Sky tv is generally filled to overflowing with shite..new shite, old shite......repeated shite.....its all the same..... but just occasionally it will come up with an old gem of a tv series that you almost forgotten that you enjoyed.
Two Fat Ladies, was a cracking watch, as , for me, it summed up everything that is great about Britain.
The programme was fronted by two English ecentrics. Spinster,devout Catholic, drinker, chain smoker and ex Ugandan legation cook, Jennifer Paterson was teamed with ex alcoholic, barrister , hunt em and shoot em Clarissa Dickson Wright.
Both women came from privileged backgrounds, both had suffered great hardship in their lives and both were blessed with a "spirit that won the war" mentality of "let's get on with it and let's not suffer any fools"...their programmes were a joy to watch as they unapologetically cooked cream filled food with painted fingernails, a cigarette slid carefully behind an ear and with a wardrobe that looked as though they had been dressed by Oxfam.
The video above, perhaps sums up their "Joie de vivre" better than any words
Paterson was especially entertaining, as she still was part of the "social set" in London and loved her dubonet, social gossip and holidays in the south of France when asked if she inherited her flair for cooking from her mother she said "My mother had no idea of how to cook and no wish to learn, existing on gorgonzola, coffee, and chocolates after the demise of any form of servant."
Their sucessful tv seies was cut short when Paterson became ill during filming and was diagnosed as having lung cancer. She deteriorated quickly and phoned Clarissa to bring her in some caviar into hospital but when her partner arrived, Paterson had sadly died.
Dickson Wright, however brought the caviar to Paterson's funeral, where she ate it as a tribute
....................................................................My kind of women!
Marvellous!! That has cheered up my Monday morning no end.
ReplyDeleteThat's brought back memories, John. They certainly were characters, the pair of them.
ReplyDeleteClarissa's autobiography is well worth reading! A wonderful couple.
ReplyDeletecro
ReplyDeleteI read it a long time ago
just been looking for it on ebay!
I agree John, two fabulous characters and a wonderful TV series.
ReplyDeleteJo xx
We ditched the TV over a year ago, because as you say, it was full of shite. We do enjoy DVDs tho and have collected a number of favourite films and TV series. I had fogotten about these game old gals. I wonder if you can buy the series on disc?
ReplyDeleteOh yes, John, I loved that series too - Jennifer always wore a huge emerald ring on her finger. They used to arrive on a motof bike and once went to the transport cafe at Kirby Lonsdale for lunch - both terribly top drawer. I have their recipe book - nothing in it without cream and/or wine!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best programmes on TV.
ReplyDeleteThey are still airing over here, on
one of the cable networks, still riding the lanes of England on that motor bike, puffing on cigs, and bottle of plonk in the sidecar.
Two very special ladies, made of the 'real stuff'.
Two great ladies.
~Jo
Believe it or not that show aired in Canada and I watched that very episode. My daughter (who is a terrible cook) was addicted to cooking shows and got me on to it.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough - I did meet them once. They were great fun to be...
ReplyDeletebel
ReplyDeletedo tell more , I would be interested to know a bit f background about them!
Lovely tribute to a series I'd nearly forgotten! Yes, they were pretty fabulous women, thanks for the memory.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED this show and miss them dearly. Truly great entertainment...them and Julia Child. Can't stand these new "celebrity Chefs", especially Gordon Ramsey in Hells Kitchen. Watching a bully is not my idea of fun.
ReplyDeleteThe 2 lady's humour was delightful.
I loved those two biker chicks!
ReplyDeleteAnother chef fave was Keith Floyd. Began each menu sober, and by the end, totally sozzled. My kind of cooking!
Jane x
What a fun way to start the day! Thanks John!
ReplyDeleteI never had the chance to see these gals, I would have liked their show.
ReplyDeleteThey were wonderful. I liked the fact that most of their dishes were rather bad for you.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like they would be great fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteI remember them well. So much better than the screaming, nasty chefs that have now taken over the airwaves. Laughing is entertainment, yelling obscenities and demeaning people is classless.
ReplyDeleteThey were great fun to watch and thank you so much for reminding us of them.
I see their cooking show here on one of our food network channels. I like it. Though they cook different foods than I would eat it was fun to watch. I didn't know Paterson had died. I really enjoyed their "say what they thought attitudes" :O)
ReplyDeleteI saw that same episode last week here in the US. I have the DVD for the 1st season and intend on getting the second. Not only was the Two Fat Ladies a very entertaining show, the locations were fabulous. I read and have Clarissa's autobiography and it was an interesting read. I also have a book A Greener Life written by Clarrisa and Johnny Scott.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to see them again. That will be Jerry and me in a few years (except that we sound like Americans and I don't cook... so it's only because he keeps suggesting we buy a motorcycle with a sidecar and I get to sit in the sidecar). Thanks for bring back memories.
ReplyDeleteI love this show..fantastic ladies.
ReplyDeleteI happily admit I threatened my husband with bodily harm if he deleted a single episode from our DVR.
Looks and sounds like my kind of show. I'll have to see if I can find it on any of our bazillion crappy channels.
ReplyDeleteBest show on TV. I loved it:)
ReplyDeleteYou should play 'Two Fat Ladies - the Video Game' on xbox 360...
ReplyDelete...Awesome!
like the new avatar chris
ReplyDelete(is that what you call it)
I thought your wouldnt be interested in TWO FAT LADIES
now if I had written
TWO BIG BREASTED YOUNG LADIES
i might have caught your attention!!!
Just the word 'Ladies' does the job, John.
ReplyDeleteNot that I can do anything about it at the moment...
just wait for the stitches to come out... you will be back perving over the littlewoods catalogue soon enough
ReplyDeleteIf I can prise the pages apart lol!
ReplyDeleteI will send you a copy of my mother's old "Grattan" in the meantime
ReplyDeleteFully fashioned stockings and playtex girdles - ohhhhhhhh!!!!!!
ReplyDeletegod..I AM so glad I'm gay!
ReplyDeleteYeah, like the mens y-fronts and thermal long-john's section isn't 'papier mache' by now John!!!lol
ReplyDeletebusted!!!
ReplyDeleteI loved that show.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wouldn't have given to have met and cooked alongside those two.
ReplyDeleteCould you imagine the stories they would have told??
I loved that show!!
ReplyDelete