quite boring isn't it? Until you know their story and when you know that they've suffered misfortune and tragedy."

Marco was particularly passionate about one couple from the show and he revealed how the restaurant business

had brought them together; "One of the men on the show worked at a Michelin starred restaurant and his wife was a care-worker during the day. In the evening, his wife would come home and be the front-of-house at the restaurant. Even though she hadn't been technically trained as a waiter, her skills as a care worker assisted her beautifully in the restaurant. She worked two jobs so she can feed her family and support her husband."

As well as the fiery drama between couples on the show, Marco was keen to highlight that he hopes Kitchen Wars will ultimately help the restaurant business in the UK by inspiring young people to get involved - he told us: "When the couples on Kitchen Wars share their stories, they will inspire people. In a couple of months' time, there will be lots of young men and women leaving schools, out of education and perhaps feeling a little bit lost. So, they might watch my show and it might inspire them to knock on the door of their local restaurant."

So, will Marco be watching Kitchen Wars when it hits our screens? Well, despite starring in several television shows himself, Marco revealed that he doesn't actually own a television set! He said: "I don't have a TV. I prefer to have conversation. I prefer to read. I prefer to play chess. Also, there are certain people I don't like in this world and why do I want them in my front room? It's as simple as that. I won't mention any names. You're sitting there having a bit of peace and someone pops in your room. I can't imagine anything worse. What's he doing there? What's she doing there?"

Needless to say, Marco isn't a big fan of other television talent shows and he told us his disdain when he stumbled across Dancing On Ice in a hotel room in Liverpool; "I thought, who would want to watch this show? I was horrified by it. It was hideous!"

Looks like Marco won't be swapping his razor-sharp knife for ice skates anytime soon then!

You can watch Marco Pierre White's Kitchen Wars 7 June on Channel 5 at 21:00.