I'm watching it now Brisket, he's making mince-pies with his sick mum and I think my heart is going to break

awwww - I'm glad I'm not watching it

I've just watched the load of rubbish that is Rob Bryden

I loved the book ........this is a lovely TV adaptation ........pure nostalgia .............lovely!

Thanks Soozy.     I'm loving it.

Rexi Don't let my oversentimentality put you off  The sad moment has passed and Brisket is right, it is a nice production - and there is a lot of humour! 

I will seek it out tomorrow Triggs - hubby is watching Buzzcocks atm

I have recorded it Brisket and will watch it tomorrow.

I'm watching and loving it. Helena Bonham Carter is great!

 I hope you enjoy it Rexi 

For the life of me i couldn't figure out who he is, until i goggled his pic. I do like him and now i shall buy some of his books that i keep passing by.

I thought that was splendid.
Beautifully directed and acted and written (by the Billy Elliot man)
Everything seemed to be pitched just right.
You could almost touch Nigel's growing and flourishing interest in food as it fascinated him more and more.
To retain a sense of self through all the strains of those relationships must have been arduous.
And the lovely, slightly floundering first kiss.
Then the glorious sense of optimism and hope.
I loved it.  It left me with a really nice feeling.

iT WAS VERY WELL DONE AND DID INDEED TICkle the tastbuds! I actually bought my husband a Nigel Slater book for Christmas (real fast foods) - I know he'll flick through it and then it's one to add to my collection 

That was excellent. I really like him anyway and enjoyed every minute of it.

Nigel Slater has revealed that the sex scenes in the BBC adaptation of his autobiography Toast will be "subtle".

The writer admitted on the BBC TV blog that he was initially unsure how the sexual elements of the book would be portrayed.

"The sexual element... was an integral part of the book and I was concerned how it would translate onto the screen," he explained. "The film touches on the sexual thread of the book, but in a more subtle way. This may disappoint a few readers who are hoping for a visual romp through the book's more colourful and varied sex scenes, but it makes it easier viewing."

Slater added that the adaptation maintains the book's combination of humour and darker drama.

"As soon as I read the first draft, I relaxed a little," he said. "[Writer] Lee [Hall] had captured not just the initial sadness of a story of a little boy who loses his mother at Christmas, but had captured the humour of the book too."

He continued: "I felt an immediate bond with the director SJ Clarkson too. We shared a vision for the film [and] neither of us wanted it to end up as a grey and gritty drama."

Toast airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One

How did it end? iplayer froze on me with 2 minutes to go .

The lad was sitting in his room and Helen Bonham Carter knocked on the door and then it froze

Caught the last half hour.

Dad dies and he leaves home to get a job in the Savoy Rawky.

 Aww I missed this. I really wanted to see it but the O/H was on his PS3. I'll have to catch it on IPlayer

I waited all Christmas for this to be on and really enjoyed it. They filmed some of the early scenes in The Black Country Museum. I am from Wolverhampton so the accent made me feel right at home
I also loved the fact that Nigel made a cameo appearance right at the end

I found this difficult to watch despite the amazing production and breathtaking attention to detail. Helena Bonham Carter was fabulous and the rest of the cast were very good too. Loved the music. Was reminded just how fab Dusty Springfield was. 

I found the content difficult to watch. The isolation that the boy felt was relentless. For me the joy he found in food was just another disturbing aspect of the story. It all felt cold and soul-less and sad....utterly joyless.

I can't quite put my finger on why exactly why I found Toast so disturbing. Perhaps it was the very real depiction of an unhappy and aggressive parent. I grew up in with someone who was deeply unhappy, aggressive and impossible to please. Perhaps it took me back a little too much. 

A line from the father sums it up for me... Enough is enough!. Enough fighting, enough food ... this is miserable.  

 

G&P - nice post. I suppose  the empathy you feel reflects creditably on the production which conveyed so well the emotional impact of living with such a person.
Interesting that you were impressed by the attention to detail, because I have just read the TV critic in The Guardian who gave high praise to the art director.
I loved it as I watched it last night, and on reflection I admire it even more. I thought it was smashing.

I really enjoyed it too

One of the   very few  good things on over the xmas period.

Yes brisket, it was a bit too close to home for me perhaps. Ken Stott played the dad brilliantly. 

The detail was phenomenal... the little duffel bag nigel had in primary school... my brother and I had one exactly the same!!  The colours of the clothes and interiors... you don't get those shades of green and brown now... Just shows you how powerful a a well made drama can be....not always comfortable but powerful nonetheless.

Funnily enough her accent was the one thing in this production that I didn't like because I felt she'd done the 'generic West Midlands accent' which for some reason everyone seems to think should be Brummie   I thought the accent was more Brummie than Wolverhampton 


Having said that - she was superb in the role and I thoroughly enjoyed it and as has been said a nice touch having him there at the end 

I didn't watch it as i thought it was Nigel Slater that did the quick suppers programme and i can't stand him or the way he speaks but this sounds good, is it the same bloke?

Yes it is Aimee 

Can't see your smillie Pengy so don't know if thats good or bad  i didn't know this back story about him, so i'll give it a watch

Aimee - my guess is that whether you like the present-day Nigel Slater or not,  this play could be enjoyed on its own merits.
I thought it was a lovely production - writing, directing, acting, art direction and costumes, lighting, editing.  A good piece of work I thought.
Of course you may not agree, but I think it's worth giving it a try. 

The trouble with a Wolverhampton accent is that it can vary drastically from one end of the street to the other. My husband was born just around the corner from me and his accent is completely different to mine. Helena gave it a good stab but some of the other actors got it spot on.
I also loved the fact that a lot of the early scenes were filmed at The Black Country Museum I think that's what made the early scenes so authentic.

Oh, that's interesting....

My hubby is always promising to take me to the museum but we never get around to it. The school, shops and streets were used in the program.

Aimee, I don't think it matters if you like the bloke or not. It stands up as a good piece of drama. I'd never heard of Nigel Slater, still don't know who he is and care less, but stumbled upon this just after it had started as I was channel hopping and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I watched it on Catch-up and thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt really sorry for Nigel as his childhood was far from happy, but at least we know that he turned things around.
I think I might buy the accompanying book now.

I absolutely love the Black Country Museum 



@ Aimee I totally agree with what Croc said - this stands up a really good drama irrespective of whether you like Nigel or not 

The scene that had me wetting my knickers is when Mrs Potter was scrubbing the floor and Mr Slater Snr was looking down from the stairs at her as it looked like she was humping the floor

Oddly enough we love Nigel and his non waste, use everything approach to food. We both agreed that the drama was a waste of acting talents. I'm sure they could have done better with what appeared to be a great story. They could only put it on at this time of year, traditionally the worst for telly.

Little Lord, I agree. People laud the Bonham Carter, but I thought the part was wasted, somebody (anybody) could have played that much better, but I did enjoy it.