Cooking shows get the chop as controversies leave a bitter taste

Times

6 days ago

For years they have been the toast of television: mouth-wateringly wholesome fun, cheap to make and often a sure-fire ratings hit.
But new data, coupled with a string of high-profile controversies, suggest cookery shows are starting to leave a bitter taste with producers as the number of food and drink programmes commissioned by major broadcasters begins to plummet.
In February, allegations of inappropriate behaviour involving the celebrity TV chef Gino D'Acampo and spanning more than 12 years became public, forcing ITV to drop all forthcoming shows featuring the star.
In recent weeks, MasterChef became mired in controversy and, while the future of the show is secure, BBC bosses are hunting for two new presenters after they opted against renewing the contracts of Gregg Wallace and John Torode amid allegations of misconduct.
Separately, Nadiya Husain, a BBC cooking stalwart, has criticised the broadcaster after it terminated its long run of 14 shows with her since she won The Great British Bake Off in 2015.
'The BBC has decided that it didn't want to commission the show, and I suppose for me that was a huge turning point because it's something I have done for past ten years,' she said.
Now, an analysis of the sector by Broadcast Intelligence, a service offered by the TV industry magazine, has revealed that only 12 shows have been ordered over the first seven months of the year, down from 42 last year and a high of 100 in 2019.
Though forthcoming shows being made include Jamie Oliver's Eat Yourself Healthy for Channel 4 and a second serving of Tom Kerridge's Secrets of the Pub Kitchen for Food Network, producers say that the well worn 'chop and chat' format is coming to an end.
'Traditional recipe shows have been 'eaten' by TikTok,' said one producer.
Others noted that the number of shows being commissioned by broadcasters is down across the board, with cookery shows a casualty of wider declines, despite the ongoing draw of food programming.
'People are lazy and don't know how to cook but continue to watch them as a form of escapism,' said Steven D Wright, a veteran producer.
He said there was a desire among commissioners to 'reinvent' cookery show beyond traditional competitions, how-to shows and food-based travelogues.
'There's a bit of navel-gazing going on at the moment. These shows are bankers for a reason — because audiences like people making delicious food in a lovely setting — but they have changed shape,' he said. 'Do we need any more Mary Berrys or Nigellas doing pieces to camera?'
Plans to reinvigorate food programming are, however, under way with ambitious forthcoming food formats include a Michelin-star themed documentary for Apple TV+ and a Harry Potter-inspired format for Warner Bros Discovery.
Apple TV's Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars is executive produced by Gordon Ramsay and will follow Jesse Burgess, the co-founder and presenter of social media brand Topjaw.
In the eight-part series Burgess will follow the fates of elite chefs at some of the world's most celebrated restaurants to determine if they will win, maintain or lose their precious Michelin star.
Warner Bros Discovery's cookery competition Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking has been given a second series, following a debut run that reached more than 16 million viewers globally following its launch in November.
The show aired on Amazon Prime in the UK and featured James and Oliver Phelps, who played Fred and George Weasley in the films, as they tasked nine teams of pastry chefs and cake artists with crafting edible showpieces inspired by moments and themes from the Potter universe.