With the fourth series weeks away, I made a start on re-viewing the first series of Hells Kitchen beginning with the opening episode transmitted on Sunday the 23rd of May 2004.
I remember it well as it was the weekend after my first week back at ASDA after I took a week off for my 19th birthday but things were still pretty good as I was still in the warehouse helping out the Home And Leisure people and the weather outside was absolutely stunning so it was good when I got asked to take televisions to people's cars.
This show came at the right time as I wasn't working in a similar place which had stress levels to match, but certainly not cuisine to match. Fuck no.
Anyway the first programme gave an introduction to the celebrities taking part which included Al Murray, Abi Titmuss, Amanda Barrie from Coronation Street, Matt Goss, James Dreyfuss, and Jennifer Ellison.
I'm pretty certain several viewers got the soap star/would be pop star confused with fellow Scouse Kerry McFadden who recently became Queen Of The Jungle. Ironically Jennifer went on to win the series as well which suggests a few things, although she's kept pretty much a low profile since, as opposed to becoming a drunk tabloid whore like the ex Atomic Kitten.
I can remember on my first lecture at college that week on the following Tuesday where my lecturer starting moaning about the show and several others that were dominant on our screens, but I thought this series stood out mainly due to the use of Angus Deayton as the presenter who brought something to ITV viewers that they probably weren't familiar with.
Irony.
Angus had also brought along some of his writers including Danny Baker who helped provide some of his amusing links throughout the show.
It wasn't just that, but Gordon's determination that the celebrities would be treated as chefs and the fact that no one's ego or persona would get in the way of them getting anything thrown at them. And quite literally at that.
The majority of the programme showed the chefs training before the first service took place and they were given tasks such as preparing an omlette, then a risotto and later a souffle.
The results weren't good and Gordon more or less established that if he thought a finished result was shit, then he would say it was shit.
The celebrity chefs were divided into two teams colour coded red and blue. Each team was lead by one of Gordon's head chefs, them being Mark Sargent, and Angela Hartnett who now makes regular appearances on This Morning.
However just before the teams were decided, disaster struck as Roger Cook ended up falling off his chair after injuring an already damaged knee, resulting in an ambulance being called meaning he had to leave the series.
I can remember when they showed a clip of it on the first "Big Fat Quiz Of The Year" on Channel 4 in December where Jonathan Ross joked about the reason for it happening was because Roger had farted.
In the true Blamires manner, another thing I took notice of were all the celebrity diners visiting the restaurant who could be seen during Angus's links.
In the first show they included Daniella Westbrook, Bob Holness, Neil Fox, and
Al Murray's "younger brother" Harry Hill.
Like most things I go through, there are a few things I have to fast forward through as they can be awkward to watch. In the case of Hell's Kitchen it's Angus's desperate attempts to speak to Gordon at the service counter live on the show where things are stressfull as they are.
However the viewers seemed to take to it as one the highlights and even Terry Wogan picked up on it on his radio show.
It will be interesting to see the rest of the series as it had me laughing first time round and watching it back brings back plenty of memories of how things were around the time it was transmitted.
Things really were progressing throughout 2004 and I had no idea that a move to University would soon become serious.
Right now I'm taking a break and listening to Jamie and the boys' final Show 25 of the semester where this week's theme went down brilliantly as they were "Spring Break Songs" AKA tracks by NOFX, Less Than Jake and Blink 182 although a few people on the Shoutbox weren't happy that they forgot to bring any Sum 41.
I'd imagine that they could be in for more than a Fat Lip if the comments are anything to go by.
It's definitely given me an inkling to rummage through my MP3s again as it brings back plenty of memories of starting college.
It's weird reliving parts of your past life but at the same time having a good time now and it's essentially what's keeping me going as by the end of the year if I'm still around, there's barely going to be any time to look back.
Well I may end up looking back and thinking things now are better than what they'll be at the end of the year.
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