Kevin Woodford
Encyclopedia
Kevin Woodford, BA (Hons)
, MHCIMA
, Cert ED
(born 4 June 1950) is a Manx
celebrity chef
, actor
, television presenter
, businessman
, hotelier
and former restaurateur
.
He was a Senior Examiner for City and Guilds Professional Cookery Examinations, judge at several International Cookery Competitions and worked as a hotel and restaurant consultant for various national and some International organisations.
, and this was followed by him presenting The Reluctant Cook for BBC2, followed by Surprise Chefs for ITV
. He then became a regular chef on the BBC cookery show, Ready Steady Cook
, as well as presenting Can't Cook, Won't Cook
for which he won a National Television Award
for Best Daytime Presenter. More recently, he presented and co-produced a 104 part series of a Channel Four cookery show, Planet Cook in which he played "Captain Cook".The series was first shown coast to coast in Australia and was a huge hit.
He has also presented Songs of Praise
and the live topical debate magazine show The Heaven and Earth Show
.
He has also acting roles in Doctors
(Robert Hale), and in Hollyoaks
(Watkins) and acted alongside Danny LaRue in Pantomime. He travelled the world as Jill Dando
's co-presenter on BBC Summer Holiday and Presenter for BBC's Holiday programme for 5 years.
For BBC's 'Fasten your Seatbelt' series he demonstrated his ability as a New York taxi driver, entertainer on board 'Oriana', deck hand on a tall ship, and concierge at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong.
He presented Big Kevin, Little Kevin for the BBC, has written and published 7 cookery books and is the only chef in Europe to have had his own recipes used on a set of Isle of Man postage stamps and was the recipient of 'This is Your Life' for BBC1
for several years.
In 2009 he developed a small boutique hotel called Birchfield House in Douglas, It has received wide acclaim and has since been awarded 5 stars and a Gold Award from the 'VisitBritain' Organisation.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, MHCIMA
MIH
Mih or MIH may refer to:* Media independent handover, a technology standardized by IEEE 802.21 for handing off IP sessions among alternative wireless access technologies.* Mullerian inhibiting hormone, an alternative name for Anti-Müllerian hormone....
, Cert ED
Certificate in Education
The Certificate in Education is a professional qualification for teachers in the United Kingdom. There have been two incarnations of the Cert Ed over the years.-New Cert Ed:...
(born 4 June 1950) is a Manx
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
celebrity chef
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, television presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
, hotelier
Hotelier
Hotelier is a South Korean drama broadcast by MBC in 2001. Asahi TV of Japan later remade the series in 2007. Hotelier contains a total of 20 episodes. The word "Hotelier" literally means "a person who owns or runs a hotel"...
and former restaurateur
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
.
Career
He originally trained as a chef and then moved into education as a lecturer in professional cookery. After gaining a higher degree in the Management of Organisations he returned to education as Head of Hotel and Catering Studies at a Granville College in Sheffield.He was a Senior Examiner for City and Guilds Professional Cookery Examinations, judge at several International Cookery Competitions and worked as a hotel and restaurant consultant for various national and some International organisations.
Television presenting and acting career
His first TV appearance was on This MorningThis Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
, and this was followed by him presenting The Reluctant Cook for BBC2, followed by Surprise Chefs for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. He then became a regular chef on the BBC cookery show, Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
, as well as presenting Can't Cook, Won't Cook
Can't Cook, Won't Cook
Can't Cook, Won't Cook was a UK game show and cooking programme that was broadcast on BBC1 on weekday mornings usually after the Breakfast News from 20 November 1995 to 7 July 2000.-Format:...
for which he won a National Television Award
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
for Best Daytime Presenter. More recently, he presented and co-produced a 104 part series of a Channel Four cookery show, Planet Cook in which he played "Captain Cook".The series was first shown coast to coast in Australia and was a huge hit.
He has also presented Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
and the live topical debate magazine show The Heaven and Earth Show
The Heaven and Earth Show
The Heaven and Earth Show was a BBC television programme that aired on Sunday mornings from 10am to 11am on BBC One. The show ran for nine years between 1998 and 2007, looking at spiritual and moral issues...
.
He has also acting roles in Doctors
Doctors (BBC Soap Opera)
Doctors is a British daytime television soap opera, set in the fictional Midland town of Letherbridge, defined as being close to the City of Birmingham. It was created by Chris Murray; Mal Young drove its development, and Carson Black was the original producer. The first episode was broadcast on...
(Robert Hale), and in Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
(Watkins) and acted alongside Danny LaRue in Pantomime. He travelled the world as Jill Dando
Jill Dando
Jill Wendy Dando was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader who worked for the BBC for 14 years. She was murdered by gunshot outside her home in Fulham, West London; her killer has never been identified....
's co-presenter on BBC Summer Holiday and Presenter for BBC's Holiday programme for 5 years.
For BBC's 'Fasten your Seatbelt' series he demonstrated his ability as a New York taxi driver, entertainer on board 'Oriana', deck hand on a tall ship, and concierge at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong.
He presented Big Kevin, Little Kevin for the BBC, has written and published 7 cookery books and is the only chef in Europe to have had his own recipes used on a set of Isle of Man postage stamps and was the recipient of 'This is Your Life' for BBC1
Business ventures
Woodford owned a restaurant in Douglas, Isle of ManDouglas, Isle of Man
right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
for several years.
In 2009 he developed a small boutique hotel called Birchfield House in Douglas, It has received wide acclaim and has since been awarded 5 stars and a Gold Award from the 'VisitBritain' Organisation.