Big Cook, Little Cook

Big Cook, Little Cook is a British children's TV show created for the BBC. It takes place in a café kitchen and features two chefs: Big Cook Ben and Little Cook Small. The channel CBeebies aired reruns until February 2012. The series returned with a revival in 2022, starring Ibinabo Jack as Big Cook Jen and Courtney Bowman as Little Cook Small.

Both chefs are grown adults, but Small is only a few inches tall and travels by flying on a wooden spoon. Ben and the original Small were played by Steve Marsh and Dan Wright, respectively. An official magazine launched in August 2005. The original series is available on BritBox, Prime Video, and DVD, while Cake Entertainment holds worldwide rights to the revival, which streams on Apple TV.

The show’s format usually involves a visit from a nursery rhyme, fairy tale, or fictional character, like Little Miss Muffet or Humpty Dumpty. Each episode starts with Big Cook Ben (or Jen) and Small doing an activity or facing a problem. A customer arrives, and Small gives hints about who it is. After revealing the customer, Small tells a short story, always ending by claiming to be the real hero. Then they decide to cook a meal from Big Cook’s recipe book, gathering ingredients from the fridge, freezer, cupboard, fruit bowl, or vegetable basket (added in series 3). If an ingredient is missing or they need to know how it’s made, Small flies off on his magic spoon-mobile to visit places like chutney factories or rice fields, filmed mainly in the UK, Germany, Austria, and France.

Once Small returns, they sing a song, remind viewers of the recipe, and start cooking. During preparation, Big Cook reminds children to ask a grown-up for help with knives, allergies, and electrical appliances. After serving the meal, they sing a cleaning-up song. In return, the customer gives a gift that solves their problem. Each episode ends with Big Cook and Small saying “See you soon.” Activities like washing and tidying are accompanied by catchy songs and dances. The cooks speak in a rhyming, overblown style, with lines like “We need a story to help us cook. Let’s take a look in Little Cook’s Book.” Big Cook does most of the cooking and explaining, while Small helps with prep or sets the timer. Some aerial shots of Small flying were filmed over Skipton, North Yorkshire.