Delicious (TV series)

Last updated

Delicious
GenreDrama
Written byDan Sefton
Directed by
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Phillippa Giles
  • Anna Ferguson
Production locations Cornwall, England
Production companyBandit Television [1]
Original release
Network Sky One
Release30 December 2016 (2016-12-30) 
18 January 2019 (2019-01-18)

Delicious is a British TV drama series starring Dawn French and Emilia Fox. The four-part series, written by Dan Sefton and directed by Clare Kilner and John Hardwick, premiered on Sky One on 30 December 2016. A second season followed, and the third and final season ended on 18 January 2019.

Contents

Synopsis

The series is set in Cornwall, England, where celebrity chef Leo is married to the beautiful Sam and has a successful hotel business. [2] However, he is having an affair with his first wife Gina, a talented cook from whom he stole many of his recipes and cheated on for years. [1]

Leo has a grown daughter Teresa with Gina and a grown son Michael with Sam. Leo’s mother Mimi is alive, and lives at the hotel. At the end of the first episode, Leo dies, but he does not disappear. He comes back in memories or in conversations with Gina, or as a voice commenting on the dilemmas faced by those he loved. The restaurant is left to Gina, while the money is left to Sam. There is not much money, so Sam and Gina decide to run the hotel together. Teresa’s real father James shows up, Gina’s ex; Michael and Teresa learn they are not half siblings. One year after Leo dies, another grown son, Adam, a chef, appears on the scene, product of an affair Leo had with a supplier and whom Gina has taken on as her protégé. Further, Gina’s father appears at the hotel.

Gina marries James, Teresa’s father, in a huge wedding and reception at the hotel. En route to their honeymoon, Gina tells him she cannot be married and walks out. Michael and Teresa go off travelling together; Teresa returns home alone at the start of Series 3. Mimi gives Teresa a pregnancy test kit. Teresa is pregnant. Mimi has had a biopsy of a lump but has not looked at the results of the biopsy. Mimi and Teresa make a pact to keep each other’s secrets. Meanwhile, Gina and Sam separately sleep with the same man, Mason Elliot, who loves Gina’s cooking and is sought by Gina as an investor in the hotel. Teresa begins working in the hotel, with a focus on keeping the cost of supplies in line.

Cast and characters

Overview

ActorCharacterSeries 1Series 2Series 3
Main characters
Dawn French Gina BenelliAll episodes
Emilia Fox Sam VincentAll episodes
Tanya Reynolds Teresa BenelliAll episodes
Ruairí O'Connor Michael VincentAll episodesEpisodes 2-4Does not appear
Iain Glen Leo VincentAll episodes
Sheila Hancock Mimi VincentAll episodes
Risteárd Cooper James HarleyEpisodes 3-4All episodesDoes not appear
Franco Nero Joe BenelliDoes not appearAll episodesDoes not appear
Aaron AnthonyAdam HeskethDoes not appearAll episodes
Rhashan Stone Marc WilsonDoes not appearEpisode 2Episodes 2-4
Vincent Regan Mason ElliotDoes not appearAll episodes
Supporting characters
Vinette Robinson RosaEpisodes 1-3Does not appear
Kemi-Bo JacobsSuzyEpisodes 1-3All episodesDoes not appear
Mark Letheren Dio TremayneEpisodes 2-4Episodes 2-4All episodes
Pandora ColinDI Marilyn HicksEpisode 3Episodes 1, 3Does not appear
Aidan McArdle DI Jonathan JonesDoes not appearEpisodes 1-2Does not appear
Cassie ClareRhiannonDoes not appearAll episodes
Claudia HarrisonDr. Janice WoodsDoes not appearEpisodes 2-4

Main characters

Supporting characters

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 430 December 2016 (2016-12-30)20 January 2017 (2017-01-20)
2 429 December 2017 (2017-12-29)19 January 2018 (2018-01-19)
3 428 December 2018 (2018-12-28)18 January 2019 (2019-01-18)

Series 1 (2016–2017)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [4] UK viewers
(millions) [5]
11"Death Comes to All" Clare Kilner Dan Sefton30 December 2016 (2016-12-30)1.22
22"Funeral Plans"Clare KilnerDan Sefton6 January 2017 (2017-01-06)1.81
33"Penrose" John Hardwick Dan Sefton13 January 2017 (2017-01-13)2.00
44"The Visitor"John HardwickDan Sefton20 January 2017 (2017-01-20)1.79

Series 2 (2017–2018)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [4] UK viewers
(millions)
51"Secrets of the Father"Clare KilnerDan Sefton29 December 2017 (2017-12-29)N/A
62"Ghost"Clare KilnerLee Coan, Dan Sefton5 January 2018 (2018-01-05)N/A
73"One Year Later"John HardwickUrsula Rani Sarma, Dan Sefton12 January 2018 (2018-01-12)N/A
84"Our Brother"John HardwickDan Sefton19 January 2018 (2018-01-19)N/A

