| Keith Floyd | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 December 1943 Reading, Berkshire, England[1] |
| Died | 14 September 2009 (aged 65)[2] Bridport, Dorset, England |
| Occupation | Celebrity chef, television personality, businessman, restaurateur, author |
| Years active | 1984–2009 |
| Spouse(s) | Julier Hatcher (divorced) Shaunagh Mullet (m. 1991–1994) (divorced) Jesmond Ruttledge (divorced) Theresa Smith (m. 1995–2008) (divorced) |
| Website Official website |
|
Keith Floyd (28 December 1943 – 14 September 2009) was a British chef and television personality who hosted numerous cooking shows for the BBC and published many books combining cookery and travel. On television, Floyd was noted for his haphazard presenting style which included frequent consumption of wine, beer and local alcoholic beverages.
Contents |
Floyd was born at Folly Farm near Reading, Berkshire in 1943 to working-class parents Sydney and Winnifred Floyd. He was brought up in a council house in the village of Wiveliscombe in Somerset. His family made financial sacrifices to enable him to be educated privately at Wellington School, Somerset.[1]
Floyd became a cub reporter on the Bristol Evening Post and after watching the film Zulu decided to join the British Army, attaining the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment, where he pestered the mess cook to produce gourmet dinners.[1][3]
After three years, finding that he and the Army were "mutually incompatible", Floyd found employment in several catering-related jobs including barman, dishwasher and vegetable peeler.[4]
By 1971 he had acquired three restaurants in Bristol, Floyd's Bistro in Princess Victoria Street in Clifton, Floyd's Restaurant in Alma Vale Road, and Floyd's Chop House in Chandos Road, Redland, Bristol.[1] However all three restaurants had financial problems. Floyd sold the restaurants and the rights to the name "Floyd's Restaurant" and moved to the south of France, where again he opened a restaurant in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Vaucluse. After this again ended in financial problems, he moved back to England. With the help of loans from friends, he opened another restaurant in Chandos Road but, unable to use his own name, which he had sold, the establishment had a sign saying simply "Restaurant".
The restaurant in Chandos Road was frequented by actors and others connected with television. Floyd's first cookery book, Floyd's Food, published before he became a TV celebrity, had an introduction written by Leonard Rossiter, star of British TV sitcoms Rising Damp and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.
Floyd's first foray into the world of show business was as a radio chef on Radio West, an independent commercial radio station in Bristol. TV producer David Pritchard then offered him a slot on BBC West regional magazine show RPM, presented by Andy Batten Foster. That led, in 1984, to his being offered his first BBC TV series Floyd on Fish, which started his rapid rise to national popularity.
His eccentric, often shambolic style of presentation endeared him to millions of viewers worldwide.[5]
He became well known for cooking with a glass of wine in one hand, often in unusual locations such as a fishing boat in rough seas. He was regarded as a pioneer of taking cooking programmes out of the studio. The chef went on to present his shows from around the world, including France, Spain, Italy, India, Australia and the US, cooking on location in his unique chaotic style.[6]
He bought and ran the Maltsters Arms in Tuckenhay, Devon in the late 1980s. When he was not running the kitchen, chefs included Jean Christophe Novelli. He was more often seen at the bar than in the kitchen. The failure of the Maltsters led to his bankruptcy.
Despite TV success, Floyd continued to have financial problems and personal conflicts. He was declared bankrupt in 1996. The Daily Mirror claims that this happened after he personally guaranteed an order for £36,000 of drinks.[7] He lived in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland for a time in the mid-1990s.
In April 2008 he travelled to Singapore and Thailand in pursuit of new business ventures in Southeast Asia. Until his death he was actively involved in his restaurant Floyd’s Brasserie, located at the Burasari Resort on the popular Thai island of Phuket.[3] This was his first Asian restaurant and Phuket’s first ever celebrity chef restaurant, drawing a large following of Floyd fans who remember his many TV series and cookbooks.
