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Works of Keith Floyd

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Keith Floyd (1943–2009) was an English broadcaster, restaurateur and food writer. He was brought up in Somerset, England, where his mother taught him to cook.[1] He was educated at Wellington, a local public school, although he left at the age of sixteen.[2] He joined the Bristol Evening Post as a cub reporter—where he worked alongside the future playwright Tom Stoppard.[3] He was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment in 1963 as a second lieutenant, but his career there only lasted until 1966; he left military service and moved to London and then France, where he worked in several restaurants in various roles.[1][4]

In 1971 he set up his first restaurant in Bristol—Floyd's Bistro—which proved popular enough for him to open three further outlets in the city. His burgeoning empire soon collapsed and he sailed around the Mediterranean for two years, from where he exported wine to the UK. He also opened a restaurant in the south of France, but this was also unsuccessful and it closed in 1979, when Floyd returned to the UK.[1][3] He opened another Bristol-based restaurant and wrote a book—Floyd's Food—which was locally published in 1981; this led to a short recipe slot on the local Radio West station.[2] In 1983 one of his customers—David Pritchard, a television producer—suggested to Floyd that he front a television series, which resulted in Floyd on Fish, broadcast on BBC Two in late 1985.[1] Several series followed on the BBC before the Floyd-Pritchard partnership broke up in 1993; a corresponding book appeared with each series.[1] There were no scripts for the programmes, and Floyd ad-libbed throughout; when he ran out of words, he would sip from an ever-present glass of wine to give him time to create the next line.[4] Pritchard's directing style and Floyd's presentation technique produced what the food writer Tom Jaine considers as "cheerful mayhem", although viewers were educated in basic techniques. He went on to say that "Floyd's performances, on or near the stove, were a refreshing departure from the prissy, controlled style then in favour at the BBC, or the alternative mode of half an hour with a French chef whose incomprehensible English made the recipes a mystery."[2]

Paul Levy, Floyd's obituarist, considered the broadcaster had "no outstanding talent, either as a cook or as a TV presenter, no great knowledge of his subject, or any apparent passion for anything but drink. This is not to say that his first TV programmes were bad – they were, indeed, highly diverting entertainment".[4] The programmes were also highly popular both with the public and other cooks. Following his death of heart disease in September 2009 several fellow chefs voiced their opinions of him. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall considers that Floyd "cooked his ingredients with the love and passion of a gifted amateur", while Heston Blumenthal opines that "His enthusiasm, even when he was being a bit crotchety, jumped out of the screen. No-one made TV food programmes quite like him. He had a wealth of knowledge but there was a no-nonsense approach to it all".[5]

Bibliography

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Food and drink writing

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Floyd's food and drink bibliography
Title[6][7] Year of first
publication
First edition publisher
(All London)
Floyd's Food 1981 Absolute Press
Floyd on Fish 1985 BBC Books
Floyd on Fire: Cooking Outdoors 1986 BBC Books
Floyd on France 1987 BBC Books
Floyd on Britain and Ireland 1988 BBC Books
A Feast of Floyd 1989 Bracken Books
Floyd's American Pie 1989 BBC Books
Floyd on Oz 1991 Michael Joseph
Floyd on Hangovers[a] 1992 Michael Joseph
Floyd on Spain 1993 Michael Joseph
Far Flung Floyd: Keith Floyd's Guide to Southeast-Asia Cooking 1993 Michael Joseph
Floyd on Italy 1994 Michael Joseph
The Best of Floyd 1995 Michael Joseph
Hot and Spicy Floyd 1996 Penguin Books
Floyd on Africa 1996 Michael Joseph
Cognac Cookery 1996 Penguin Books
Keith Floyd Cooks Barbies 1997 BBC Books
Floyd Uncorked 1998 HarperCollins
Floyds Fjord Fiesta 1998 Michael Joseph
Floyd on Fibre[9] 1999 Kellogg's
Floyd Around the Med 2000 HarperCollins
Floyd's India 2001 HarperCollins
Flash Floyd 2002 Cassell
Floyd's Great Curries[10][b] 2004 Cassell
Floyd's China 2005 HarperCollins
Floyd's Thai Food 2006 HarperCollins
A Splash and a Dash: Cooking with Keith Floyd 2006 Cassell

