0/5

Delicious

Three marquee actors but this soufflé fails to rise.

With a cast like Dawn French, Iain Glen and Emilia Fox it would be hard for Delicious to make a misstep -yet it manages to do just that in what amounts to a missed opportunity.

This 4 part UK drama is a love triangle with a successful chef at the centre, two women and an affair.

Set indulgently in Cornwall, the premise for this has elements of Gordon Ramsay & Nigella Lawson but without the zest of either.

Glen plays chef and hotelier Leo Vincent whose thriving business owes much of its success to the recipes he stole from his former wife, Gina (Dawn French). They share a troubled daughter Teresa (Tanya Reynolds), whilst Leo also has a teenage son Michael (Ruairi O’Connor) with his second wife, Sam (Emilia Fox).

Vincent has the ‘perfect’ life -successful hotel, attractive wife, rural bliss- save for the fact he is bored and cheating on Sam -with his first wife Gina.

The fact that Gina and Sam have become pals over the 20 years since separation weighs heavily on Gina’s mind, but she awaits the flawed-Leo to address matters with his current wife. Meanwhile, Sam is already suspicious of white lies and telltale signs, while the kids have their own subplots which are not developed enough to connect with.

By the time everything is out in the open Delicious has drawn out its premise with a directorial pace that needs a swift kick. Whilst the rustic scenery may be attractive, it’s unclear why either woman finds Leo such an object of desire. And the whole thing reeks of charmed, provincial lives bogged down by first world problems. With someone as wonderful as Dawn French at your disposal, that’s all pretty unforgivable.

Earthy Iain Glen doubtless brings gravitas to Game of Thrones, but here he is sleepwalking through scenes that would have benefited from someone of Gordon Ramsay’s tempestuousness. Watch for the scene where he insists, “I’m going to come back later when we’ve both calmed down.” You mean you’re not already calm….? It was hard to tell the difference.

Delicious lack energy and pales in comparison to the searing Doctor Foster, which also revolved around the suspicions of an affair. Throw in The Politician’s Husband for good measure and you can see what this could have been.

Delicious won’t give you food-poisoning, but it sure doesn’t fill the appetite.

8:15pm Saturday on ABC.

9 Responses

  1. Just catching up on this, and I have to say I am really enjoying it. I wasn’t expecting the twist at the end of the first episode, and it set the series up for what comes later.

    It is lovely to see Dawn French playing a different type of character. She is not comedic, or angry, or loud. She is just an ordinary woman, who while engaged in adultery, has concern for the feelings of those around her. A great show to showcase her versatility.

  2. Im in australia and I absolutely loved this! Fantastic cast, cant wait for the next series…Please keep making it!! I just accidently came accross it, didnt even see it advertised and started series record. So disapointed there were only 4?? Bring on the next season!! Dawn French looks fabulous!

  3. I have to totally disagree Mr Knox….I really…really enjoyed this….I watched the 3 episodes….one after the other….
    It seems some people think men just like one type of women…well I have news for you….there are many strange matches in this world…..*G*

  4. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Only the Brits! So many twists!

    And I can understand why Em Fox was bypassed by Dawn French. An armful of sensuous older woman… My husband is in complete agreement

  5. This was one of the most laughably bad things I’ve seen in a long time.

    To buy into it you have to accept that Iain Glen would cheat on Emelia Fox with…with…wait for it…Dawn French. My head is still reeling from that thought.

    And the entire plot is just a collection of soap opera cliches. With fancy food.

  6. I’m glad you gave it only two stars, so I wasn’t expecting much. I really liked it. Having Iain Glen’s voice as narrator helped. Voice like smoky whiskey over rocks.

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