Food & Drink is back: will it be a success?
The original food TV show returns after 12 years. We look at what it promises and what happened to the stars of the original.
After a gap of 12 years, Food & Drink is back on our screens tonight, with a new series launching on BBC2 at 8.30pm.
The original series ran from 1982 until 2001, with a range of presenters including DJ Simon Bates, Gillian Miles, Chris Kelly and chef Michael Barry. It also made wine experts Jilly Goolden and Oz Clarke household names.
The revival is fronted by Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr and drinks expert Kate Goodman. They’ll be pairing food and drink to create mouth-watering meals with help from famous name chefs such as Tom Kerridge, Mary Berry, Monica Galetti and Rachel Khoo.
What's it going to be like?
Each programme will also feature a food debate and a piece about a particular type of food or drink that guest contributors think we should be celebrating.
The original series was undoubtedly a trailblazer in food telly and it’s hard to imagine the likes of Saturday Kitchen existing without it.
It also tackled hard-hitting topical news stories such as the BSE crisis and exposed dodgy products and marketing. In the below clip from 1990, Jilly Goolden reveals that Perrier has been forced to rebrand its sparkling water following an investigation by the programme.
Experts though they undoubtedly were, the presenters could border somewhat on the pompous and preposterous side of knowledge imparting, at least from my teenage memories. And I wasn’t alone, judging by this spoof by Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer from their series The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer (there's some mild language in the clip).
Where are they now?
Former actor Oz Clarke has continued to write about wine and appear on TV, most recently teaming up with James May for two series of Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventure and one called Oz and James Drink To Britain. He then partnered with comedian Hugh Dennis for Oz and Hugh Drink To Christmas and Oz and Hugh Raise The Bar.
Jilly Goolden has also continued writing and presenting, although she has moved into appearances on reality TV in recent years, appearing on Extreme Celebrity Detox, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, Celebrity MasterChef and Celebrity Wife Swap. She's also been a judge on Britain's Best Dish on ITV.
Sadly, the ‘crafty cook’ Michael Barry died in 2011 at the age of 69. During his stint on Food & Drink, he also co-founded radio station Classic FM in 1992 (his background was in radio) and was its programme controller until 1997.
Presenter Chris Kelly also fronted holiday show Wish You Were Here? and has since gone on to write fiction for both adults and children. He also part-owned acclaimed Cambridge restaurant Midsummer House.
Will it be a ratings winner?
There's arguably never been a better time to bring back a show like Food & Drink, with interest in what we eat and imbibe at an all-time high. And with some top-class contributors, we think it'll be as big a success as the revival of MasterChef.
Did you watch the original series? Are you looking forward to the new one? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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