FOOD TVAlex Ferns

Who will be crowned Britain’s top amateur celebrity chef? Former EastEnders star Alex Ferns is still in shock he’s made the final

After tears, tantrums, burnt offerings, shredded fingers and Marco Pierre White’s infamous scary glares, it’s the final of ITV1’s Marco’s Kitchen Burnout this week. Former EastEnders baddie Alex Ferns is one of the finalists – though don’t ask him why after his culinary cock-up just before filming started!

"The night before meeting Marco I thought I’d get some practise in so I told my wife, Jen, that I’d make a prawn pasta dish whilst she bathed our boys," grins Alex, who is dad to Cameron, seven and MacKenzie, three. "I put garlic and oil in the wok and for some reason walked in the living room and completely forgot I’d left it on the gas. Suddenly everything went up in smoke: there were flames in the pan, alarms going off – Jen walked in and said, 'Hmm, not the best start!'"

Yet while most of the 12 competing celebrities have crashed and (sometimes literally) burned, Alex has shown impressive resilience learning from Britain’s toughest culinary taskmaster, producing mouth-watering dishes for diners week after week.

"I’m pretty competitive so I’ve been giving it my all. I definitely don’t want to lose," says Alex, best known for playing Albert Square’s evil wife beater, Trevor Morgan. "Saying that, it’s a complete surprise I’m in the final as I thought I was a goner after last week’s semi-final."

Avid viewers will know Alex made a mess of the pasta challenge and was last in the Burnout food truck, left with the ingredients no one else wanted. "That was the lowest point of the competition for me. I ended up with rubbish and then burnt everything – it was a nightmare. Even Marco kept saying, 'Why are you still here, Alex?' But Tupele (Dorgu) didn’t season her food properly and Nancy (Dell’Olio) did well but bought too much of Marco’s time, so somehow I got through."

He’s understandably nervous about Friday’s final (May 28). "The pressure’s unbelievable," says Alex, who shares his prawn pasta recipe with us below. "I’ll have no one helping me, 50 diners to serve and Marco screaming at me, but now I’ve got this far I have a grim determination to win.

"It’s going to be emotional – I cried making it through the semi-final – but I hope to stay focused and make my family proud. Whatever happens, I’m a much better cook now. I’ve stopped burning my prawn pasta at home for a start!"

FOOD TVRecipe

Full Recipe: Alex Ferns' prawn pasta