Oliver on US 'culinary backpacking trip'

Jamie Oliver has embarked on a culinary road trip of America for a new show to air on Channel 4 next year.

The TV chef recently signed a reported £2 million deal to stay with the broadcaster for a further two years.

Filming for Jamie In America has already begun, with Oliver expected to spend about 12 days per month filming across the Atlantic.

The Channel 4 commissioning editor for factual entertainment, Dominique Walker, told The Guardian: "It certainly won't be a slice of American pie. Jamie will be on the road visiting towns and cities across the USA to unearth, eat and cook little-known gems of American cuisine and meet the characters behind them.

"It'll be a completely different side of Jamie. It will be a sort of culinary backpacking road trip for a chef."

Of his exclusive contract with the broadcaster, a spokeswoman said: "This is an extension to his contract that he already has with us. We are delighted he has committed to Channel 4."