© Book cover. Two Fat Ladies Obsessions. Ebury Press. 1999. Hardback.
Two Fat Ladies was a television cooking programme that ran on BBC2 from 1996 to 1999 inclusive.
The two stars
The two stars, Clarissa Dickson-Wright and Jennifer Paterson, did not know each other before the series. They had met only once, at a party in Tuscany, Italy in 1991. They were brought together by a BBC2 producer, Patricia Llewellyn.
In the series, the two travelled throughout the English countryside, and took over kitchens and cooked for people. There was butter, cream, lard, bacon, red meat, salt and offal everywhere. They journeyed in a Triumph Thunderbird 900cc: Jennifer drove, Clarissa sat in the sidecar.
The two did not get wealthy from the series. BBC did not pay them repeat fees because though the series was organized and commissioned by BBC and shown by BBC, it was actually made by an independent company.
Books by The Two Fat Ladies
- 1996. Two Fat Ladies: Gastronomic Adventures (with Motorbike and Sidecar)
- 1997. Two Fat Ladies Ride Again.
- 1998. Cooking With the Two Fat Ladies
- 1998. Two Fat Ladies: Full Throttle
- 1999. Two Fat Ladies Obsessions
Videos
Christmas special (S02E07. Episode 7 of Season 2, first aired 24 December 1997) filmed at the The Pilgrims’ School, Winchester, Hampshire.
Benedictine Nuns. (S03E01. Episode 1 of Season 3, first aired 2 September 1998) filmed at Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, Ireland.
Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson-Wright chat with Clive Clive Anderson. 16 October 1997.