Other published works

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Floyd's other publications
Title[6][7] Year of first
publication
First edition publisher
(All London)
Notes
A Pinch of Rosemary[11] 1993 Boxtree Foreword only; work by Carol Payne
Floyd in the Soup 1988 Pan Books Autobiography
Out of the Frying Pan: Scenes from My Life 2000 HarperCollins Autobiography
Stirred But Not Shaken 2009 Sidgwick & Jackson Autobiography

Television

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Television appearances of Floyd
Programme[12][13] Date Channel Role Notes Ref.(s)
Floyd on Fish 14 November 1985 – 20 December 1985 BBC Two Presenter Seven programmes [14]
Pebble Mill at One 9 May 1986 – 16 May 1986 BBC One Presenter [15]
Floyd on Food 23 September 1986 – 28 October 1986 BBC Two Presenter Six programmes [16]
Food and Drink 3 March 1987 BBC Two Guest [17]
Floyd on France 1 September 1987 – 13 October 1987 BBC Two Presenter Seven programmes [18]
Vintage Floyd 12 November 1987 – 17 December 1987 BBC Two Presenter Six programmes; selected episodes from the previous two series [19]
Aspel and Company 23 January 1988 ITV Interviewee [20]
Open Space 16 May 1988 BBC Two Narrator [21]
Floyd on Britain and Ireland 30 August 1988 – 1 November 1988 BBC Two Presenter Nine programmes [22]
Floyd's American Pie 10 October 1989 – 14 November 1989 BBC Two Presenter Six programmes [23]
A Tale from the Riverbank 21 June 1990 BBC Two Presenter [24]
Floyd on Oz 11 April 1991 – 6 June 1991 BBC Two Presenter Nine programmes [25]
The Garden Party 11 September 1991 BBC One Guest [26]
Floyd on Spain 18 August 1992 – 29 September 1992 BBC Two Presenter Seven programmes [27]
Far Flung Floyd 13 July 1993 – 17 August 1993 BBC Two Presenter Seven programmes [28]
Floyd on Italy 12 July 1994 – 23 August 1994 BBC Two Presenter Seven programmes [29]
A Feast of Floyd 21 September 1994 – 9 November 1994 BBC Two Presenter Eight programmes; selected episodes from the previous series [30]
The Egg – a Wildlife Guide 17 April 1995 BBC One Presenter [31]
Floyd on Africa 23 April 1996 – 4 June 1996 BBC Two Presenter Seven programmes [32]
Noel's House Party 4 January 1997 BBC One Guest [33]
Floyd Uncorked 2 November 1998 – 21 December 1998 Channel 5 Presenter Eight programmes [34]
Floyd on GMTV 16 November 1998 – 24 December 1998 ITV Presenter Twelve programmes [12]
Floyd Around the Med 5 January 2000 – 23 February 2000 Channel 5 Presenter Nine programmes [35]
You Only Live Once 21 August 2000 BBC One Guest [36]
Capital Floyd 4 December 2000 – 22 January 2001 Channel 5 Presenter Seven programmes [12][37]
Floyd's India 29 October 2001 – 17 December 2001 Channel 5 Presenter Eight programmes [38]
Open House with Gloria Hunniford 13 November 2002 Channel 5 Interviewee [39]
Floyd's Fjord Fiesta December 2001 – Sveriges Television (Sweden) and DR TV (Denmark) Presenter Seven programmes [40]
Diners Interactive 16 August 2003 BBC Three Guest [41]
Balamory 1 October 2004 BBC One Guest cameo [42]
Public Opinion 4 October 2004 BBC One Panellist [43]
Full On Food Christmas Special 15 December 2004 BBC Two Guest [44]
Keith and Keith 14 September 2009 Channel 4 Interviewee Floyd interviewed by Keith Allen [45]

