ITV has reportedly decided not to proceed with a second run of Gordon Ramsay's competitive cooking format Next Level Chef.

In the show, which aired earlier this year, 12 chefs battle it out in a three-storey kitchen complex, with those on the lowest floor only having the most basic utensils and those in the penthouse kitchen having access to top-of-the-range equipment.

The format has been sold around the world and had been earmarked as a major new returning show for ITV, but underwhelming ratings have supposedly seen the UK version come to a premature end.

"Gordon is highly competitive and he's gutted the series wasn't given a second run," a source told The Sun.

"These types of shows always take a while to get going and for viewers to connect, so he thinks it wasn't really given a proper chance.

"But he accepts TV is a brutal world and sometimes shows just don't work out."

Meanwhile, Ramsay's other original format - Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars - returns for a second series on BBC One this Thursday at 9pm.