Miles-10
And that's just the presenters. This show is available on Hulu now, which for me means I would not care whether it turns up on DVD at this point. I like the silliness of it, the comic relief between courses, so to speak.Giles Coran seems to think he is funnier than Sue Perkins, but she is funnier than he thinks he is.The historical insight into what people ate (and what they did not eat) is fascinating. You learn about the politics of food, too, albeit from a certain perspective. You learn how people's food habits can be self-destructive. (During the Restoration, for example, people drank to excess, ate meat but not vegetables and then wondered why they developed terrible health problems.)The idea of forcing Ms. Perkins into wifey roles might seem sexist to some, but it reflects reality in the majority of eras and shows us what it was really like for many women. Besides, Ms. Perkins makes hilarious fun of these situations and she does sometimes cross gender lines.
Jarno Peschier
Caught two of the series 1 episodes completely by accident while we were on holiday at the British south coast last summer. I was hooked immediately and have caught one or two extra episodes after that.I was elated to find out a second series (called "The Supersizers Eat...") is now airing on the BBC. I have now seen almost all episodes in this new series and this has only reinforced my fan status.No expense spared (or so it seems?), lots of research (or so it seems?), very funny (definately!). Pure infotainment. Brilliant, just brilliant...Looking around on the internet it seems the BBC seems to have no plans to get this beautiful series on the foods of Britain through the ages out on DVD. I find this simply incomprehensible. I'd buy the series in a heartbeat and cherish it as funny historical reference material.
Matthew Hopkiins
I caught the 70's episode of this by accident, and was hooked at once.The premise of the programme is the presenters eat foods of a certain era in history each week, and see the effect on their bodies.The on screen partnership of Giles Coren and Sue Perkins crackles with energy,and I couldn't really imagine this working as well if it was anybody else presenting now that I've seen them doing it.The other episodes that I have managed to see are the Regency and Restoration,but still holding out the hope of seeing the others at some stage.In these days of trash TV, it's great to see the BBC producing a programme that is both entertaining, and educational.What does surprise me, is the fact that you can't buy this programme on DVD, and the BBC have no plans to release it! It can't cost that much to produce a DVD of a programme that is already made, and I bet it would sell more units than some of the tripe that is released! If you haven't seen this programme, keep an eye open for any repeats, you won't be disappointed.
Tweekums
This tour through England's culinary history was most entertaining as Sue Perkins and Giles Coren dressed in the clothes and ate the foods from six periods: Elizabethan, Restoration, Regency, Victorian, Second World War and the 1970s.Each of the six episodes started with them getting a health check... and usually being warned that the planned diet wouldn't be very good for them. The then dressed up and took the roles of a couple living in the specific era. Much of the food looked less than appealing and such delights as boiled calf's head must have given vegetarians nightmares. The two presenters were both very entertaining, although they are clearly not taking the roles too seriously and frequently ended up quite drunk... solely for realism of course. Over the course of the week they sample various types of food from that eaten at formal occasions by the rich to that eaten by the less well off. They were frequently joined by experts on the periods concerned and would discuss the food with them explaining what class of people would eat what foods. At the end of each episode they returned to the doctor for a second check up with results that were sometimes surprising.While it is easy to laugh at what people ate in the past I'm sure that people will look back on what we ate now with equal amusement in the future. I hope that there is another series one day although I'm not sure what time periods they would cover.
