My Stir-fried Life by Ken Hom

Author:Ken Hom [Ken Hom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781785900365
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Published: 2016-02-26T16:00:00+00:00

AS the viewer, you would see only me. My view was different. In front of me, and behind the cameras, there were thirty-six people. The costs were considerable, therefore, which meant there was no chance of running over by even a few minutes. We had to stick to the schedule.

These thirty-six people all had their eyes trained on my every movement. Three of them were large, burly men who were wearing blue uniforms, bordering on military, and on the floor at their side were a couple of fire extinguishers. I asked a producer, ‘I was just wondering … Who are the men beside the fire extinguishers?’

‘They’re the fire officers.’

‘The fire officers?’ I asked, unsure I’d heard correctly.

‘Yup. Just in case there’s a fire.’

‘Why? Are we expecting a fire?’

And the response was: ‘Well, you know. What with the wok and stuff.’

When I made a mistake – and yes, I made a few – the team in front of me would roll their eyes and some of them would tut or sigh. The producer Jenny Stevens watched the different camera angles from television monitors in the gallery, a small room that was above the studio and accessible by a flight of iron stairs.

When there was a problem, when Jenny did not approve of what I had said or done, or if I had fluffed a line, the crew and I could hear her high heels clickety-clacking on the metal steps as she came down the stairs. She moved briskly, and that sound always meant trouble. Members of the crew, grown men, quaked in their Hush Puppies and cursed in whispers. They were not alone. I would tremble and then freeze at the clanking of high heel on iron, petrified by the prospect of the rollicking that was to come.

My timidity and fear were not justified. I was overreacting. Jenny may have had the demeanour of a headmistress but, boy, was she smart. Also, Jenny had a lot riding on this. She was working her way upwards, progressing through the ranks, having previously been Madhur’s assistant producer. If this was a success, then Jenny was made.

When I presented her with a list of dishes to cook for the first episode, she said firmly, ‘Scrap that. We’ll do those later. For the first episode you’re going to cook Peking duck. That will blow them away.’ In retrospect, she was right – or ‘spot on’, as the British might say – and it did blow them away. In fact, we did not film in sequence as it was felt I would be more at ease as we progressed.

Also, Jenny instilled in me a sense of urgency and efficiency. I learnt to understand what makes interesting viewing. It was during this period of filming the first series that I learnt the skill of a cookery demonstration, which I have followed ever since: if you want to keep it interesting, then keep it fast and keep it moving.

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