Floyd travelled widely to cook local dishes and entertain people around the world. His cooking shows were marked by a tendency to consume too much wine during the preparation of the food.[3]
A documentary Keith Meets Keith[8], featuring actor and comedian Keith Allen interviewing Floyd, was broadcast on Channel 4 on 14 September 2009 and watched by nearly one million people. In the programme, Floyd admitted that away from the cameras, he often drank too much out of loneliness. It later emerged that Floyd had collapsed and died shortly before the broadcast.
Floyd can also be seen in a number of episodes of the children's television series Balamory, as a chef in Suzie Sweet's "Suzie's Cooking" song.[4]
In 2006, he also appeared on the award-winning ITV show Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, demonstrating to the boys how to bake a cake for their Ant vs Dec challenge of cake decorating, resulting in Dec (Donnelly) winning the challenge.[9]
Floyd had a bistro bar named after him on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand (Floyd's Beach Bistro Restaurant).[10] The resort is within The Tong Sai Bay Hotel and is among the most exotic of those on the island. Floyd visited it while filming the series Far Flung Floyd in Thailand and developed a close relationship with the family who owned the resort.[11]
All four of Floyd's marriages ended in divorce; he had a son and daughter:[12]
Floyd spent many years in France. In his last few years he lived in Avignon in the Vaucluse department of south-eastern France.[3]
Floyd was a big fan of rock group The Stranglers: the tracks "Waltzinblack", an edited version of "Peaches", and an instrumental version of "Viva Vlad" were used as theme music for most of his TV programmes.[3] Former Stranglers guitarist and vocalist Hugh Cornwell used to play guitar at Floyd's restaurant during his student days in Bristol and the two remained friends. In his book Floyd's Cockney Cuisine, Floyd also claimed to be a huge fan of 1980's punk/indie act Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine.
In 2002 Floyd, a smoker and heavy drinker, was reported to have suffered a small stroke, although he denied this in his autobiography. In November 2004 he was banned from driving for 32 months and fined £1,500 after crashing his car into another vehicle while three-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit.[14] In 2006 he was diagnosed as suffering from malnutrition[15]. He collapsed at a pub in Chesterton, Staffordshire on 29 January 2008 and was admitted to hospital. He was released on 22 February, travelling to his home in France to recuperate.[16] He made a full recovery and was back on his feet shortly afterwards. On 14 September 2008, exactly a year before his death, he fell out of bed and concussed himself. Paramedics spent three hours reviviving him and he was hospitalised for several days. On 29 July 2009 it was reported that Floyd had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in mid-June. He underwent five serious operations, which removed 90% of the cancer; he subsequently underwent a course of chemotherapy at Nîmes Hospital. Ironically, despite his illness and heavy drinking, his liver was working at 100% capacity. [17]
Floyd died of a heart attack, aged 65, on Monday 14 September 2009[2], at the Bridport, Dorset[18] home of his partner Celia Martin (née Constanduros,[19] born 1944, widow of screenwriter Dave Martin)[20]. The following day, chefs provided quotes for the media. Anthony Worral Thompson said of him: "I think all of us modern TV chefs owe a living to him. He kind of spawned us all."[21] Marco Pierre White, told BBC radio Floyd "inspired a nation". Pierre White also said, "The thing which is very sad is a little piece of Britain today died which will never be replaced. He was a beautiful man, his ability to inspire people to cook just with his words and the way he did things was extraordinary. If you look at TV chefs today they don't have his magic. It's a very, very, very sad day for my industry and secondly for a nation."[22]. This despite, in Keith Meets Keith, Floyd severely criticising modern television chefs for promoting themselves more than the food.[8] Floyd's humanist funeral took place on 30 September 2009 in Bristol.[23]
| Keith Floyd | |
|---|---|
| Born |
28 December 1943 Reading, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom[1] |
| Died |
14 September 2009 (aged 65)[2] Bridport, Dorset, England, United Kingdom |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Celebrity chef, television personality, businessman, restaurateur, author |
| Years active | 1984–2009 |
| Spouse |
Julier Hatcher (?–?) (divorced) Shaunagh Mullet (1991–94) (divorced) Jesmond Ruttledge (?–?) (divorced) Theresa Smith (1995–2008) (divorced) |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Keith Floyd (28 December 1943 – 14 September 2009) was a British celebrity chef, television personality, businessman, who hosted numerous cooking shows for the BBC and published many books combining cookery and travel. On television, his eccentric style of presentation endeared him to millions of viewers worldwide.
