Subscriber login Close [x]
remember me
You are not logged in.

BBC Food & Drink's new double act of Joe Wadsack and Tom Kerridge goes live on January 2

Published:  16 December, 2014

Joe Wadsack, the acclaimed wine broadcaster and consultant, will make his first appearance as the new face of wine on BBC's Food & Drink programme when the programme is re-launched with two Michelin-star chef, Tom Kerridge, on January 2, 2015. 

Joe Wadsack, the acclaimed wine broadcaster and consultant, will make his first appearance as the new face of wine on BBC's Food & Drink programme when the programme is re-launched with two Michelin-star chef, Tom Kerridge, on January 2, 2015.

Joe Wadsack: the new face of wine on BBC's Food & DrinkJoe Wadsack: the new face of wine on BBC's Food & DrinkJoe Wadsack will co-host the show when it returns in the new year with Michelin-starred chef, Tom Kerridge

Wadsack will not only be the face of drinks in the show, but will also play a bigger part in the food part of the show being the adjudicator between dishes created by Kerridge and guest chefs each week. The first episode in the new year will feature Wadsack with the Hairy Bikers with further appearances by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Raymond Blanc during the 10 episode series. 

The duo are replacing chef Michel Roux Jr and wine merchant, Kate Goodman, who helped revive the show in February 2013, and were its food and wine double act for previous last two series.

Filming for the new show took place in the autumn and will run through January and February. 

A delighted Wadsack told Harpers.co.uk he was not only "excited" but also "honoured" to take on a role that brought wine in to Britain's living rooms in the 1980s with the famous double act of Oz Clarke and Jilly Goolden.

He added:  "What can I say? I think that I might have finally got my timing right! As Oz Clarke has always said to me, "TV is about relationships." With that in mind, Tom is such a lovely guy to vibe with on camera.

"The show will have plenty of banter, one or two mildly shocking moments, that all important element of competition and a lot of laughs. My element is much more as a second anchor than in other show I've been involved with. Partly following on from Kate Goodman's good work, it's not about what I'm drinking, rather it's more to do with getting interested viewers onto the first rung of the ladder, with drink AND food.

"It's genuinely useful information for the first timer. If you want to know what you should be drinking before anyone else gets wind of it, pick up your Saturday Telegraph. If you want to get your friends excited about food and drink matching, tell them to tune in.  It's a riot working with such renowned and loved chefs, and the irrepressible Mr. Kerridge." 

Of the show's format, Wadsack told Harpers.co.uk: "Viewers can expect some exciting new changes to the format. There is going to be less of a magazine element, with each programme being a themed show in itself," he explained around potential areas such as fast cooking, British food and drink and unsung heroes. "But overall it will remain a programme designed to help people enjoy food and drink better."

Wadsack was also particularly excited to be working alongside Kerridge. "I am very privileged to be working alongside probably the most happening chef in Europe at the moment. I hope we can make a good team on camera."

Wadsack said there would also be more opportunities to go in to greater details about wine and that the show would be more "wine friendly". He would then be able to go into even greater depth through his blog.

It is marks a return to television for Wadsack who was Richard and Judy's wine expert on Channel 4 and had his own series, Great Wine Walks, for UKTV's Good Food Channel.

Wadsack added: "I feel excited and honoured to follow in the footsteps of Oz Clarke, Jilly Goolden and Kate Goodman, and have the opportunity to arm the country with the knowledge to navigate the walls and walls of choice available in shops today, not just of wine, but the fantastic burgeoning choice of beers and ciders available today. Drinking well has become an intrinsic part of the eating well, and I set out to prove that it doesn't require a big bank balance to enjoy what's in your glass as much as what's on our plate."

Robi Dutta, executive producer of BBC Food and Drink, said of its new double act: "Tom is one of the most exciting food talents around - really knowledgeable, fantastic food and an all-round great guy. He's really enthusiastic about getting stuck into Food And Drink and moving it on. Both he and Joe will really build on the series as the place to talk about food and drink."

Oz ClarkeOz Clarke

BBC's Food & Drink first aired in 1982 and started out with only Goolden as the wine expert. Early presenters included Simon Bates and Russell Harty. But it was the combination of host Chris Kelly, chef, Michael Barry and the wine double act of Clarke and Goolden when the show really took off from 1984.

Clarke and Goolden remained hosting the show until 2002, latterly with chef, Anthony Worrall Thompson. It then disappeared from our screens until the show's revival in 2013.

Michel Roux Jr and Kate Goodman have been hosting the show for two series

Michel Roux Jr and Kate Goodman have been hosting the show for two series

Roux and Goodman helped revive the show in 2013 after a gap of over 10 years

Keywords: