Big Cook, Little Cook
Encyclopedia
Big Cook, Little Cook is a television series for nursery school
-aged children broadcast on BBC
television channels (particularly the CBeebies
digital television
channel). The programme is set in the kitchen of a café
, with two principal characters, Big Cook Ben and Little Cook Small. Ben is a full-sized adult, but Small is only a few inches tall (somewhat ironic, as his actor is the taller of the two.) and flies around on a wooden spoon. Ben and Small are played by Stephen Marsh
and Dan Wright
respectively.
The format of a programme generally includes a visit to the café by a nursery rhyme
or fairy tale
character (such as Little Miss Muffet
or Humpty Dumpty
). Little Cook tells a story about the visitor which paints himself as the real hero, and then they decide to cook the visitor an appropriate meal from Big Cook's recipe book. Little Cook will then fly away on his magic spoon to see where one of the ingredients is made, e.g. chutney factory. Activities within the kitchen, such as washing up and tidying up, are accompanied by catchy song and dance routines.
Both cooks act in an expansive and overblown style, but the show seems intended to encourage children to take an interest in cooking. Big Cook does most of the actual cooking; Little Cook does some preparation or sets the timer.
Some of the aerial shots of Little Cook flying were filmed over the town of Skipton
in North Yorkshire
.
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
-aged children broadcast on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television channels (particularly the CBeebies
CBeebies
CBeebies is the brand used by the BBC for programming aimed at children 6 years and under. It is used as a themed strand in the UK on terrestrial television, as a separate free-to-air domestic British channel and used for international varients supported by advertising, subscription or both...
digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
channel). The programme is set in the kitchen of a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, with two principal characters, Big Cook Ben and Little Cook Small. Ben is a full-sized adult, but Small is only a few inches tall (somewhat ironic, as his actor is the taller of the two.) and flies around on a wooden spoon. Ben and Small are played by Stephen Marsh
Steve Marsh (comedian)
Stephen "Steve" Marsh is a British actor and co-host of the CBeebies programme Big Cook, Little Cook and is also co-host of Space Hoppers. Marsh plays the part of the big cook, Ben. He and his Big Cook, Little Cook co-host Dan Wright form a comedy duo under the name of Electric Forecast...
and Dan Wright
Dan Wright (comedian)
Dan Wright is a British comedian and co-host of the CBeebies programme Big Cook, Little Cook. Wright plays the little cook, Small, who rides a magic wooden spoon. He was previously a police officer....
respectively.
The format of a programme generally includes a visit to the café by a nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
or fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
character (such as Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
"Little Miss Muffet" is a nursery rhyme, one of the most commonly printed in the mid-twentieth century. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20605.-Lyrics:-Alternative Lyrics:...
or Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English language nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an egg and has appeared or been referred to in a large number of works of literature and popular culture...
). Little Cook tells a story about the visitor which paints himself as the real hero, and then they decide to cook the visitor an appropriate meal from Big Cook's recipe book. Little Cook will then fly away on his magic spoon to see where one of the ingredients is made, e.g. chutney factory. Activities within the kitchen, such as washing up and tidying up, are accompanied by catchy song and dance routines.
Both cooks act in an expansive and overblown style, but the show seems intended to encourage children to take an interest in cooking. Big Cook does most of the actual cooking; Little Cook does some preparation or sets the timer.
Some of the aerial shots of Little Cook flying were filmed over the town of Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.