Fear of Fanny
The bizarre tale of Fanny Cradock, Britain's famous and maligned TV chef from 50s to the 70s.
Top Cast
-
Julia Davis
Fanny Cradock
-
Mark Gatiss
Johnnie Cradock
-
Jason Watkins
Derek
-
Hayley Atwell
Jane
-
Steven O'Neill
Simon
-
Phil Nice
Technician
-
Jordan Long
Gas Fitter
-
Paul Chahidi
Director
-
Simon Greenall
TV Executive
Overview
The bizarre tale of Fanny Cradock, Britain's famous and maligned TV chef from 50s to the 70s.
Rating
7.1
/ 10
7 Reviews 1 Popular
1 Reviews
-
CinemaSerf6 Nov 8, 2025For those of us of a certain age, Fanny Craddock was an household name who seemed to polarise opinion in Britain as she emerged as the country’s first television chef. She (Julia Davis) was famed, along with her husband Johnnie (Mark Gatiss) and this attempts to take us through a chronology of her rise and fall. Right from the outset, though, this struggles to deliver. Though Davis herself delivers quite a solid performance, it doesn’t really bear much resemblance to the actual woman herself - and there is plenty of televised evidence that this is more of a dramatisation based around her career than any serious effort at presenting an authoritative biopic. Gatiss delivers well enough, but here again his persona seems more affected than the real life gent. She was a formidable and pioneering woman in real life, but here she seems more preposterous with her excesses - and yes, there were a few of those, exaggerated without us ever really feeling we are getting to know what made this woman tick. It also joins her life later in her career, so we never quite get to grips with just what contributed to her fairly phenomenal success in the first place as she tried to wean the masses away from spam, egg and chips towards something that might actually include something green and healthy. It’s lively enough and were it a drama about an entirely fictitious character, it might have fared better but with so much readily available on the real Fanny Craddock, this doesn’t really do her much justice.
Recommendations
More interested in partying and flirting with young musicians than work, veteran rock journalist Ellie Klug has one last chance to prove her value to her magazine’s editor: a no-stone-unturned search to discover what really happened to long lost rock god, Matt Smith, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Teaming up with an eccentric amateur documentary filmmaker, Ellie hits the road in search of answers.
Lucky Them
6.0 2013
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.
The Safety of Objects
6.5 2002
A psychotherapist helps a law student cope with schizophrenia in one of five interconnected tales dealing with mental illness.
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
7.0 2013
Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.
Iron Jawed Angels
6.8 2004
This sequel to Flowers in the Attic picks up 10 years after Cathy, Chris and Carrie managed to escape Foxworth Hall.
Petals on the Wind
6.6 2014
A young woman who is determined to maintain her independence finds herself at odds with her family who wants her to tame her wild side and get married.
My Brilliant Career
6.2 1979
In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.
The Trials of Cate McCall
6.4 2013
Comedian Tig Notaro unleashes her inner prankster in a playful stand-up special packed with funny anecdotes, parenting confessions and more.
Tig Notaro: Happy to Be Here
6.3 2018
Over seven decades, actor and activist George Takei journeyed from a World War II internment camp to the helm of the Starship Enterprise, and then to the daily news feeds of five million Facebook fans. Join George and his husband, Brad, on a wacky and profound trek for life, liberty, and love.
To Be Takei
7.2 2014
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.
Bastard Out of Carolina
7.2 1996