Contents |
Floyd was born at Folly Farm near Reading, Berkshire on 28 December 1943[3] to working-class parents Sydney and Winnifred Floyd. He was brought up in a council house in the village of Wiveliscombe in Somerset. His family made financial sacrifices to enable him to be educated privately at Wellington School, Somerset.[1]
Floyd became a cub reporter on the Bristol Evening Post and after watching the film Zulu decided to join the British Army, attaining the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment, where he pestered the mess cook to produce gourmet dinners.[1][4]
After three years, finding that he and the Army were "mutually incompatible", Floyd found employment in several catering-related jobs including barman, dishwasher and vegetable peeler.[5]
By 1971 he had acquired three restaurants in Bristol, Floyd's Bistro in Princess Victoria Street in Clifton, Floyd's Restaurant in Alma Vale Road, and Floyd's Chop House in Chandos Road, Redland, Bristol.[1] However all three restaurants had financial problems. Floyd sold the restaurants and the rights to the name "Floyd's Restaurant" and moved to the south of France, where again he opened a restaurant in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Vaucluse. After this again ended in financial problems, he moved back to England. With the help of loans from friends, he opened another restaurant in Chandos Road but, unable to use his own name, which he had sold, the establishment had a sign saying simply "Restaurant".
The restaurant in Chandos Road was frequented by actors and others connected with television. Floyd's first cookery book, Floyd's Food, published before he became a TV celebrity, had an introduction written by Leonard Rossiter, star of British TV sitcoms Rising Damp and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.
Floyd's first foray into the world of show business was as a radio chef on Radio West, an independent commercial radio station in Bristol. TV producer David Pritchard then offered him a slot on BBC West regional magazine show RPM, presented by Andy Batten Foster. That led, in 1984, to his being offered his first BBC TV series Floyd on Fish, which started his rapid rise to national popularity.
His eccentric, often shambolic style of presentation endeared him to millions of viewers worldwide.[6]
He became well known for cooking with a glass of wine in one hand, often in unusual locations such as a fishing boat in rough seas. He was regarded as a pioneer of taking cooking programmes out of the studio. The chef went on to present his shows from around the world, including France, Spain, Italy, India, Australia and the US, cooking on location in his unique chaotic style.[7]
He bought and ran the Maltsters Arms in Tuckenhay, Devon in the late 1980s. When he was not running the kitchen, chefs included Jean Christophe Novelli. He was more often seen at the bar than in the kitchen. The failure of the Maltsters led to his bankruptcy.
Despite TV success, Floyd continued to have financial problems and personal conflicts. He was declared bankrupt in 1996. The Daily Mirror claims that this happened after he personally guaranteed an order for £36,000 of drinks.[8] He lived in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland for a time in the mid-1990s.
In April 2008 he travelled to Singapore and Thailand in pursuit of new business ventures in Southeast Asia. Until his death he was actively involved in his restaurant Floyd’s Brasserie, located at the Burasari Resort on the popular Thai island of Phuket.[4] This was his first Asian restaurant and Phuket’s first ever celebrity chef restaurant, drawing a large following of Floyd fans who remember his many TV series and cookbooks.
Floyd travelled widely to cook local dishes and entertain people around the world. His cooking shows were marked by a tendency to consume too much wine during the preparation of the food.[4]
A documentary Keith Meets Keith[9], featuring actor and comedian Keith Allen interviewing Floyd, was broadcast on Channel 4 on 14 September 2009 and watched by nearly one million people. In the programme, Floyd admitted that away from the cameras, he often drank too much out of loneliness. It later emerged that Floyd had collapsed and died shortly before the broadcast.
