Gordon Ramsay has been ridiculed by viewers after the over-the-top opening scene of his new cooking show was shared online.

In the clip from his new competition series Future Food Stars – which begins on BBC One at 9pm this evening (31 March) – Ramsay can be seen jumping out of a helicopter into the sea and furiously swimming towards a group of disbelieving contestants.

“That’s an entrance, isn’t it?!” one of the contestants observes.

In the next shot, Ramsay is shown walking across the sand towards them. His hair is inexplicably dry.

Posting the footage on Twitter, TV critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan wrote: “This is the opening to that new Gordon Ramsay bonkers new food Apprentice show I was telling you about.”

In another tweet, he added: “Moments later he is like, ‘To be successful in business you need to take risks. I have done a leap of faith for you, now you need to do one for me.’ He then points at a nearby cliff and asks the others to jump off it…

“This is a food programme… The first time I saw any food, or a pan or whatever, was 23 minutes into the show…”

Twitter users were delighted with the clip, with one person commenting: “Such a big cut between the swim and the perfectly coiffured hair for the beach shot.”

Another added: “Omg this is the most 2000 thing I’ve ever seen.”

Alan Partridge [is] doing cookery shows now?” wrote a third.

Future Food Stars will see a group of entrepreneurs compete for a £150,000 investment in their food or drink business.

“To win Gordon’s support will take more than just a great idea – the contenders will need to prove they possess the raw ingredients required to succeed: determination, dedication, passion and talent,” the BBC press release says.

“Gordon will drive the contenders through a series of relentless challenges designed to test their character and showcase their business skills because, according to Gordon, an idea is only as good as the person who’s had it.”