BBC Two goes behind the scenes of food business start-ups

BBC Two has commissioned two new programmes looking at the business of food.

Russell Norman, star of the London restaurant scene will share his rule book with six first-time restaurateurs in The Restaurateur, while The Restaurant Wars in Manchester, follows two top chefs battling it out to try and open the city's first Michelin-starred top restaurant in 30 years.

Alison Kirkham, Commissioning Editor, Features & Formats, says: "I am delighted to bring three new faces, Russell Norman, Aiden Bryne and Simon Rogan to BBC Two. BBC Two has a real heritage in food and business. Both of these new programmes will show the real challenges facing the food business and the real passion behind those who are keeping the industry thriving."

Britain is in a recession and yet 1,000 new food businesses will open next year, many run by first timers, all learning as they go and making the same mistakes. In The Restaurateur the charming and driven standout star of the London restaurant scene, Russell Norman, believes that first-time restaurateurs fail because they either don't know or choose to ignore the rules of the restaurant business.

Now, in this 6x60-minute series made by Twenty Twenty TV, Russell will share his rulebook with six first timers over the critical months that will seal the fate of their business; the last months before launch when they make critical decisions and the first month after when they feel the consequences. But will these passionate wannabes be willing or able to follow Russell's Restaurant Rulebook and beat the 50/50 odds of failure?

And why should they listen to Russell's rules? Because he has opened five successful restaurants in five years. In a former life he managed Scott’s, the Sheekey Oyster Bar, and the Ivy Club. When the recession took hold on the back of one of the worst times for restaurants, Russell started his own business. His first restaurant Polpo was a huge success, with small sharing portions that are keenly priced, he spoke to the times.

 In just two and a half years Russell has opened a further five successful establishments and has plans for many more. This series is equal parts food adventure and business adventure, passionate dream and jeopardy. Can following Russell's Restaurant Rulebook help these brave souls to avoid the common mistakes and turn their undeniable foodie passion into solid, recession-beating businesses?

The executive producer for Twenty Twenty TV is Lisa Edwards.

In Manchester, set against a challenging and dynamic backdrop, The Restaurant Wars, 3x60-minutes made by Brassy TV, is the ultimate food fight. Two of Britain's best chefs are heading to Manchester with exactly the same ambition - to open a Michelin starred restaurant in a city that hasn’t had one for 30 years.

Previous Great British Menu winners Aiden Bryne and Simon Rogan are very talented, very different men with vastly different visions. Simon is set to transform the historic Midland Hotel to attract the Manchester high society and less than a mile up the road, Aiden has a budget of over £5 million to create a vast, glitzy warehouse conversion. Both men think they're worthy of Michelin and Manchester stardom but this is a city that's so far been unimpressed with fine dining and a city undergoing a lot of change.

The Restaurant War will see behind the secret world of menu conception, explore the passion and pain of culinary genius while revealing the colossal financial risk of opening a world-class restaurant in a recession. With two of the food scene's rising stars and biggest personalities, the battle for Manchester begins.

The Restaurant Wars is the first commission for Brassy TV, a newly formed division of Spun Gold TV, headed up by Lucy Golding and Rosie Bray. The series will be series directed by Nick Mattingly and executive produced by Matt Drury for Brassy/Spun Gold.

Tom Edwards, Commissioning Executive Factual Features and Formats, says: “Food and business are two of the most popular areas in programming so it’s great to be bringing them together for both these new formats and to launch such exciting new faces. Both series promise to deliver the kind of intelligence, passion and great storytelling with which BBC Two excels.”