This fifth and last series of the f-Word has less variety than previous series.  The main thread running through the series is yet another chef competition, this time between different restaurants from the UK.  They go through Italian, French, Indian, English, Chinese, Thai, and more.  They have some UK celebrities such as Lenny Henry come in to compete with Gordon in making a particular dish, and that’s fun.  Gordon makes a few expeditions in search of exotic animals to kill and eat, including some reindeer for Christmas Day, and it gets a bit old seeing him do that, but it is still interesting.  Janet Street-Porter gets some rare breeds of chicken, cows and a pig to raise in her own farm, shows them in a local show, and then has them slaughtered to be cooked in the final of the restaurant competition.  The format of the restaurant competition also becomes stale after a few episodes: two competing chefs cook meals that go out to the f-Word restaurant, and the winner is the one that more of the diners are ready to pay for. The pace is quick and the screen is colorful.  The food they make looks great most of the time, and it is especially interesting to see.  Gordon has too many stock phrases and the format of the show is formulaic, so it is no surprise that the series was not renewed.  Nevertheless, fans of this show will find it entertaining.

© 2011 Christian Perring        

Christian Perring, Professor of Philosophy, Dowling College, New York