Series 3 (2018–2019)

No.
overall
No. in
series
Title [6] Directed byWritten byOriginal release date [4] UK viewers
(millions)
91"The Heart"Robin SheppardUrsula Rani Sarma28 December 2018 (2018-12-28)N/A
102"Betrayed"Robin SheppardLee Coan4 January 2019 (2019-01-04)N/A
113"Not Intimidated"Amit GuptaMelissa Bubnic11 January 2019 (2019-01-11)N/A
124"Do What Feels Right"Amit GuptaUrsula Rani Sarma18 January 2019 (2019-01-18)N/A

Production

Delicious was written by Dan Sefton and directed by Clare Kilner and John Hardwick. [7]

The series is predominantly filmed in South East Cornwall, with Pentillie Castle [8] featuring as Leo's Penrose Hotel. [9]

While many of the exterior shots are filmed at Pentillie Castle, the interiors can be found at a number of other country houses, including Port Eliot and Boconnoc. Interiors scenes in Mason's restaurant were filmed in the River Cottage Kitchen (now closed) at the Royal William Yard in Plymouth.[ citation needed ] Some scenes were filmed in Calstock on the river Tamar, and include scenes in and around Lishe, a local tea room.[ citation needed ]

Broadcast

The four-part first series premiered on Sky 1 on 30 December 2016. [2] finishing in January 2017. Sky renewed the show for a second series in February 2017. [1] The second series aired on Sky 1 from Friday, 29 December 2017. On 13 February 2018, it was announced that Delicious had been renewed for a third season. [10]

In June 2019, Dawn French confirmed that the show would not be coming back for a fourth season. [11]

In Australia, Delicious premiered on ABC Television in May 2017. [12] In Sweden on SVT1 in January 2018 and in the Netherlands on NPO 1 in July 2018 . In Finland Yle1 in September 2019.[ citation needed ]

Reception

Critical response

The series has garnered mixed reviews. The Sydney Morning Herald 's Bridget McManus gave the first episode four stars out of four and praised French's performance. [12] The Radio Times ' Ben Dowell commented positively on the series, saying it has "offered a visual feast but it’s the sure-footed storytelling and strong central performances that has got me hooked." [13]

On the other hand, The Daily Telegraph 's Ed Power gave the first episode two stars out of five, saying: "The awkward blend of soapy escapism and dark comedy left a funny taste, with mismatched performances adding to the queasiness." [3]

Ratings

The first season of Delicious had an average audience of 1.87 million, making it the most watched Sky 1 original drama in 2016. [1]

Home media

SeriesRelease date (individual sets)
Region 1 (U.S.) [14] Region A (U.S.) [15] Region 2 (UK) [16] Region 4 (AU) [17]
129 August 201722 November 201930 January 20175 July 2017
23 July 201822 November 20195 February 20187 March 2018
34 June 201922 November 201928 January 201917 April 2019
SeriesRelease date (multiple sets)
Region 2 (UK) [18] Region 4 (AU) [19]
1–25 February 20187 March 2018
1–328 January 2019TBA

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mitchell, Robert (9 February 2017). "Sky 1 Gets More 'Delicious,' Announces New Original Productions". Variety.
  2. 1 2 Dowell, Ben (2 December 2016). "Ten TV shows to watch in December". BBC.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Power, Ed (30 December 2016). "Dawn French's new culinary comedy Delicious fails the taste test – review". The Telegraph.
  4. 1 2 3 "Delicious Episodes Guide and Summaries". Next Episode. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  5. "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB.
  6. "Delicious - Season 3". IMDb . Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  7. "Sky 1 drama Delicious adds over a million viewers to episode one". corporate.sky.com. 11 January 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  8. "Is the Penrose Hotel really Pentillie Castle, Cornwall?". Pentillie Castle & Estate. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  9. Dodd, Rachael (28 December 2016). "Dawn French's new TV show Delicious was filmed just over the water". The Herald. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  10. Dowell, Ben. "Dawn French and Emilia Fox to return for another Delicious series on Sky 1". Radio Times.
  11. French, Dawn (23 July 2019). "Dawn French Twitter". Twitter.
  12. 1 2 McManus, Bridget (21 May 2017). "Barely recognisable Dawn French as forceful as ever in Delicious". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  13. Dowell, Ben (16 June 2017). "Dawn French and Iain Glen drama Delicious ends episode one with a stunning twist". Radio Times.
  14. Region 1 DVD:
  15. Region A Blu-ray:
  16. Region 2 DVD:
  17. Region 4 DVD:
  18. Region 2 DVD:
  19. Region 4 DVD: