Big Cook, Little Cook
Big Cook, Little Cook | |
---|---|
The Big Cook Little Cook Logo | |
Genre | Children's |
Presented by | Big Cook, Little Cook |
Starring | Stephen Marsh and Dan Wright |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 100 |
Production | |
Camera setup | Mike Callan |
Running time | 20 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | BBC |
Picture format | 16:9 |
Original release | 2 February 2004 – 25 December 2006 |
External links | |
Website |
Big Cook, Little Cook was an television series for nursery school aged children, broadcast on BBC television channels (particularly the CBeebies digital television channel). The programme is set in the kitchen of a café, with two principal characters, Big Cook Ben and Little Cook Small. Ben is a full-sized adult, but Small is only a few inches tall (somewhat ironic, as his actor is the taller of the two.) and flies around on a wooden spoon. Ben and Small are played by Stephen Marsh and Dan Wright respectively.
The format of a programme generally includes a visit to the café by a nursery rhyme or fairy tale character (such as Little Miss Muffet or Humpty Dumpty). Little Cook tells a story about the visitor which paints himself as the real hero, and then they decide to cook the visitor an appropriate meal from Big Cook's recipe book. Little Cook will then fly away on his magic spoon to see where one of the ingredients is made, e.g. chutney factory. Activities within the kitchen, such as washing up and tidying up, are accompanied by catchy song and dance routines.
Both cooks act in an expansive and overblown style, but the show seems intended to encourage children to take an interest in cooking. The cooks rhyme a lot, like "We need a story to help us cook, let's take a look in Little Cook's Book." Big Cook does most of the actual cooking and telling the viewers how to make the recipes; Little Cook does some preparation or sets the timer. Some of the aerial shots of Little Cook flying were filmed over the town of Skipton, North Yorkshire.
The first series of Big Cook, Little Cook aired on 2 February 2004, whilst the second series began on 4 February 2006, with two new episodes being broadcast that day. Gordon Ramsay made a guest appearance in one of the episodes.
In 2005 the duo featured in commercials for Betfair, the broadcaster Channel 4's official sponsor, during The Ashes cricket series, being shown as two-part advertisements at the beginning and end of each break. Trailers for the programme on the BBC spoofed the food adverts of Marks & Spencer, which featured the voice of Dervla Kirwan. Until February 2012, CBeebies aired repeats on the channel.[1]
Episodes, customers & recipes
Series 1
- 1. Princess and the Pea: Princess: Princess Pie
- 2. Flower Fairy: A Flower Fairy: Flutterby Cakes
- 3. Knight: Norman the Knight:
- 4. Cat: Cassy the Black Cat: Fishy in a Dishy
- 5. Old Macdonald: Old Macdonald: Farmyard Smoothies
- 6. Spaceman:
- 7. Holiday Maker: Little Betty Blue: Veggie Sandcastles
- 8. Decorator: Dougie the Decorator:
- 9. Humpty Dumpty: Humpty Dumpty:
- 10. Magician: Malcolm the Magician:
- 11. Footballer: Franco the Footballer:
- 12. Bear:
- 13. Racing Driver: Robert the Racing Driver: Hot Rod Dogs
- 14. Robot:
- 15. Little Red Riding Hood: Little Red Riding Hood:
- 16. Elephant:
- 17. Mermaid: Miranda the Mermaid:
- 18. Clown: Charlie the Clown:
- 19. Pilot: Paula the Pilot:
