Chef! - Complete Series 1-3 Box Set

Bought 2 sets of these as Christmas stocking fillers/gift for my son and his mentor (he's a chef), they both love this series!

Overall,I enjoyed Lenny Henry's exploits as the Tyrannical,Michelin Starred Chef,Gareth Blackstock, with his ranting Mercurial temper,and Well hidden sentimental Heart..I wondered did this Series set out to do for the Kitchens of Eating establishments and their Staff in the 90's what Fawlty Towers did for Hotels in the 70's!..(To say nothing of Inspiring other TV Chefs?!) To take a cooking Analogy,it's a bit of a "Curate's Egg"...good in parts...Blackstock is a Top of his Game Chef,and the Series starts with him as an Employee of a company owning the restaurant "Le Chateau Anglais" which goes under,and then it develops with He and his Long Suffering Wife Janice taking on the buyout of the place and running it.. then later,having difficulties themselves,they then get bought out by a wealthy Businessman...The constantly changing staff,though reflective of the pressure real kitchen staff work under,doesn't work so well with a sitcom scenario,IMO..it gave the series a bit of a disjointed feel..(Lola/Gustav?)You were getting to know characters,and soon after they were gone,unremarked for the most part,and then replaced.Apart from Gareth's former Schoolmate and friend Everton who came looking for a Job,and stayed for the Run of the Show..The ups and downs of his relationship with Janice as well as the running of the business kept things Moving and for the most part interesting..A few of the highlights for Me would be the Visit from Gareth's estranged Father,and Everton getting centre stage for his knowledge of Caribbean Cuisine to try and impress him, Everton's cousin's Wedding at the Restaurant at the time of a Separation with Janice,and Gareth encountering an old crush again..And Gareth's experience with a TV Crew in his Kitchen! If You've worked in a Restaurant or Kitchen,or wondered what was behind the scenes,this series should (If You wanted it!) bring it all back..

This is a great series and the box set is worth the money, however, one very big disappointment in Series 1 'The Big Cheese' episode. The best part of that episode has been cut out which for me ruined the entire episode. For those who have not seen the episode in full - Chef goes to a farm to buy some contraband 'Unpastuerized British Stilton' which has been deemed illegal by the Government, however, the farm is being watched by the Police as the farm is also selling drugs. This is a key part of the episode as one of the kitchen staff is buying drugs from the farm & the Police think it's Chef. Chef ends up bribing the Police with free meals at the Chateau. The connection between Chef's dialogue when he returns to the kitchen with the prized 'Stilton' is totally lost and the joke falls flat.

Enjoyable witty culinary comedy (a repeat buy over the years after losing disks). Lenny Henry, who I have not especially followed while very established, was excellent and the first two vols (IMO) are well written but the third seem too “American”. I preferred the original cast too in Vols 1-2, more distinctive. The quality of the film on DVD seems subpar oddly (abit grainy on HD - best narrow the TV video screen format to improve) and there are a few additional weird splices which is very unprofessional but not a deal breaker overall - this older comedy is so much better than contemporary UK slapsticks.. I don’t recall this in DVDs (admittedly standalone) I bought about 10 years ago! Does not need silly canned laughter as another reviewer rightly points out. Decent box price but I would pay more for the original? quality for Vol 1 and 2 of this comedy.

‘See, in life, Piers, different people want different things. Some want large fortunes, some want carnal knowledge of vast number of the opposite, or indeed their own sex, and some want to write down the numbers of all the British rail diesel locomotives currently in service. Chacun à son goût. Me, my single aim in life is to send the finest, best presented food through that door there. That’s it! And if it’s at the cost of a few human lives, well, that’s fine by me.’Absolute classic! Highly recommend.

The series was conceived by Lenny Henry, written by others, starring Lenny Henry.Why only 3 seasons? Simple. Even the best stand up comedian can only get so much material...and this is the best... IF... you are a truthful, honest person who feels 'gagged' by this worlds' politeness rules...then you will love this series.The rest of you kiss-butt, yes-sir/no-sir, sell-outs... might enjoy this series, but you won't really understand it.So... wherever you are going after this life... while you are here... enjoy Chef!

What is funny about this is that not only was this a classy show back in the day but Alan Davies had a show called Whites which was pretty much the same idea no spinand the funny thing is both were cracking showsSir Len at his comic best!

I would have given this 5 stars but I noticed a scene in the first disc in the episode "The big cheese" there is an entire segment missing from this episode & that makes the whole thing quite difficult to understand... This was obviously a glitch on the manufacture's part & they decided no one would care or notice on the DVD box set. I was very upset... Seeing as I bought an official box set of the BBC & I didn't expect bootleg quality goods. Otherwise with regard to delivery & the quality of the box set upon my receipt was impeccable. I ordered it & found delivery to be incredibly prompt & very efficient; as for the series itself... An amazingly comedic cast & an A+ comedy series totally worth ordering!!! Love it!!

It's a great if short series. Hilarious!If playing a region 2 PAL disc is no barrier, you can generally find good used copies for very little. Otherwise, if you are in the US , look at Region 1 NTSC versions. These will cost a bit more, usually, but it will be playable on any US domestic DVD player. Some BD players ignore region codes too, as well as TV format.

Es handelt sich bei der TV Serie um einen Koch gespielt von Lenny Henry einem bekannten englischen Komiker. Einfach genial und super Lustig wie Er mit lustigen Sprüchen und Handlungen sich selbst und seine Küche immer wieder in Schwierigkeiten bringt. Sehr zu Empfehlen für jeder Mann, Frau und Kind der den englischen Humor zu schätzen weiß.

humour inglese graffiante e divertentissimo, Sicuramente ha ispirato le varie serie di Hell's Kitchen.Da un'idea di cosa succede dietro le quinte di un ristorante e di quanto faticoso sia.

A great gift for any fan of Lenny Henry .

Just an clean enjoyable comedy show