The 10 best TV chefs — from Nigella to Keith Floyd
The irreverent and unconventional style of Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson made them near instant stars when they roared on to our screens on a Triumph Thunderbird and sidecar in the 1990s. The one-time barrister and the former Spectator food writer cooked up a storm with a healthy lack of pretension and a whole lot of (not always so healthy) accessible ingredients.
• Read more TV reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews
Padstow-based Stein inspired have-a-go-at-home chefs with his accessible approach to cooking. Uncomplicated recipes and influences from across the globe fuse with a friendly manner and beautiful backdrops as he cooks. From his earliest guest appearances on Keith Floyd's shows in the 1980s through to Rick Stein's Food Stories in 2024, he has become one of our best-loved chefs.
Berry, who is 90, has published more than 75 cookery books since she trained at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in France, aged 22. Although she has hosted numerous general cooking shows across her career, she is best known to modern viewers for her baking prowess and won over a generation of fans after judging The Great British Bake Off opposite Paul Hollywood between 2010 and 2016.
Dave Myers and Si King's easy charm and genuine friendship, twinned with motorbikes and interesting friends they met along the way, made their shows compelling. The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook began in 2004 and was so popular it spawned a number of globetrotting series. The pair's unique appeal was shown by the public outpouring of emotion after Myers' death in 2024.
• Hairy Bikers roar ahead in race to be Christmas TV's master chefs
You'll struggle to find an amateur cook's bookshelf in Britain that doesn't have at least one Delia Smith title on it. Her television shows (and accompanying books) span decades and are considered by many the last word in how to prepare a host of dishes. With her brisk, no-nonsense style, she revolutionised cookery in Britain, inspiring millions to transform a teatime chore into a creative skill.
Rhodes was a serious chef with a serious attitude. He held a Michelin star at 26, and by the 1990s had become one of the best-known culinary names in the country. Rhodes Around Britain in 1994 began a journey that led to a raft of cookery shows. It was his love for British food and nonchalant presenting style that made him stand out, and paved the way for many of the more recent greats, from Gordon Ramsay to Jamie Oliver.
If this list were decided on worldwide fame, Ramsay would surely be No 1, having broken America and built a global brand. But for all the effing and blinding, Kitchen Nightmares and fronting of Hell's Kitchen, we don't see Gordon doing much cooking on the TV any more. And yet, whether he's preparing food or delivering scathing putdowns, he is a culinary television phenomenon.
• Yes, chef! Cooks are the new rock stars
Initially Lawson was parodied for her breathily indulgent style, but she loves food and isn't afraid to share that joy with her audience. Her intimate and playful style draws the viewer in and makes them feel like she's a friend sharing secrets. The focus remains on pleasure and comfort, and her Christmas shows are almost as unshakeable a part of the season as turkey and stuffing.
Many of the modern charismatic and irreverent TV chefs owe a lot to Keith Floyd. Glass of wine in hand, he was an entertainer, a passionate gourmand and a presenter with flair who was unafraid to get messy and make mistakes. His unscripted shows on location across the globe featured local chefs, insightful chat and unpolished recipes. His programmes in the 1980s and 1990s really did change TV and cookery.
