Big Zuu's Big Eats
Genre
  • Reality
  • Comedy
  • Cookery show
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes38
Production
Running time40 minutes
Original release
NetworkDave
Release15 May 2020 (2020-05-15) –
present

Big Zuu's Big Eats is a British comedy television series that premiered on 15 May 2020, on Dave. It stars rapper and grime artist Big Zuu, along with friends Tubsey and Hyder. In each episode they meet a celebrity and discuss memorable and favourite foods, following which the trio cook a meal for the celebrity.

In May 2023, it was confirmed that the Big Zuu's Big Eats would return with a fourth series later in 2023;[1] which premiered on 25 September 2023.[2]

Format

The first series was filmed in autumn 2019, and saw Zuu, Tubsey and Hyder cook for comedians on tour, travelling the country in a branded food truck. In each episode, Zuu met with the comedian at a performing venue, and the two discussed food likes and dislikes. From this, Zuu would create a four-course menu - an amuse-bouche, followed by a three-course meal consisting of a starter, main course, and dessert. Footage of Zuu, Tubsey and Hyder shopping for ingredients - frequently favouring local businesses over national chains - would follow, interspersed with clips from the comedian's live performance. In the food truck, Zuu would demonstrate how to make the dishes discussed, with assistance from Tubsey and Hyder. The amuse-bouche would be served to the comedian shortly before they performed on stage that evening, or during a break in the show. After their show, the comedian and Zuu would sit down together at the venue for the three-course meal.

The final two episodes of the first series consisted of Christmas specials featuring multiple guests, from the worlds of music and comedy, with Christmas-themed menus. Due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on performing arts, series two and three saw the trio meeting up with a wider range of celebrities in a variety of locations. The format of a conversation about food, followed by shopping for ingredients, the cooking and the eating of the meal remained, though the 'filler' activities would vary - for example, Harry Redknapp is seen teaching Zuu how to play golf.

Episodes

Series 1
Episode NumberCelebrity GuestAirdate
1Jimmy Carr15 May 2020
2Rosie Jones22 May 2020
3Guz Khan29 May 2020
4Phil Wang5 June 2020
5Desiree Burch12 June 2020
6Jamali Maddix26 June 2020
7Josh Widdicombe3 July 2020
8London Hughes10 July 2020
9Ed Gamble17 July 2020
10Lou Sanders24 July 2020
11Christmas Eats - Music Special11 December 2020
12Christmas Eats - Comedy Special18 December 2020
Series 2
Episode NumberCelebrity GuestAirdate
13Maya Jama7 June 2021
14James Acaster14 June 2021
15Harry Redknapp21 June 2021
16Judi Love28 June 2021
17Jacob Anderson5 July 2021
18Rose Matafeo12 July 2021
19Mo Gilligan19 July 2021
20Mel Giedroyc26 July 2021
21Rob Delaney2 August 2021
22Natasia Demetriou9 August 2021
Series 3
Episode NumberCelebrity GuestAirdate
23Johnny Vegas4 July 2022
24Katherine Ryan11 July 2022
25Joseph Marcell18 July 2022
26Alex Brooker25 July 2022
27Mel B1 August 2022
28Lucy Beaumont8 August 2022
29Fatiha El-Ghorri15 August 2022
30Big Narstie22 August 2022
Series 4
Episode NumberCelebrity GuestAirdate
31Jonathan Ross25 September 2023
32Roisin Conaty2 October 2023
33Mo Farah9 October 2023
34Ellie Taylor16 October 2023
35Aitch23 October 2023
36Alex Scott30 October 2023
37Sarah Kendall6 November 2023
38Nabil Abdulrashid13 November 2023

Critical response

The show received favourable reviews, and in the 2021 BAFTAs received a nomination for Best Feature.[3] At the 2022 BAFTAs the show won the award for Best Feature and Big Zuu won the award for Best Entertainment Performance.[4] At the Broadcast Awards, Big Zuu's Big Eats received the Gamechanger Programme of the Year in 2021 and the Best Popular Factual Programme award in 2023.[5][6]

The widening of the format for series two, necessitated by the Coronavirus pandemic, was regarded as a positive move for the show.[7] The publicity which followed the show's two BAFTA wins highlighted the refugee backgrounds of the three hosts, and was welcomed by the Refugee Council as a positive portrayal of refugees and their families.[8] The show was compared positively to other well-established cookery shows and formats.[9]

The Daily Telegraph's Anita Singh and The Observer's Barbara Ellen both reviewed the third series four out of five stars.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "BAFTA-winning Big Zuu's Big Eats back for more on Dave and UKTV Play". uktv.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Breaking news: Big Zuu's Big Eats Season 4 set to premiere on September 25, 2023 on Dave". tvnextseason.com. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bafta TV Awards 2021: Winners and nominees in full". BBC News. 2021-06-06. Archived from the original on 2021-06-06. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  4. ↑ "Bafta TV awards 2022: the full list of winners". the Guardian. 2022-05-08. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  5. ↑ "Meet The Richardsons wins at Broadcast Digital Awards". British Comedy Guide. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Meet The Richardsons amongst Broadcast Digital Awards winners". British Comedy Guide. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "Big Zuu on the new series on Dave of Big Zuu's Big Eats". Dorset Echo. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Big Zuu on breaking the mould for cookery shows". BBC News. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Big Zuu's Big Eats: The most fun cookery show ever made". Guardian. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Singh, Anita (4 July 2022). "Big Zuu's Big Eats, series 3, review: not sure about the food, but the host's a winner". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Ellen, Barbara (17 July 2022). "The week in TV: Breeders; Night Coppers; The Terminal List; Sneakerhead; Big Zuu's Big Eats". The Observer. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.