Sir Walter Riley
Thursday, September 25, 2008 by Jack Kibble-White
So, let’s talk about The Restaurant…
"It's about the moan-eh"
Judging by various comments and quotes I’ve seen firing across the internet in the last week or so, BBC2′s reality series is currently running at that pleasing level which sits just below Alison Graham style in-jokery, but is sufficiently embedded in our collective viewing habits that most people reading this will understand to what the heading of this post refers.
Right now, The Restaurant is like The Apprentice minus the publicity overkill. As of yet, Raymond Blanc and his inspectors are yet to become subject to a “siralan” style shared comedy shorthand term of reference, and the programe is all the better for it.
So: “Are you going to leave a tip for girls?”
I am utterly gripped by The Restaurant, mainly because I can’t find a single example of competency among the whole damn bunch of contestents and it seems that I’m some kind of glutton for punishment. I spent the majority of the “challenge” episode last week gnashing my teeth and screaming obscenities at the TV. Walter Riley? SERIOUSLY? You’d have to work pretty damn hard to find a group of people that stupid in normal society, and yet here they are! I’m glad the old guy got kicked out just because if he’d been any ruder I’d have been obligated to punch my TV in the face in the hope he’d somehow feel it.
I swear, I’d have more chance of starting a restaurant based solely on what I’ve learnt from watching Kitchen Nightmares.