Oliver exploded on to our screens in 1999 as the fresh-faced, casually dressed and extremely energetic Naked Chef. He taught food lovers how to cook without airs and graces, and with his cookbooks became one of Britain's bestselling authors. Although he continues to make popular shows, it's for his high-impact campaigns, from improving school meals to lobbying for a sugar tax, that he is perhaps now best known. Most recently he was on our screens in the admirably honest Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution on Channel 4.Let us know your suggestion in the comments below
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Donor ‘shocked' as national library excludes gender-critical book
Scotland's national librarian is facing mounting pressure to reinstate a gender-critical book which she banned from a major exhibition, after a key donor joined a revolt against the move. Alex Graham, who has given around £300,000 to the library, said he had been 'shocked and angry' to learn that The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht had been excluded from an exhibit that he personally supported with a donation of about £20,000. Graham, the creator of the television show Who Do You Think You Are, urged Amina Shah, Scotland's chief librarian and the chief executive of the National Library of Scotland, to reverse her decision. He said that if she did not, he would have to consider whether or not to continue to provide lucrative donations to the library, as he has done for the past 12 years. The critically acclaimed book, a collection of essays by more than 30 women about their role in the feminist campaign against Nicola Sturgeon's gender self-ID law, was set to be included in its Dear Library exhibition, after it was nominated by several members of the public. However, The Times revealed on Wednesday that it was pulled after a backlash by the library's internal LGBT staff network, which claimed it contained 'hate speech' and that displaying it would cause 'severe harm' to workers. They threatened to 'notify LGBT+ partners of the library's endorsement of the book' if management did not cave in. Shah justified the decision by citing the potential impact on 'key stakeholders' and the library's reputation if the gender-critical book was included, but has faced intense opposition after her ban was made public. In a major intervention, Graham called on the library to admit its mistake and reinstate the book to Dear Library, which Shah had publicly thanked him for his role in funding. He said that if it did not, he would have no option but to publicly disassociate himself from the campaign, saying the library had given in to what he claimed was a 'censorious, bullying culture' instead of standing up for ideals of free speech. The book's editors, Lucy Hunter Blackburn and Susan Dalgety, have branded the removal of their work 'cowardly and anti-democratic' and repeated their call for the decision to be reversed. 'I think this was a fundamental mistake and the correct thing for the library to do would be to put up their hands, admit that and reinstate the book,' Graham said. 'Instead, there have been weaselly responses. 'The library is not saying they have taken it out because it contains hate speech, because it does not. They've taken it out because of some ill-conceived notion that someone might be upset by its presence. That's not a good enough reason for me.' Graham added: 'This is not about taking one side or the other on the trans debate. It's about the principles of open debate and free speech, which to the national library should be sacrosanct. 'It isn't too late to redeem the situation. But if there is not a change of heart, I feel I will have no choice but to publicly dissociate myself from the exhibition and the campaign that surrounds it. 'This stupid escapade does not undo the very good work the library does, but it should never have happened. 'I couldn't say definitely that I will not donate any more money if they stick to their guns on this, but it has certainly given me pause for thought. That makes me incredibly sad.' Shah, who last year received a salary of between £105,000 and £110,000 in addition to pension contributions of £41,000, decided to exclude the book with the support of Sir Drummond Bone, the chairman of the National Library of Scotland (NLS). An insider within the cultural sector in Scotland said the decision was symptomatic of a wider trend of managers being seen to cave in to demands of young, activist staff members who have little resilience or tolerance of views different to their own. Graham became a major donor to the NLS as he credited free access to books at Cambuslang public library in his childhood as shaping his life and allowing him to go on to pursue a highly successful career in television. He sold his television company, Wall to Wall, in which he purchased a 33 per cent share for £1 in 1987, for about £25 million two decades later. Although the library receives the bulk of its funding from the Scottish government, private donors such as Graham, who has been repeatedly acknowledged by the library for his philanthropy, are also essential to its work. Graham has been one of the library's major donors over the past decade, funding major projects such as the digitisation of medieval manuscripts. He funds a scholarship at the library which is named in his honour, as is a room at the National Library of Scotland's moving image library at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow. Graham's generosity in supporting the centenary celebrations was singled out for praise by Shah at the launch of the Dear Library exhibition in June. Graham said he was initially impressed with it, before discovering that The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht, which included a contribution from JK Rowling, had been excluded. 'On the opening night of the exhibition, I thought it was fantastic, because I found at least two books in there that I consider to be among the worst ever written,' Graham said. 'I said to Amina I thought that was great, because the whole point was that while some people are inspired by a book, others will hate it. That's the joy of the society we live in and the freedom that we have. 