Radio

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Floyd's radio broadcasts
Broadcast Date Channel Notes Ref.
Woman's Hour 4 December 1981 BBC Radio 4 [46]
The Archive Auction 7 May 1987 BBC Radio 4 [47]
Some of These Days 9 November 1987 BBC Radio 2 [48]
Down Your Way 15 November 1987 – 23 November 1987 BBC Radio 4 Four episodes [49]
Some of These Days 7 December 1987 BBC Radio 2 [50]
Desert Island Discs 30 December 1990 BBC Radio 4 [51]
Johnnie Walker's Countdown to Christmas 24 December 1993 BBC Radio 5 Live [52]
The Cookbook of Apicius 22 January 1997 – 5 March 1997 BBC Radio 4 Six-part series [53]
The Food Quiz 1 October 2003 BBC Radio 4 [54]

Stage

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In 2006 and 2007, Floyd toured Britain with an unscripted, one-man show entitled Floyd Uncorked: The Life of a Bon Viveur.[55][56]

Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ Co-written with David Pritchard.[8]
  2. ^ Co-written with Neil Barclay.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Levy 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Jaine, Tom (15 September 2009). "Keith Floyd obituary". The Guardian.
  3. ^ a b "Keith Floyd". The Daily Telegraph. 15 September 2009.
  4. ^ a b c "Keith Floyd: Television cook who paved the way for the modern generation of celebrity chefs". The Independent. 22 October 2011.
  5. ^ Sturgess, Emma (15 September 2009). "Keith Floyd: the original rock 'n' roll television cook". The Guardian.
  6. ^ a b Howard 2007, p. 79.
  7. ^ a b "Keith Floyd". WorldCat. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  8. ^ Floyd on Hangovers. WorldCat. OCLC 28465669. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  9. ^ Howard 2007, p. 77.
  10. ^ a b Floyd's Great Curries. WorldCat. OCLC 56756435. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  11. ^ A Pinch of Rosemary: country tales of lust and passion. WorldCat. OCLC 917568527. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  12. ^ a b c "Keith Floyd". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  13. ^ "Keith Floyd". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  14. ^ "Floyd on Fish". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  15. ^ "Pebble Mill". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Floyd on Food". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  17. ^ "Food and Drink". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  18. ^ "Floyd on France". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  19. ^ "Vintage Floyd". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  20. ^ "Television". The Guardian. 23 January 1988. p. 30.
  21. ^ "Open Space". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  22. ^ "Floyd on Britain and Ireland". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  23. ^ "Floyds American Pie". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  24. ^ "A Tale from the Riverbank". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  25. ^ "Floyd on Oz". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  26. ^ "The Garden Party". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  27. ^ "Spain". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  28. ^ "Far Flung Floyd". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  29. ^ "Floyd on Italy". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  30. ^ "A Feast of Floyd". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  31. ^ "The Egg – a Wildlife Guide". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  32. ^ "Floyd on Africa". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  33. ^ "Noel's House Party". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  34. ^ "Keith Floyd... never travels without". The Guardian. 31 October 1998. p. G7.
  35. ^ "Television Choice". The Times. 1 January 2000. p. 21.
  36. ^ "You Only Live Once". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  37. ^ "Channel 5". The Guardian. 2 December 2000. p. D69.
  38. ^ "TV Choice". The Times. 27 October 2001. p. 42.
  39. ^ "Open House with Gloria Hunniford [13/11/2002] (2002)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  40. ^ Christie, Brendan (1 November 1997). "Pulp Non-Fiction: Straight from the source". Realscreen. p. 10.
  41. ^ "Diners Interactive". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  42. ^ Harper, James (26 September 2004). "Floyd's Scottish Fling". The Sunday Mirror. p. 39.
  43. ^ "Public Opinion". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  44. ^ "Full On Food Christmas Special". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  45. ^ "This Evening's Television". The Financial Times. 14 September 2009. p. 17.
  46. ^ "Woman's Hour". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  47. ^ "The Archive Auction". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  48. ^ "Some of These Days". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  49. ^ "Down Your Way". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  50. ^ "Some of These Days". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  51. ^ "Desert Island Discs". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  52. ^ "Johnnie Walker's Countdown to Christmas". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  53. ^ "The Cookbook of Apicius". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  54. ^ "The Food Quiz". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  55. ^ Rushton, Susie (11 October 2007). "Floyd uncorked: A vintage encounter with TV's booziest foodie". The Independent.
  56. ^ Jenkins, Gill (12 December 2006). "A corking evening with Floyd". Dorset Echo.

Sources

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