Stefan Gates

Gates was born in London. As a child, along with his sister Samantha, he was photographed for knitwear patterns and appeared separately in commercials and TV dramas, including Poldark and Supernatural. They were the child models on the cover of English rock band Led Zeppelin's album Houses of the Holy (1973).{{cite web |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/led-zeppelin-houses-of-the-holy-child-models/ |title= See the 'Houses of the Holy' Cover Child Models All Grown Up |access-date=1 August 2020 |work=Ultimate Classic Rock|date= 27 March 2013 }}

Gates was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford,[http://www.thegastronaut.com/about_cv.htm Stefan Gates autobiographical details] in the 1980s, where he took a degree in English.

After leaving Oxford University, Gates spent the first 16 years of his working life in film and TV – the jobs were varied and included: Assistant director, scriptwriter, director and producer, finally ending up in BBC Comedy as a development producer. Due to his fascination with unusual foods he started writing about them, and this led to him becoming a presenter and co-writer on the BBC Two series Full on Food{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0077hpp|title = BBC Two – Full on Food}} in the winter of 2004.

Gates presents food programmes including three series of Cooking in the Danger Zone, which has been shown in 25 countries, as well as broadcast globally on BBC World News. In each episode of the series he visits a dangerous part of the world such as Afghanistan, Chernobyl, Haiti and Burma where the living is not easy and the food is unusual. This has gained him a reputation for travelling to difficult or extreme places[https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/my-life-in-travel-stefan-gates-tv-presenter-1693034.html Independent Travel interview] and eating unusual or shocking food.[https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/jul/09/travelfoodanddrink.observerescape1 Me and my travels] The Observer, Sunday 9 July 2006[https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/saturday-magazine/food-and-drink/pass-the-igunaq--thats-rotten-frozen-walrus-to-you-786382.html Pass the igunaq! – that's rotten, frozen walrus to you Independent Newspaper interview]{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The series won the Slow Food award for best TV series at the 2008 Slow Food on Film Festival in Bologna and was nominated for the 2009 Guild of Food Writers Food and Travel award.

Gates presents a children's TV series, based on his Gastronaut concept, called gastronauts. produced by Objective Productions. The series was nominated for the 2009 Guild of Food Writers Broadcast of the Year award. He wrote and presented Feasts, broadcast on BBC Four in 2009 – it consists of three episodes filmed in Japan, Mexico and India. In 2010 he presented a three-part series on food additives for BBC Two, E Numbers: An Edible Adventure. In 2012, he took over the role of presenting of Food Factory on BBC One, after former presenter Jimmy Doherty left the BBC to join Channel 4.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01kdn7m/episodes/guide BBC One – Food Factory – Episode guide]

He also appears regularly on Five's The Wright Stuff and BBC Two's Something for the Weekend the Good Food Channel's Market Kitchen. In 2010 he presented a documentary for Radio 4, Stefan Gates' Cover Story, concerning his part in the Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy photoshoot.

Gates writes articles for newspapers and magazines including New Scientist and BBC Food{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/food/stefan_gates/|title = BBC – BBC Food blog}} and has written eight books. His first children's book Incredible Edibles{{cite web |url=http://www.walker.co.uk/Incredible-Edibles-9781406339062.aspx |title=Walker Books – Incredible Edibles |access-date=2013-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722181554/http://www.walker.co.uk/Incredible-Edibles-9781406339062.aspx |archive-date=22 July 2016 }} (2012) won the 2013 Information Book Award. His first book was Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave, winner of the 2005 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Best Food Literature Book. In 2008 a companion to the TV series Cooking in the Danger Zone was published by BBC Books titled In the Danger Zone. He has also written 101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die, Stefan Gates on E Numbers, which is a companion to the TV series E Numbers: An Edible Adventure and The Extraordinary Cookbook{{cite web |title=Kyle Books |url=http://www.kylebooks.com/display.asp?K=9781856269216 |website=Hachette UK |access-date=6 December 2020 |date=18 July 2019}} (Kyle Books 2010).

