The Supersizers Go...

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 I'd buy the series in a heartbeat and cherish it as funny historical reference material.

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.

This is an intriguing and enjoyable series. The attention to detail is incredible and the hosts are witty and engaging. The series that cover the earlier periods are perhaps more interesting and yet shocking for the use of offal and small animals no longer considered proper or appropriate for eating. The coverage of political, cultural and socioeconomic history is also entertaining if not always thorough, as this is entertainment after all. The one thing I find a little disturbing is how frequently Sue Perkins is put in silly subservient positions (Damsel in Distress, housewife, desperate sister looking for marriage), while Giles goes off for some amazing meal and champagne with a group of men. In the War Years for instance, Sue is left at home when there were plenty of women working--some even in Churchill's war room, I suspect. I think the producers could have been more imaginative with Sue's roles, and not leaned so heavily on sexist clichés about women of each period. It would have been a firm 9/10 for me, if this had not been the case.

I wish they would re-run this. Giles and Sue were such a good pairing, it was hilarious. Loved it!

I guess I am the only one who has reviewed this TV show that is not that impressed with it. It could've been more of an educational show instead of a slapstick-making fun of different foods during different eras in history. When I first saw the commercial on the Food Channel for this series..I was all excited to see how foods from different periods in history were made. But instead had to watch two people spitting out food, getting drunk and licking their fingers in some of the most posh restaurants---disgusting to me...and to their guests who were experts in historical-culinary fields! I wish another TV series would be made that took this great aspect on learning about foods served/prepared in other eras in history more seriously. The only reason I continue to watch all the episodes in this series is to make notes of the names of the foods-during the era they were served so I can research how they were made myself. Which I had hoped this series would've shown to the viewer since it is on a food-network channel. All the other part of the episodes...I am just Fast Forwarding through all the silly/slapstick 'tripe'. (No Pun Intended)