- 20. Hairdressers: Harriet the Hairdresser:
- 21. Crocodile: Colin the Crocodile:
- 22. Duck: Desmond the Duck:
- 23. Pink Monster:
- 24. Tortoise: Timothy the Tortoise:
- 25. Disco Dancer: AJ the Disco Dancer:
- 26. Police Officer: Polly the Police Officer:
- 27. Sailor: Sam the Sailor:
- 28. Little Bo Peep: Little Bo Peep: Bo Peep's Sheep
Series 2
- 1. Mary Mary: Mary Mary Quite Contrary: Fancy Flowers
- 2. Elf: Ernie the Elf:
- 3. Penguin: Penny the Penguin: Iceberg Slush
- 4. Dragon: Daniel the Dragon:
- 5. Scarecrow: Sidney the Scarecrow:
- 6. Painter: Monsieur Le Splat:
- 7. Pop Star: Rocking Raymond the Popstar:
- 8. Firefighter: Frank the Firefighter:
- 9. Three Little Pigs:
- 10. Man in the Moon:
- 11. Dentist: Denise the Dentist: Melon Smile
- 12. Pirate: Percy the Pirate: Pirate's Gold
- 13. Snow White: Snow White: Seven Dwarves Pies
- 14. Mouse:
- 15. Train Driver: Terry the Train Driver:
- 16. Octopus: Olivia the Octopus:
- 17. Queen of Hearts: The Queen of Hearts: Queen of Hearts Tarts
- 18. Garden Gnome: Edwin the Garden Gnome:
- 19. Rabbit: Rodney the Rabbit:
- 20. Diver: Dorothy the Diver:
- 21. Teacher:
- 22. Little Miss Muffet: Little Miss Muffet:
- 23. Explorer: Edna the Explorer: Tiger Sushi
- 24. Monkey:
- 25. Postman: Postman Freddie Flat:
- 26. Ballerina: Marina the Prima Ballerina:
- 27. Jack and the Beanstalk: Jack:
- 28. Cinderella: Cinderella: Pumpkin Pie
Series 3
- 1. Frog Prince:
- 2. Swan: Samantha the Swan:
- 3. Carpenter: Callum the Carpenter:
- 4. Fashion Designer: Fenella the Fashion Designer:
- 5. Teddy Bear: Terry the Teddy Bear:
- 6. Hansel and Gretel: Hansel and Gretel:
- 7. Rumplestiltskin: Rumplestiltskin:
- 8. The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe: The Old Lady Who Lived a Shoe:
- 9. Circus Ringmaster: Roberto the Circus Ringmaster:
- 10. Cow: Clover the Cow: Spotty Trifle
- 11. Photographer: Phil the Photographer:
- 12. Librarian: Libby the Librarian:
- 13. Aladdin: Aladdin:
- 14. Bumblebee: Barry the Bumblebee:
- 15. Cowgirl: Casey the Cowgirl: Star Bean Burger
- 16. Vet: Vera the Vet: Pitta Bread Dog
- 17. Gardener: Gary the Gardener:
- 18. Golden Goose: Goldie the Golden Goose: Golden Plum Eggs
- 19. Snake: Sylvester the Snake:
- 20. Jack and Jill: Jack and Jill:
- 21. Goldfish: Gupta the Goldfish:
- 22. Bus Driver: Betty the Bus Driver:
- 23. Wee Willie Winkie: Wee Willie Winkie:
- 24. Archaeologist: Amanda the Archaeologist:
- 25. Yeti: Yan the Yeti:
- 26. Butterfly: Belinda the Butterfly:
- 27. Twins: Bob and Bill the Twins:
- 28. Magpie: Monica the Magpie:
- 29. Three Billy Goats Gruff: Three Billy Goats Gruff: Baguette Bridge
- 30. Snail: Sarah the Snail:
- 31. Gingerbread Man: Gingerbread Man:
- 32. Weather Forecaster: Wendy the Weather Forecaster:
- 33. Seagull: Siegfried the Seagull:
- 34. Donkey: Daphne the Donkey: Munchy Crunchy Carrot
- 35. Lion: Lionel the Lion:
- 36. King from Sing a Song of Sixpence: King:
- 37. Sleeping Beauty: Sleeping Beauty:
- 38. Pied Piper: Pied Piper:
- 39. Conductor: Colin the Conductor:
- 40. Astronomer: Astrid the Astronomer:
- 41. Mole: Marco the Mole: Mince Pie Moles
- 42. Kangaroo: Kim the Kangaroo:
- 43. Optician: Omar the Optician:
- 44. Xmas Special: Father Christmas: Meringue Snowman
References
External links
- Big Cook, Little Cook at BBC Online
- Big Cook, Little Cook at BBC Programmes
- Big Cook, Little Cook at the Internet Movie Database