• Full on Food BBC Two 2004
• Cooking in the Danger Zone series 1-3 BBC Two and BBC Four 2006-08
• Food Uncut UKTV Food 2007[http://uktv.co.uk/food/chef/aid/535173 Stefan's recipes on UKTV Good Food Channel web site]
• Gastronuts I BBC One and CBBC 2008-09
• Feasts BBC Four 2009
• Gastronuts II BBC One and CBBC 2010
• E Numbers: An Edible Adventure BBC Two 2010{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/stefan-gates-on-e-numbers/ |title=BBC – Stefan Gates on E-Numbers |access-date=2018-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812050758/http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/stefan-gates-on-e-numbers/ |archive-date=12 August 2010 }}
• Ecomaths BBC Learning 2012
• Incredible Edibles I CBBC 2012
• CBBC's Olympic Challenge CBBC 2012
• ''Food Factory BBC One 2012
• Calf's Head and Coffee: The Golden Age of English Food BBC Four 2012
• Can Eating Insects Save the World? BBC Four Spring 2013
• Incredible Edibles II CBBC Spring 2013
• Harvest BBC2 and BBC Learning 2013
• Ecomaths BBC Learning 2013
• Food and Drink BBC2 2014
• Disaster Chefs CBBC 2014
• Gastrolab BBC Learning 2015
• The Secrets of Our Favourite Dishes BBC Learning 2015
• The Wright Stuff Channel 5 2015 – 2018
• Jeremy Vine Show Channel 5 2018
• Travel with a Goat Impact 2019
• Supermarket Secrets Revealed Channel 5 2019

Since 2015 Gates has operated the YouTube channel Gastronaut TV. The channel has over 50 videos and over 3,000 subscribers. Videos include recipes, science, things to try at home, and clips from his TV series.

• Stefan Gates' Cover Story Radio 4 2010
• What Would Jesus Eat?{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rxjgw|title = BBC Radio 4 Extra – What Would Jesus Eat?}} BBC Radio 4 2011

• Gastronaut (2005), {{ISBN|978-0-563-52272-0}}
• In The Danger Zone (2008), {{ISBN|978-1-84607-264-2}}
• 101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die (2009), {{ISBN|978-1-4075-6441-8}}
• Stefan Gates on E Numbers (2010), {{ISBN|978-1-84091-561-7}}
• The Extraordinary Cookbook (2010), {{ISBN|978-1856269216}}
• Incredible Edibles (2012), {{ISBN|978-1406339062}}
• Insects: An Edible Field Guide (2017), {{ISBN|9781785035258}}
• Fartology: The Extraordinary Science Behind the Humble Fart (2018) {{ISBN|9781849499682}}
• Catology: The Weird and Wonderful Science of Cats (2021), {{ISBN|9781787136328}}

Gates performs "food stunt shows",{{cite web |url=http://www.thegastronaut.com/index/Live_shows.html |title=Live shows |website=thegastronaut.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006194821/http://www.thegastronaut.com/index/Live_shows.html |archive-date=2011-10-06}} mostly at science festivals such as Cambridge Science Festival,{{Cite web|url=http://www.cam.ac.uk/sciencefestival/|title = Cambridge Festival}} Cheltenham Science Festival, The Big Bang Fair{{cite web |url=http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/home.cfm |title=The Big Bang Fair |access-date=2013-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113024003/http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/home.cfm |archive-date=13 January 2013 }} and also at schools, theatres and food festivals including the BBC Good Food Show{{cite web |title=BBC Good Food Show – Food Festivals |url=http://www.bbcgoodfoodshow.com/ |publisher=BBC Good Food Show |access-date=6 December 2020 |language=en}} and the Ideal Home Show.

Gates is married to food photographer Georgia Glynn Smith. They have two children, Daisy Gates and Poppy Gates.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://gastronauttv.com/ Stefan Gates' web site]
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/#/lb/games/play/gastronuts CBBC Gastronuts game]
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kk4wc BBC site for 'Feasts']
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/5153990.stm BBC site for the first series of Cooking in the Danger Zone]
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/6321203.stm BBC site for the second series of Cooking in the Danger Zone]
• {{IMDb name|0309625}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford

Category:English food writers

Category:English television presenters

Category:1967 births

Category:People from Cambridge