Judge Romesh Returns, My Greatest Dishes Greenlit at UKTV

Judge Romesh will return to UKTV’s Dave for an extended second season, and UKTV Original series My Greatest Dishes has been commissioned for pay-TV food channel Good Food.

Last year, audiences saw ten episodes of courtroom series Judge Romesh, which stars Romesh Ranganathan as he decides the verdicts of petty real-life disputes, with bailiff Tom Davis and court clerk Jessica Knappett by his side. The show is produced by Hungry Bear Media.

Ranganathan said: “It is great to be able to do a second series of Judge Romesh. Some may think it’s because it’s an easy job, the money’s good and I’m working with mates, but the truth is, I’m purely motivated by helping people with the problems that they, for some reason, believe to be important.”

Joe McVey, commissioning editor at UKTV, said: “I’m thrilled to be back in the court of the nation’s leading (unqualified) judge. Mainly because there’s always a tub of celebrations at the back of the gallery.”

Luke Hales, Dave’s channel director, said: “What a pleasure, to be able to bring back Judge Romesh. His brilliance at being funny is only dwarfed by his ineptitude at all legal matters.”

Dan Baldwin, managing director of Hungry Bear Media, added: “Hungry Bear is absolutely delighted that Dave have ordered Judge Romesh to return for another (extended) series. Expect more cases, more controversial verdicts, more arguments, more laughs and far less patience from Romesh. If there is something that is certain, it’s this: A judge has never been more marginally bothered about finding some sort of justice. Ever.”

UKTV has also teamed up with some of the country’s top chefs on a separate project, a new UKTV Original series for Good Food called My Greatest Dishes (20×30 min.). Made by Sidney Street Productions, the show celebrates the four most important dishes in the lives of 20 famous chefs, including Prue Leith, Tom Kerridge, Monica Galetti, Michel Roux Jr, Giorgio Locatelli and Angela Hartnett.

Each episode, one of the chefs will recreate four recipes from significant moments in their life, accompanied by pictures and stories from the chef’s own personal archive. The show is distributed by Endemol Shine and executive produced by UKTV’s Kirsty Hanson.

Hanson said: “My Greatest Dishes has managed to secure a stellar lineup with some of the worlds most celebrated chefs, in which they share personal stories behind the four dishes that have made them who they are today—it is a food lover’s heaven!”

Good Food Channel Director Vicky Walker said: “This series provides a real insight into the recipe for success behind some of our most-loved chefs. Sharing life-defining dishes and the special memories that accompany them, our chefs will take viewers on an inspiring journey down memory lane.”

Executive producer and managing director at Sidney Street Productions, Karen Ross, added: “We’re delighted to be working with such an array of talent for our new series on UKTV. It’s a food lover’s fantasy to capture great chefs at the height of their brilliance, cooking the food that means the most to them. Some dishes you can recreate at home, others you just want to dream along to. My Greatest Dishes is the perfect mix of jaw-dropping food with the extraordinary stories that brought them to life.”