While surfing the DirecTV guide, I came across a show called The Supersizers Go… on the Cooking Channel. Lo and behold, it’s a British cooking show, sort of. It’s actually a combination of a food show and a history show.
Here’s the premise: Restaurant critic Giles Coren and comedian Sue Perkins dress up in period costumes and for a week eat food from that particular period. Then a doctor checks to see how their health has been affected by such diets. It’s actually quite funny. Sue Perkins is a riot.
The first, and at this point only, episode I’ve seen is The Supersizers Go Regency. Not only do you get to see what awful, fatty, sometimes disgusting foods the British ate during that period (boar’s head, jugged hare, sheep’s tongue, cheese with maggots, yes, maggots), but you also get to learn some history of the time. Apparently, the Prince Regent was a big, fat whoremonger with gout. Who knew?
And boy, did these people drink! There were at least two types of alcohol served at each meal. Guess they needed to lift their spirits with spirits. It wasn’t like there was too much going on. Think of Jane Austen times.
Not only do Giles and Sue eat the food and dress the part, they actually go about their lives as if they lived during the Regency period, 1789-1821. Sue spends part of her time during the show looking for a suitable husband. While Giles, estate owner and quite the Beau Brummel, keeps a lookout for poachers on his land.
Giles and Sue did two series, The Supersizers Go and The Supersizers Eat. The “Go” series covers different periods in British history (Victorian, Elizabethan, World War II) and the “Eat” series involves different historical periods around the world (Ancient Rome, The French Revolution, Medieval England).
MAIN CAST:
Giles Coren
Sue Perkins
Total Seasons: 2 (12 episodes)
Seasons Available on US Formatted DVD: 0
In Production: 2008-2009
Viewer Discretion: None
