Chef!

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Chef!
Chef! titles formed from a dessert that Lenny Henry's character is seen preparing during the sequence
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Peter Tilbury (based on an idea from Lenny Henry)
Starring	Lenny Henry Caroline Lee Johnson Roger Griffiths Claire Skinner
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	20
Production
Executive producer(s)	Polly McDonald
Running time	approx. 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Original run	March 11, 1993 – December 30, 1996
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Chef! is a British situation comedy starring Lenny Henry that aired as twenty episodes over three series from 1993 to 1996 on the BBC. The show was created and primarily written by Peter Tilbury based on an idea from Lenny Henry.^[1]

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Episode list 4.1 First series 4.2 Second series 4.3 Third series 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Plot

Henry starred as Gareth Blackstock, an arrogant, tyrannical and obsessed chef, and later co-owner (with his wife), of a gourmet restaurant called Le Chateau Anglais in the English countryside. Gareth had the utmost contempt and endlessly inventive insults for:

• customers who didn't appreciate his creations (or worse, asked for salt [1] without tasting the food first)
• his long-suffering staff whenever they made the slightest mistake, particularly his childhood friend and initially clueless commis chef, Everton Stonehead (Roger Griffiths)
• his sometime boss, the exceptionally boorish Cyril Bryson (Dave Hill)
• anyone else who attracted his ire, with the sole exception of his mostly-patient wife Janice (Caroline Lee-Johnson)

[edit] Cast

See also: List of Chef! characters

[edit] Production

The restaurant was modelled on, and many scenes were filmed at, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a restaurant in Oxfordshire owned by chef Raymond Blanc. Many other scenes were filmed at Nether Winchendon House in Buckinghamshire. The show had an oft rotating cast.

The first two series were shot on film, and directed in the style of a drama series. However, due to budgetary and time constraints the third series was shot on video tape and directed more like a traditional sitcom.

All three series were released on Region 1 DVD on 30 August 2005.^[2] The Region 2 DVDs have been available since 2 October 2006.^[3]

There are no known plans to produce further episodes of Chef! Lenny Henry stated on his official website that he and Peter Tilbury, the show's creator, had recently worked on a new storyline, but that nothing came of it.^[4]

[edit] Episode list

[edit] First series

• "Personnel"
• "Beyond the Pass"
• "Subject to Contract"
• "The Big Cheese"
• "Fame Is the Spur"
• "Rice and Peas"
• "A Bird in the Hand" (Christmas special)

[edit] Second series

• "A River Runs Thru It"
• "Time Flies"
• "Do the Right Thing"
• "Masterchef"
• "A Diploma of Miseries"
• "Private Lives"
• "England Expects"

[edit] Third series

• "Gareth's True Love"
• "Reeny/Renée"
• "Lessons in Talking"
• "Love in the Air"
• "Rochelle"
• "Paris? Jamaica?"

[edit] References

1. ^ Duguid, Mark. screenonline: Chef!. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
2. ^ DVD details for "Chef!". Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
3. ^ Amazon.co.uk: Chef - Complete Box Set. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
4. ^ Henry, Lenny. Lenny Henry dot com - FAQs. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.

[edit] External links

• Chef! at bbc.co.uk Comedy Guide
• Chef! at the British Film Institute
• Chef! at the Internet Movie Database
• Chef! at British TV Resources
• Chef! at The British Sitcom Guide
• A Canadian fan site for Chef!