Floyd can also be seen in a number of episodes of the children's television series Balamory, as a chef in Suzie Sweet's "Suzie's Cooking" song.[5]
In 2006, he also appeared on the award-winning ITV show Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, demonstrating to the boys how to bake a cake for their Ant vs Dec challenge of cake decorating, resulting in Dec (Donnelly) winning the challenge.[10]
Floyd had a bistro bar named after him on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand (Floyd's Beach Bistro Restaurant).[11] The resort is within The Tong Sai Bay Hotel and is among the most exotic of those on the island. Floyd visited it while filming the series Far Flung Floyd in Thailand and developed a close relationship with the family who owned the resort.[12]
All four of Floyd's marriages ended in divorce; he had a son and daughter:[13]
Floyd spent many years in France. In his last few years he lived in Avignon in the Vaucluse department of south-eastern France.[4]
Floyd was a big fan of rock group The Stranglers: the tracks "Waltzinblack", an edited version of "Peaches", and an instrumental version of "Viva Vlad" were used as theme music for most of his TV programmes.[4] Former Stranglers guitarist and vocalist Hugh Cornwell used to play guitar at Floyd's restaurant during his student days in Bristol and the two remained friends. In his book Floyd's Cockney Cuisine, Floyd also claimed to be a huge fan of 1980's punk/indie act Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine.
In 2002 Floyd, a smoker and heavy drinker, was reported to have suffered a small stroke, although he denied this in his autobiography. In November 2004 he was banned from driving for 32 months and fined £1,500 after crashing his car into another vehicle while three-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit.[15] In 2006 he was diagnosed as suffering from malnutrition[16]. He collapsed at a pub in Chesterton, Staffordshire on 29 January 2008 and was admitted to hospital. He was released on 22 February, travelling to his home in France to recuperate.[17] He made a full recovery and was back on his feet shortly afterwards. On 14 September 2008, exactly a year before his death, he fell out of bed and concussed himself. Paramedics spent three hours reviviving him and he was hospitalised for several days. On 29 July 2009 it was reported that Floyd had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in mid-June. He underwent five serious operations, which removed 90% of the cancer; he subsequently underwent a course of chemotherapy at Nîmes Hospital. Ironically, despite his illness and heavy drinking, his liver was working at 100% capacity.[18] Floyd died of a heart attack, aged 65, on Monday 14 September 2009[2], at the Bridport, Dorset[19] home of his partner Celia Martin (née Constanduros,[20] born 1944, widow of screenwriter Dave Martin)[21]. The following day, chefs provided quotes for the media. Anthony Worral Thompson said of him: "I think all of us modern TV chefs owe a living to him. He kind of spawned us all."[22] Marco Pierre White, told BBC radio Floyd "inspired a nation". Pierre White also said, "The thing which is very sad is a little piece of Britain today died which will never be replaced. He was a beautiful man, his ability to inspire people to cook just with his words and the way he did things was extraordinary. If you look at TV chefs today they don't have his magic. It's a very, very, very sad day for my industry and secondly for a nation."[23]. This despite, in Keith Meets Keith, Floyd severely criticising modern television chefs for promoting themselves more than the food.[9] Floyd's humanist funeral took place on 30 September 2009 in Bristol.[24]
   | BBC's Recipes Page - BBC - Food - Recipes |
| | Keith Floyd's Homepage - Stan Green Management ...Worldwide Television Producers ...Representing Keith Floyd |
| | Official Website - - Keith Floyd's Official Website - Keith Floyd Recipes, Keith Floyd Books, Floyd's Cookery Theatre |
| | Floyd chefs off - Floyd chefs off | Sunday Mirror | Find Articles at BNET |
| | TV chef banned for drink-driving - BBC NEWS | UK | England | Wiltshire | TV chef banned for drink-driving |
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