Jo Killingley, founder of Dot to Dot Productions in the UK, discusses the return of children’s cookery series Big Cook, Little Cook 16 years after it last aired on CBeebies and how she hopes it will inspire a new wave of cooking shows for kids.
Joanna Killingley
Children’s comedy cookery series Big Cook, Little Cook returned to the BBC’s preschool channel CBeebies last week, 16 years after it last aired. Produced by Dot to Dot Productions, the series features two chefs – one adult-sized and the other only a few inches tall – as they make exciting recipes in the kitchen.
Jo Killingley, founder of Dot to Dot Productions and creator and exec producer of Big Cook, Little Cook, says the decision to relaunch the series, which originally aired from 2004 to 2006, came about due to a lack of cooking shows for preschoolers.
“So much time has passed by since the original Big Cook, Little Cook and yet online those episodes are still massively popular,” Killingley says. “It seemed there was a lack of cooking shows for preschoolers, especially given at this young age children are exploring new foods and their caregivers are looking for new activities to share with them.
“Kids have always had a massive interest in arts and crafts and creating something. The best adult shows in this genre have always historically done well, but the kids’ market for creative crafting and cooking has often been a little overlooked.
“Seeing a simple, accessible list of ingredients – whether it’s art items or food – and turning these into a magical dish or work of art is compelling. You never quite know what the end result will be and that’s the joyous surprise you always get at the end of Big Cook, Little Cook.”
Children’s appetite for creativity certainly hasn’t waned in the 16 years since Big Cook, Little Cook last aired, but Dot to Dot did make some changes to the show, primarily with the casting.
The original series starred Steve Marsh and Dan Wright in the roles of Big Cook Ben and Little Cook Small, respectively, while the revamped version features two women in the main roles, with Ibinabo Jack playing Big Cook Jen and Courtney Bowman as Little Cook Small.
“Ibinabo Jack and Courtney Bowman are the perfect Jen and Small. They have natural chemistry and are both very funny, which was crucial to recapturing the spectacular benchmark set by our treasured original cooks, Steve Marsh and Dan Wright,” Killingley says.
While maintaining a comedic element to the series was essential to the reboot, so was inspiring children to explore new – and, importantly, healthy – recipes, according to Killingley, who also highlights educational and sustainability angles to the show.
The updated Big Cook, Little Cook features women in the main roles
“We’ve always aimed to make it easy for our audience to create something healthy that looks and tastes great. We base our dishes on cupboard essentials, while introducing new ingredients and ‘world’ recipes, which our audience might not have tried before. We hope that in 20 years, our next generation of talented chefs will pinpoint Big Cook, Little Cook as their inspiration for their passion in the kitchen,” she says.
“Among the cooking, songs and comedy skits, our young audience are introduced to concepts such as textures, colours, counting, rhyming, new words and, through our stories, feelings, relationships and resilience. The series also shines a spotlight on British food producers and home-grown ingredients, teaching children where their food actually originates from.”
Killingley hopes Big Cook, Little Cook will inspire a range of other cooking-themed series for kids, to help fill the genre gap she identifies in the children’s space. In the meantime, Dot to Dot is preparing a second season to premiere on CBeebies this autumn.
“We know already from the reaction to this new series that there’s a massive appetite for fun and family-friendly recipes. The awesome thing with this format is that it’s a show which can run and run, and we’re already preparing to deliver a second season,” the exec says.
“The show probably has more relevance to adults now than it did when it first aired in 2004. Grown-ups are now more used to trying out creative follow-alongs with video content and that seemed to escalate when they had more time during lockdown. We hope that if parents or carers have downtime with their children, Big Cook, Little Cook will encourage them to have fun, make a mess and enjoy the special moments of cooking and creating together.
“Back when it first aired, Big Cook, Little Cook may well have been the very first preschool TV cookery series in the UK. Before that, cooking was mainly only ever a passing segment in kids’ magazine shows. We think the demand is always there, as children love to create stuff, especially stuff they can eat. I’d love to see Big Cook, Little Cook sitting at the heart of a whole new wave of kids’ cookery shows.”
