The new, sanitised Ramsay follows the outcry of television watchdog Ofcom for non-stop swearing on Great British Nightmare. He had used the “f-word” 240 times on a single show.

But the first episode of his new series, The F Word, featured nine instances of his swearing – a total of 12 if guests’ use of profanity was included.

A viewer said: “It’s like he had Tourette’s and they found a miracle cure. He’s obviously been told to cut down his swearing.”

Ramsay, 43, came under major fire for his tirade against a respected Australian TV anchorwoman and has paid the price of a slip in credibility through allegations about his personal life in recent years. His ratings have plunged, with The F Word attracting half the number it did a year ago – 1.8 million viewers.

Ramsay signed a deal with Channel 4 worth £5million ($8.3million) in 2007. His Nightmare show is on ice for a year because of a lack of restaurants wanting him to appear with overhaul advice.