Dear Jules, You may have observed from a growing majority of posts that we who do watch MK do so because it's the only live show in a pay-view site blighted with interminable repeats. It's a blunt truth but isn't it time to accept that GFL is gone, finished, not going to come back? Perhaps there is a grievance councilling site available for those who cannot come to terms with the demise of their favourite television programme. In the meantime, and while we acknowledge that MK is irritating, patronising, and without much to commend its presentation, I am fairly sure that, given time for the producers to take on board all the CONSTRUCTIVE comments from viewers, we may finally gain an interesting and memorable live-action programme about food in general and cooking in particular.

Whatever happened to the Dunkirk spirit?!!! Do we just adhere to the view that we have to do everything we're told? (Enjoy MK or you will be banished from the messageboard - why? because we say so - ) Or are we allowed to have differing opinions?

Growing majority of posts? Eh?! Where are these elusive posts? Oh - perhaps they've been deleted!

Yes GFL is gone forever I would agree. But MK is so dire no amount of constructive criticism will improve it (in my opinion anyway), unless they scrap it and start it again that is - with new presenters and a brand new format. Only time will tell.

OOOOO dustyfrg , well, well, well - arn't you just the little ankle biter I have to say that I agree with the whole dissappearing message enigma, but honestly I am so dissapointed in MK that I just don't watch it - It actually makes it enjoyable lol xx

can someone correct me if I'm wrong here

I've seen several people eg Billy2blues above say MK is live

I thought it was pre-recorded. It certainly seems that way

That was one of my suggestions for improving it. Live shows automatically have more spontanaity and humour I feel, and are less scripted

Also cooking is not a rigid science - sometimes things go wrong even to the pros. Live cookery shows are more interesting as you sometimes see how they react when things are not perfect eg sauces split

mk isnt live, its prerecorded

To all concerned, Thank you for the information that MK is prerecorded - I withdraw that assumption and stand corrected. However, apart from camera verite, isn't most entertainment produced through a camera, edited and broadcast prerecorded? Be that as it may, far from claiming that only MK enthusiasts should be permitted a say on the message boards I wholeheartedly support free speech on every subject; I am reminded of John Stuart Mill's utterances regarding freedom of speech, "People assume their own infallibility in order to justify suppressing opinions which they believe to be false or pernicious" Not much to do with cooking but there you go ...

Indeed most TV programs are made through a camera, including live shows like Great Food Live. The point that Rick13 was making though was a "live" program is just generally more appealing for reasons of spontaneity, unscripted events, including "disasters" etc.

This is one of the major failings of Market Kitchen. It is highly scripted and highly edited. That's not even mentioning how bad the script and editing are!

This causes the program to feel "stilted", cold and wooden. At times it is so bad you can see the presenters actually reading the teleprompter. This is hardly high quality television.

In fact, it would appear that the entire week's shows are recorded in a single go. This may explain why the Friday show seems to have the elast amount of "spark" Compare a Tuesday show with a Friday show and you'll see a marked difference, week after week.

This programme simply disappoints. It IS a FATUOUS programme.

You can tell the program is pre-recorded by the cut-aways. They're just cooking a dish and then instatntly some in the "cafe" are eating it. And the way Tana is standing up and then miraculously she's seated. Obviously a few seconds or more have gone "missing"

And there are never any stuff-ups. So those have been cleaned up also.

It would be nice to go back to some realism. I remember when Floyd would miss the pan or drop something. So what? It made the show all the more interesting and FUN!!

I hate to say it, but that's one of the reasons GFL always pleased - the spontaneity, including the errors.

MK is just so contrived and "edited to perfection" I bet all the good stuff that shows the presenters and chefs as real people is somewhere on the cutting room floor.

I think this over-editing is what takes a lot of life out of the show. They seem to cut away all the time and return in what is obviously several minutes later. There seems to be no one responsible for the continuity of the production. you'll often see a peice of chicken being cut, the camera switches and the cutting board has nothing on it and everyone is eating somehow. Not good.

The suggestion of trying to do a live show is a terrific one in my opinion. In fact, GFL is the only live cooking show I can ever remember watching. It was in many ways very innovative, wholly British, and we didn't appreciate it for what it was until we lost it.

What a great shame this whole thing has been. MK is a complete loss.

New to Message board but not to uktv food and having read all this stuff for the first time about how good GFL was I have been driven to join in. The MK 4 are undoubtedly amateurs in both cooking and presentation and the quicker the show comes off the better. However, GFL was fast becoming the Jenni B show with the food and the guest chefs simply there as support cast for her ego. I wrote to the producers a couple of years ago to complain about the number of times a chef was 'rushed tho' his or her recipe. I asked why when they had such talented people they were not given the time to properly present there dish. The reply I got was that all chefs needed to have time constraints upon them otherwise they would always overun. Now, just reflect on the countless occasions a dish has been rushed, undercooked or poorly presented and then try to think how much time was lost as Jenni was either flirting or fooling around. Yes you will say it was also a show to entertain but I for one thought she was beginning to overdo it. I would be happy to see a return to a similar type of show but one not trying to pack too much in. This would give the guest chefs more time to show their skills and hopefully not feeling they had to compete with the presenter!

