Pierre White to lead new US cooking show

Marco Pierre White is to front a new cooking series for NBC in the US.

The Chopping Block will see amateur chefs and professionals pair up and compete to effectively run their own restaurants. The winner will get to open a Manhattan eaterie for real.

The British chef - host of Hell's Kitchen for ITV last year - said: "The great thing about The Chopping Block is that it gives couples this amazing opportunity to change their lives forever and the interesting bit for me is seeing who appreciates this and takes full advantage of it."

Craig Plestis, NBC's alternative programming chief, said Pierre White would take US cooking television "to a whole new level".

"Everyone flirts with the idea of what it would be like to own their own restaurant," he added.