'There are books that are beyond the pale, but there are very few of them. You need to be very careful before you ban anything. 'This book [The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht] was clearly selected to be included, and frankly the management were then bullied out of that by a staff lobby group. 'They say they've removed this book to protect relationships with stakeholders. But they certainly didn't consult me and if they had, I would have voiced strong opposition. I am angry and disappointed at the decision to remove the book as well as the implication that as a stakeholder, I am somehow supportive of it, which I am not.' Kate Forbes, the deputy first minister, has found herself at the centre of a similar row after staff and performers at Edinburgh's Summerhall arts venue criticised her views on trans rights. Summerhall's bosses said Forbes had been permitted to speak at the venue as 'an oversight' after some of the artists set up a 'safe room' while the 5ft 2in politician was present as they were 'terrified' because of her opinions. A whistleblower who works within the arts sector in Scotland said that activist staff members were becoming increasingly powerful within major publicly funded institutions. 'I have been in so many meetings where it is just taken as a given that everyone there is in lockstep on these issues — that everyone hates JK Rowling and that books like The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht are dangerous and harmful,' a source claimed. 'The internal LGBT networks are given carte blanche and it is very isolating to those of us who do not agree with their extreme views, who are forced to self-censor or face, at best, being socially ostracised at work. 'It sounds ridiculous but those of us who don't agree with them feel like we're in an underground network like the French resistance or something, secretly sending each other supportive messages.' The insider added: 'A major part of the problem across the cultural sector is the infantilisation of younger staff members, who can't cope with any type of conflict or opposition to their views. 'This has now led to the ridiculous situation where people intolerant of ideas and books are not only working in our national library, but are calling the shots. Management are terrified and pander to them every time they have a tantrum.' The NLS has sought to defend its decision not to platform the book at its exhibition by claiming there were only 200 spaces for public display, and it received more than 500 nominations. However, documents released under a freedom of information request show that all books with two or more nominations were initially to be included in the public display, with the Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht obtaining four. Joanna Cherry, the former SNP MP and one of the essayists in the book, accused Shah of attempting to mislead her own staff with a message that claimed the library was not 'banning or censoring' books. Although the library does hold a copy of the book — a legal obligation given its statutory role — its exclusion from the Dear Library exhibition was the direct result of complaints from the LGBT staff network who did not like its contents, the documents show. 'I'm concerned that the librarian seems to be misleading her staff as well as the public and the media about what has occurred here,' Cherry said. 'The issue is not whether the book is available within the library's collections but her decision to withdraw it from an exhibition where it had rightly earned its place because of the prejudiced demands of a small group of her staff.' Cherry added: 'There is an increasing pattern in Scottish society where zealots masquerading as LGBTQ+ activists seek to censor women who want to talk about their rights. 'This book was written by feminists, survivors and lesbians. To remove it from an exhibition is not only an attack on freedom of expression, it is also discriminatory.' Hunter Blackburn said: 'We are very saddened that it has come to this, but we understand why Mr Graham has reached what must have been a very difficult decision for him. 'We will continue to seek for this to be resolved by the library making an unreserved apology, putting the book back in the exhibition where it won its rightful place, and, it becomes increasingly clear, undertaking a root-and-branch review of its internal culture and practices.' A spokeswoman for the NLS said: 'We are engaged in a robust and respectful conversation with Mr Graham about this matter, and we will accept his decision regardless of the outcome. 'It goes without saying we are indebted to Mr Graham for his support to the national library over the years. His assistance has helped us to preserve collections, reach new audiences and give young people's careers that much needed start through our apprenticeship programme.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
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British viewers are not sufficiently 'classy' to enjoy Meghan's Netflix series and are 'too cynical' unlike Americans: Incendiary claim of Harry's friend revealed by RICHARD EDEN... and he doesn't stop there!
Described by British television critics variously as 'an exercise in narcissism' and 'toe-curlingly unlovable TV', the Duchess of Sussex 's series With Love, Meghan provoked much mockery among Netflix viewers. As the American streaming giant prepares to broadcast a second series of the lifestyle and cookery show, one of the Duke of Sussex 's old friends has spoken out about why the British failed to take the series to their hearts.
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an hour ago
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Truth about the mile-high monster: Millionaire threatened a stewardess with gang rape. Now our special report reveals six convictions, where he got his cash and what friends say about his VERY different two wives...
As the sun set over central London on Thursday evening, some of Britain's most high profile Pakistanis gathered for a glittering event at a five-star hotel. They were there in Westminster to attend the Pakistani Achievement Awards, an annual black tie gala, now in its 15th year, which celebrates the myriad triumphs of the community and announces the year's 'power 100' list.