Hayseed - which is what MK does, to my mind. The presenters link they don't overpower or take over the show. Thats left upto the chefs and features.
I can't say I've ever seen the 2 brothers before but everyone has to start somewhere and the more they get used to tele the more comfortable they'll get.
It's another style of cooking they're showing us - Spanish instead of the usual Italian, Chinese etc.
I'm still a fan and enjoy the show a lot.

I was lucky enough to be invited on to GFL as a messageboarder in 2002 to review cook books. It was a brilliant experience. I still have the original script. The presenters and crew are under great pressure to make sure that things do not overrun and the finished food looks fantastic but sometimes the banter between presenters and guests interrupted the cooking time but that was all part of a live programme the panic. If you could see the directors in the booth trying to keep everyone in control it was amazing. I do miss it but it is time for new blood.

At long last , some posts that are well thought out instead of all these " We want GFL " "Bring JB Back !" "Boycott the Sponsers " and ( almost ) Lynch the Presenters.
Hayseed , I could'nt have put it better .
I would'nt be at all unhappy if GFL returned . ........but NOT with the same presenter , for all the reasons that Hayseed wrote.
Looking forward tonight to seeing what the brothers have to say about spanish olive oil. For me , that will be interesting and informative , yet most of the people posting on these boards simply because it's not GFL will refuse to watch it , and tomorrow will be back xxxxging the show off yet again.

Jackwagstaff some people have been on this site for so long they have cobwebs some people don't like change and they get withdrawal symptons. I am sure Jenni was a little fed up of getting up so early and working sometimes 7 days a week. Let the lady have a rest I am sure she will be back in ano0ther genre at some point. She has always been resilient

Jackwagstaff

The name of this thread is a bit of a giveaway as to what it is about and will be full of - suggest you start an appreciation one -I don't think there are any of these.

Yes I did & yes there is .However most of the threads on these boards have been taken over by the JB fan club. That would'nt be so bad , but it's all whinging and bemoaning the loss of one show , and not so much the show , the presenter , which seems to prove that she was in fact , as others have mentioned "bigger than the show itself ". Some of the comments ,about MK , are now coming from people who actually say that they don't watch it .
I've never watched BB , simply because I don't think I would like it , but I don't xxxx it off .
Hope she does appear in something else , it won't bother me , and then those of us you do appreciate MK can do so and discuss it in peace .

Well said Jackwagstaff,

Even the site team have asked that Market Kitchen threads be kept to the Market Kitchen forum, and other programs still on UKFV Food be on the UKTV Food forum. The GFL forum is sill open even though they have said several times it is to close. It has been made harder to find, gentle weaning I suppose.

siouixsie, the name of this thread is a giveaway, the name of the forum is a bigger one.............. Food Chat.


When it comes down to it GFL is no longer part of UKTV Food.

UK Bright Ideas has it's own site where the repeats can be discussed.

Mouldy, well said! I know who exactly you are refering to about "cobwebs"

But you're right, GFL is gone and it appears MK is taking on more aspects of GFL, although I do wish it were live As with JackW if we could only have a live dialy food programme with a good, lively, yet disciplined presenter we'd be in nirvana!

And finally, finally Tana has been relegated to a more "distant" role out in the Market "somewhere"

All very positive changes in my mind.

cobwebs, eh?? ...and sometimes it would appear partial ownership of this site as well...

I'm forced to agree with your comment hayseed that the MK 4 are undoubtedly amateurs in both cooking and presentation and the quicker Market Kitchen is cancelled the better.

Once cancelled they will then have sufficient cash and resources to commission a proper cookery show that brings back some of the like and sparkle that GFL brought to us daily.

Unfortunately OysterMan , you just go to prove the truth of what I wrote in my last post.

GFLforever/OysterMan

I take it by your cobwebs comment that you are having "a dig" at someone on this thread.

Are you the same person using different names again !!!

I have recently returned to this site and I realise why I left.
The back biting hasn't changed at all. I was the top ten contributor for a no of years and we all used to help each other and get around some regulations if you could get past Ian the moderater which was very rare. We all had a good rapport and it is a shame that most of the oldies have left won't name them but it seems that they have all found sites that are interested in food and not arguments!!

Are you the same karen who when on GFL got a shoulder massage from old twinkly eyes himself Paul (the hands) Hollywood? I think I remember reading it years ago.

Yes rosti still remember it now with sighs Even though he wasnt appearing on GFL that day he made a special journey to come to London to see the GFL contributors and it was lovely to see him afterwards talking on the messageboard to answer any questions just like Lotte Duncan, Simon Rimmer , Alan Coxon and lovely Paul the Pastry Chef . I recommend a PH massage anyday and I still remember the conger Eel that was still swimming after poor Gino D'Campo tried to chop its head off . Thank Goodness for Michaela and Yasmine who worked incredibly hard to make sure everything was ready for his segment.

This is addressed to the apparently computer challenged people who have designed or run these message boards. Why for instance have I been mailed from UKTV with the news that no less than 9 NINE new posts have appeared only to find that they are all the same post vis a vis Karen's posting dated Sat 14 Jul. For G*d's sake get your act together or tell Waitrose that you haven't a clue about what you are being paid for. Incompetence is intolerable and too often is overlooked by indifferent management - the real culprits!