Chef - The Complete Collection (Series 1-3) Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me start off by saying that I'm a big fan of Chef. I run a Chef fan website, and have done so since August of 1996, before the third series of the show was aired. I know these episodes like the back of my hand. This show is utter brilliance. There's little weakness here. If that's the case, then why didn't I give this 5 stars?
The reason for that is that this DVD set misses a huge opportunity, and that's to be an archive of Chef! material, and ultimately that's a bit of a letdown. This is a 3 DVD set that does include all the episodes of Chef. However, there's not much else. Discs 1 and 2 have nothing more than the episodes themselves. Disc 3 has only a few extras on it, and they are:
1) A text based description of some of the careers of the three lead actors (Lenny Henry, Caroline Lee Johnson, & Roger Griffiths).
2) An interview with Lenny Henry that aired two weeks before the premiere of the first series of Chef! (3:45)
3) An interview with Caroline Lee Johnson that aired halfway through the first series of Chef! (8:36)
4) A making of/Interview with Lenny Henry about Series 3 of Chef! (7:24)
5) A bunch of trailers for other British Comedy series on DVD.
That's it. No text commentaries, no audio commentaries that are so prevelant these days on DVD sets. I would have loved to have heard Lenny Henry, Roger Griffiths, or any of the other actors talking about the episodes. Commentaries are a great way to get additional value out of a set, and much more enjoyment for fans of the series, like I am. You know there has to be more material lying around the vaults than that. Lenny could have done a commentary for each episode, or saving that at least a couple. The fact that the set is barebones really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Additionally, there is an error in the packaging. If you look at the external box for the set which has all three DVD's in one package, the list of episodes for Series 1 is missing two. Some promotional materials claim there are only 18 episodes in this set (including Amazon's own incorrect listing information at the time of launch of this set). However, I've looked - there are definitely all 20 episodes of Chef! in this set. Disc 1 does indeed have all 6 episodes plus the Christmas Special.
But enough about the DVD's themselves. This show is one of funniest British comedies I've ever seen.
Chef! is a show about a cook named Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry) who is the head chef at a restaurant in England the Chateau Anglais. Gareth (usually just called Chef on the show) is a very good, extremely good cook, and is not afraid to show it. He is married to a woman, Janice Blackstock, and together, the two of them run the restuarant (in the first two series - In Series 3, the arrangement is a bit different). The show is based around their life running the resturant, and Gareth's rather overzealous and very loud personnel management of the people in his kitchen. Gareth, while the best cook in England (or so the show says, anyway), is an extremely high strung person, and loses his temper constantly. It's very funny when he does, and they actually manage to convey very strong emotions while staying away from actual swearing. Part of the thrust of the comedy here is that Gareth is so sure of himself, and blunders into situations and has to get himself out of them.
That's the best way I can think of to describe the show. Gareth doing his rants reminds me a lot of Basil Fawlty and his rants. There's a certain controlled "out of controlness" to the comedy here that appeals to me. This show is incredibly funny, if you like British Comedy at all, you'll really enjoy this. Even if you aren't a big britcom fan, I urge you to check it out. I think you'll like it.
Some of my favorite episodes are "The Big Cheese" (Favorite overall), England Expects, & Paris? Jamaica?. Series III takes a hit from some fans, but that's because it's not exactly like the first two. In Series 3, a bit more attention was paid to character interaction than it was in the first two series. It has a different feel, but I think it's stronger for that.
STILTON!

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Meet Britain's finest -- and most ill-tempered -- chef, Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry), of the prestigious Le Chateau Anglais restaurant. Each meal is a masterpiece. Just don't ask for salt. Chef Blackstock rules his kitchen with an iron ladle and puts up with no slacking. The trouble is that his underpaid and overworked kitchen staff is littered with slackers. Tuck in and prepare to double over in laughter with this hilarious and much loved comedy series from the BBC! DVD Features:Biographies:Cast biosInterviews:Interviews with Lenny Henry and Caroline Lee Johnson Other:Appearance by Lenny Henry on "The Good Food Show"

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