| Two Fat Ladies | |
|---|---|
| Format | Cooking |
| Starring | Clarissa Dickson Wright Jennifer Paterson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC2 |
| Original run | 9 October 1996 – 28 September 1999 |
Two Fat Ladies was a BBC Two television cooking programme starring Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson. It originally ran for four seasons, from 1996 to 1999. The show was produced by the BBC and also appeared on the Food Network in the U.S. and on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia. It is currently (October 2011) appearing on the Cooking Channel in the U.S.
Contents |
The show centred on Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson, travelling the United Kingdom and, for one episode, Ireland, on a Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle driven by Paterson. It sported the registration N88 TFL - for Two Fat Ladies and had a Watsonian GP-700 "doublewide" sidecar which was where Wright rode. They travelled to various destinations, such as an army camp or an all-girls' school, where they prepared large meals, often with unusual ingredients. Both ladies were very fond of strong flavours, often using anchovies, garlic, and seasonings quite liberally. The recipes were gleaned from an older time and tradition when rendered fat and drippings, raw eggs, and unpasteurised milk products were commonplace. They emphasised the importance of using fresh ingredients of the very best quality, eschewing supermarkets for farms and roadside markets.
Paterson's uncle, Anthony Bartlett, was a senior aide to the Archbishop of Westminster, and so episodes were filmed at Westminster Cathedral and an Irish convent. While cooking at Westminster Cathedral, Paterson cooked an original dish, Peaches Cardinal Hume.[1] In the same episode, Dickson Wright demonstrated a bubble and squeak recipe[2] which used two ounces of lard, which she insisted is the only fat besides beef dripping that could ever get hot enough to produce the recipe as it should be produced. Similarly, her recipe for buttered spatchcock saw chickens covered with a thick layer of butter, bread and more butter on top of the bread. Recipes such as this led to criticism by some who considered them a bad influence on the British diet.
The ladies had a dislike of vegetarians and both would speak quite disparagingly about them in a humorous way; Paterson once said a vegetable sandwich was "Delicious, despite its vegetarian overtones." In one episode, Paterson explained that although Kedgeree had originally included lentils, a Colonel's maid who brought the dish back to England got rid of all the lentils. The story won cheers of support from Dickson Wright who said, "Hurrah! Get rid of all lentils. You've no idea how randy they make vegetarians." Much like in a standard double act, Dickson Wright often came across as the more sensible partner.
Paterson and Dickson Wright sang their own theme song, and Paterson often burst into song during the show, once introducing Apple Pan Dowdy with a verse from a song by The Andrews Sisters. They revelled in cooking at grand locations, as at Lennoxlove House. Dickson Wright explained how the Duchess of Lennox had left her estate to her nephew, to which Jennifer declared, "That we should have such aunts!"
Both Paterson and Dickson Wright affected unconcern with fat or calories. Paterson also smoked heavily and, at one point, took the opportunity to go out for a cigarette while a dish cooked in the oven. Most episodes ended with her smoking a cigarette and drinking an alcoholic drink. Several times references were made to the fact that Dickson Wright, a recovering alcoholic, no longer drank any alcoholic beverages.
Paterson died of cancer on August 10, 1999, one month after diagnosis. The day before she died, she asked Dickson Wright to bring her a tin of caviar but when Dickson Wright arrived at the hospital, Paterson had died. Dickson Wright said that after Paterson's funeral, she ate the caviar as a tribute.
The Two Fat Ladies DVD set was released in the United States in July 2008. The Acorn Media UK set includes a 40-minute BBC tribute to Paterson, biographies of the stars and "six yummo recipes" in a booklet. It contains all 24 episodes across four discs. The show had previously been released in Britain as a Region 2 DVD set.[4]
| Episode | Title | Location | Clarissa's Dishes | Jennifer's Dishes | Air Date |
| 1 | Fish & Shellfish | The Shark's Fin Hotel Mevagissey, Cornwall |
|
9 October 1996 | |
| 2 | Meat | Westonbirt School Gloucestershire, South West England |
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16 October 1996 |
| 3 | Fruits & Vegetables | Westminster Cathedral London |
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23 October 1996 |
| 4 | Cakes | Hallaton, Leicestershire |
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30 October 1996 |
| 5 | Game | Lennoxlove House East Lothian, Scotland |
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6 November 1996 |
| 6 | Food in the Wild | Hawkhirst Scout Camp Kielder Forest, Northumberland |
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13 November 1996 |
| Episode | Title | Location | Clarissa's Dishes | Jennifer's Dishes | Air Date |
| 1 | Cocktail Party | The Brazilian Embassy Mayfair, London |
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29 September 1997 | |
| 2 | Lunch | Vintage motorcycle rally Hesket, New Market (Lake District) |
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6 October 1997 |
| 3 | Picnic | Male choir in Llandudno, North Wales |
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13 October 1997 |
| 4 | Afternoon Tea | A cricket match Warborough, Oxfordshire |
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20 October 1997 |
| 5 | Breakfast | Black Sheep Brewery Masham, North Yorkshire |
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27 October 1997 |
| 6 | Dinner | 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles Aldershot, Queen Elizabeth barracks, Church Crookham |
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3 November 1997 |
| Special | Christmas | Winchester Cathedral Choir The Pilgrims' School, Winchester Hants |
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24 December 1997 |
| Episode | Title | Location | Clarissa's Dishes | Jennifer's Dishes | Air Date |
| 1 | Benedictine Nuns | Kylemore Abbey Connemara, Ireland |
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2 September 1998 |
| 2 | Pony Club | The Cotswolds, Gloucestershire |
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9 September 1998 | |
| 3 | The Cambridge Eight | Boat club Cambridge University |
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16 September 1998 | |
| 4 | Barristers at Lincoln's Inn | London |
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23 September 1998 |
| 5 | The Air Race | East Fortune Airfield, Scotland | 30 September 1998 | ||
| 6 | Lock Keepers | Grindley Brook, Shropshire |
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7 October 1998 | |
| Special | A Caribbean Christmas | Chukka Cove Polo Club Good Hope Country House, Jamaica |
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22 December 1998 |
| Episode | Title | Location | Clarissa's Dishes | Jennifer's Dishes | Air Date |
| 1 | Potatoes Galore | Jersey |
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7 September 1999 |
| 2 | On Safari | Knowsley Safari Park Merseyside |
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14 September 1999 |
| 3 | Timber! | Ardnamurchan peninsula Scottish Highlands |
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21 September 1999 |
| 4 | A Day at the Races | Floors Castle, Kelso St. Abbs, Northumberland |
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28 September 1999 |