Shooting the Cook

Shooting the Cook
David Pritchard

The true story of a bumbling and undistinguished television producer who inadvertently changed the landscape of cookery programmes forever to give rise to the world of the 'celebrity chef'.As the producer behind the phenomenally successful Keith Floyd and Rick Stein BBC cookery programmes, David Pritchard tells the tale of the ascent of the chef celebre. Twenty five years ago, no one could have foreseen the incredible popularity commanded by food programmes on television today. Now we have a whole army of chefs representing virtually every single personality trait from sexy to aggressive, to young and experimental. But back then, charismatic, erratic, always happy to have a slurp of wine or two and not afraid to say exactly what he thought on air, Floyd was a revelation. This was a chef that television had not seen the like of before. Freed from the constraints of studio filming, Floyd brought us the idea of cooking on location, but most importantly, he simply invited viewers to have fun and enjoy being in the kitchen.Shooting the Cook divulges the stories of what went on behind the scenes to the groundbreaking television that inspired the event of modern television chefs as we understand them today. David Pritchard shares the overwhelming excitement that went into making the early Floyd series - from sitting down to a silver service dinner aboard a tiny fishing trawler heading out of the Plymouth Sound, to attempting abortive hot-air balloon adventures over Alsace.Tangled up amid the tales of the bust-ups, the botched camera shots and the exquisite regional food are reminisces also about the David's life growing up in ration-starved, post-war Britain. Also containing snapshots of life behind the scenes of Sixties television making and spanning the era from when avocados were virtually unheard of to a time where the term 'foodie' has gaining an almost cult-like status, this is an outstanding memoir from the producer who single-handedly changed the face of food as we know it today.

DAVID PRITCHARD

SHOOTING

THE COOK

A TRUE STORY ABOUT FOOD, TELEVISION AND THE

RISE OF TV’S SUPERCHEFS—THE DIRECTOR’S CUT

To Jane, who forced me to write this; to Prudence, my English bull terrier, for being such an inspiration on walks, and to my mother, who is the best cook in the world.

Over the years there has been the odd fleeting moment when I’d have eagerly swapped the camera for a revolver.

Contents

Foreword (#u7e645a42-a785-5546-af30-f0f470903f24)

PART I (#ua56495c8-9c21-5c03-afbb-88f015d19b1b)

Chapter 1-A recipe for disaster (#u786b288d-344e-5c0b-a36c-5d5571d8aab7)

Chapter 2-Peking duck heaven (#u9d49159e-7b1d-5f0a-a58a-388bc4664521)

Chapter 3-David believe me, cooking’s the new rock ‘n’ roll (#u8beb3b5a-1941-5750-b04d-f3a65f9c0cfc)

Chapter 4-The owl and the pussy cat went to sea—eventually (#ua2d98104-7403-5c7d-8fb5-c1414af0b48b)

Chapter 5-Am I supposed to rehearse this? And do I need more than one fish? (#u2e95913c-54f4-5c9f-9289-22e3cf5e9afc)

Chapter 6-Old dogs can learn new tricks (#ud949a2d9-bc96-505f-8473-665f32c5cb98)

Chapter 7-Fair stood the wind for France (#ufb045d01-0c4d-5c0c-bc57-f355cd89a454)

Chapter 8-Over here, Clive (#u0770b08c-1436-56c9-8afe-a68556bb56be)

PART II (#u09edc77f-ad78-5902-b13a-e4c71cbe809b)

Chapter 9-Just for starters (#u793e31cb-ba7a-5966-aed8-e9728be84b04)

Chapter 10-Is there anything better than jam roly-poly? (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11-The best of British (#litres_trial_promo)

PART III (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12-Panzer division (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13-Spag bol and all that (#litres_trial_promo)

PART IV (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14-Proof of the pudding (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15-If you don’t get this series on the network, David, I’m going to come down to Plymouth and shoot you! (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16-What is a script? (#litres_trial_promo)

PART V (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17-Early rumblings (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18-Bungalow days (#litres_trial_promo)

PART VI (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 19-Lost in France (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 20-A week in Provence (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 21-Forty cloves of garlic anyone? (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 22-The pelican (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 23-The old battleaxe (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 24-Through a glass darkly (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 25-When the balloon goes up (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 26-Please sir, the dog ate my homework (#litres_trial_promo)

PART VII (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 27-A slice of American pie (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 28-Apocalypse any minute (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 29-Be my buddy, Holly (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 30-Anyone can be a TV cook (#litres_trial_promo)

PART VIII (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 31-There comes a tide in the affairs of man (#litres_trial_promo)