Fred Sirieix greets two hatted chefs, gives them a wrapper, and leaves them to dismantle the chemistry of a Kit Kat, a Domino’s pizza or a KFC Zinger. While they sieve maltodextrin and laminate dough, Jayde Adams patrols the factory floor, interrogating line workers about steam-bake temperatures and the exact cut of Monster Munch corn. A tasting jury of production staff decides whose facsimile is fractionally closer to the mass-produced original.
The ten-episode run, filmed between 2019 and 2021, turned Vivek Singh’s tempered-chocolate wafer into victory over Daniel Clifford, saw Lisa Goodwin-Allen crown a Whopper, and let Tom Aikens win with three KFC signatures in one heat. Optomen’s crew shoots the chefs like athletes, sweating over vacuum packers and centrifuges, then cuts to the host presenters tasting the factory reference with the solemnity of a wine panel.
Channel 4’s format sold to Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and France, but the British original remains the only one nominated for a BAFTA (Feature 2020). The closing credits list no prize beyond bragging rights and a tiny gold trophy shaped like a crisp.
Production Details
Channel 4 / 3 Seasons / 10 Episodes / 2019
Main Cast
Fred Sirieix as Host
