Is Marco Pierre White Breaking the Law ?
Is the TV chef and former holder of 3 coveted Michelin stars Marco Pierre White on the wrong side of UK law, if he is then the evidence is on TV if they wish to convict him !
Here at Goldeneye we’ve no wish to help the Rozzers or add fuel to the governments fire that is their drive towards a police state beyond the wildest dreams of any historical Fascist or Communist but a thought crossed my mind when watching Marco Pierre White’s Great British Feast.
The self-styled enfant terrible is always smoking during the show, clearly part of the image he is cultivating but having the mind of a frustrated Barrack Room Lawyer your host had a thought (yes folks it’s not unknown - though if you read this blog your forgiven for thinking they are rare at best).
The Case for the Prosecution
For the prosecution, Goldeneye of the Bailey QC
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He has a driver, one Mr Ishii, who drives the chef everywhere as he has no driving licence I believe. Marco is seen constantly smoking in the car - not illegal I hear you cry
However, Mr Ishii is paid to be a chauffeur so when driving the car must, by definition, be his place of work.
Ergo, he is being subjected to cigarette smoke whilst at work and that is illegal in the UK.
So the case and question before you your honour is:
Is it illegal to smoke in a car that is being driven by a professional driver ?
If the great man gets his collar felt I shall be only too happy to represent him and take on the establishment !
I’ll even do it pro bono, after all if it happens it could be my fault for pointing it out 
Am I right or am I wrong ?
What’s your opinion
Regards
R.D. Collins - Attorney at Law
Little Brother said,
July 16, 2008 @ 8:39 am
Rod,
I knew Marco couldn’t drive for years but then I saw the first episode and he was driving. More to the point he was smoking in his pub-also illegal! All this pales compared to his overdose on stock cubes. C’mon Marco, sort it out
LB
Rod said,
July 16, 2008 @ 8:44 am
LB
I saw him smoking in his pub but got the impression is was closed at the time so that could be a grey area if so ?
RC
WoE said,
July 16, 2008 @ 9:50 am
Well me Lud (Hon RC QC),
Were MPW to be judged in a Coven court then it would be a clear cut case of incarceration with a forced diet of Knorr stock cubes. The long suffering Mr Ishii must be paid a fortune to put up with the endless insults from his employer…. but fear not we won’t be calling him to testify. The Witches have consulted and agree that it is illegal for MPW to smoke in a car driven by a chauffeur….. we also judge that the defendant is obviously in the pay of the notorious Knorr mafia and subsequently you’re going to need a Tom Cruz of a lawyer to find some sort of insignificant accounting discrepancy to assure justice is done
Case is closed.
WoE
Rod said,
July 16, 2008 @ 10:33 am
WoE
Case is closed.
The Witches have spoken - must be guilty as charged
Rod
PTaylor said,
July 16, 2008 @ 5:28 pm
Rod,
Well done! He does smoke in his own restaurants - I was in his flagship restaurant, Luciano, in May. He was sitting in the main dining room with 2 guests at his table. There were two or three other tables occupied. At the end of the meal, he sent upstairs to the bar restaurant,where I was sitting,for one of the waitresses to bring a lighter downstairs for himself. If you read the reviews in dining websites Londoneating and Zagatt, there have been umpteen occurrences of him disregarding the smoking ban in his own establishments. After Hell’s kitchen ended, diners in Frankies in Knightsbridge said on one of these websites,that he swanned in smoking and then, they could not get served because the entire waiting staff left what they were doing to join him at the bar for a smoke. It is almost like he is either saying ‘I will do what I like’, or he is waiting for someone to come up and confront him and start a row. Apparently, in tonight’s episode of Great(????) British Feast(????), he is supposedly put out of his own restaurant for smoking. Cynical old me says that this is staged for the cameras and to appease the many people who must be thinking like the rest of us.
It is common knowledge that he cannot drive and he usually says that he drives on private land - fine, that is not illegal. But if you look carefully at the film of the first episode which is available on the ITV website, it looks as if he is driving on the open road.
Does Little Brother know MPW?
By the way, the meal in Luciano was the biggest heap of overpriced steaming dog-poo I have ever had the displeasure of eating, especially considering MPW was on the premises. Mr Ishi sits upstairs in the bar area for ages waiting for MPW to phone him to bring the Range Rover round from the back. The man must be getting well paid or he is extremely subservient.
Little Brother said,
July 16, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
Rod,
Just caught the last ten minutes tonight and wondered what the point of the show actually was. Why ask the public their opinion if you then dismiss it out of hand?
I have been a fan of Marco’s cooking for more than twenty years but this smacks of somebody who is surrounded by people who daren’t do anything other than agree with him regardless and the moment he is faced with criticism he spits his dummy out.
Now I can look forward to people asking me if ‘I’m like that Marco’ when they find out what I do for a living. Same question, different name!
LB
Rod said,
July 17, 2008 @ 8:39 am
PT
thanks for the great insight. The man certainly sounds like he is guilty as charged !
Good also to hear that any criticism you make is both reasoned and based on the experience of actually being in one of his restaurants.
Great stuff and much appreciated.
I don’t think LB knows Marco personally but if he sees this he may answer for himself
Cheers
Rod
Rod said,
July 17, 2008 @ 8:45 am
LB
I didn’t bother with it I’m afraid but the die wold appear cast !
When somebody such as yourself feels negative about the image he is creating or the way he is positioning himself then …
He would appear to be going for Gordon Ramsay fan club in terms of viewers etc.
I understand it, but sadly, as with all things in life, you have to trade something to get something - and in this case it’s beginning to look like dignity and reputation - a high price - I hope the rewards match the sacrifice
Best
Rod
El Commandante said,
August 5, 2008 @ 5:19 pm
But he has a point when he says that british cooking still has a long way to go to rival French, Italian or even Spanish cuisine …
Rod said,
August 5, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
El Commandante
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site !
He does indeed have a point and nobody can take away his ability and influence
Cheers
Rod - cooking a mixture of English and Italian at this very moment !