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The TV cook celebrates the magic of the season's traditions, from personal ones people hold dear to those enjoyed by the whole country. Mary shares some of her favourite traditional dishes and exciting new ones, and is joined by Alison Steadman, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Zoe Ball for a reminder of the joy Christmas brings
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Cooking
Leisure Hobbies
Cast & Crew
Mary Berry
(Presenter)
Alison Steadman
(Guest)
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
(Guest)
Zoe Ball
(Guest)
Karen Ross
(Executive producer)
Kelly Sparks
(Executive producer)
Grainne Hallinan
(Producer)
Sarah Myland
(Director)
More Information
Did You Know..
Mary Berry
(Presenter)
Born:
March 24, 1935
in
Bath
Best Known For:
The Great British Bake Off.
Early-life:
Born Mary-Rosa Alleyne Berry in Bath on March 24, 1935. She has two brothers - one older, one younger. They are the offspring of Alleyne WS Berry, a surveyor who was Mayor of Bath in 1952; their mother was a housewife. At 13, Mary spent three months in hospital with polio, which affected the left side of her body. She hated school, but enjoyed domestic science lessons. She took a course at Bath College of Domestic Science which led to a job demonstrating electric cookers.
Career:
Berry moved to London aged 21 and landed a job at the Dutch Dairy Bureau; she later persuaded her boss to pay for her course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She went on to work for various companies, including a PR firm and magazines such as Housewife and Ideal Home. She published her first cookbook in 1970; she's since written more than 70 titles. In 1994, Berry launched her own product range with her daughter Annabel. Among the programmes she's appeared on are Good Afternoon! (1973), Cooking the Books (2007) and, of course, The Great British Bake off (2007 onwards), which introduced her to a new generation of food-lovers.
Quote:
"Follow a good recipe, weigh accurately and keep it simple if you are new to baking. Remember all ovens vary, and most of all enjoy it."
Trivia:
Berry published her autobiography, Recipe for Life, in 2013.
Alison Steadman
(Guest)
Born:
August 26, 1946
in
Liverpool
Best Known For:
Abigail's Party and Gavin & Stacey.
Early-life:
Alison was born on August 26, 1946, in Liverpool, where she was raised with two older sisters by her mother Marjorie and father George, who worked for an electronics firm. She wanted to be an actress from the age of nine and later trained at the East 15 acting school. Success did not come quickly, and she worked as a secretary for the Liverpool Probation Service before making her professional debut on stage in 1968 alongside Vanessa Redgrave in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Career:
In 1973, she made her TV debut in Mike Leigh's Hard Labour. She has also worked with Leigh on TV movies Nuts in May and Abigail's Party, and the films Life Is Sweet (1990), Secrets & Lies (1996) and Topsy-Turvy (1999). She made her movie debut in Champions (1983) and her other film credits include A Private Function (1984), Clockwise (1986), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989), Shirley Valentine (1989), Wilt (1990), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) and Confetti (2006). She earned a new army of fans with her role as matriarch Pamela in hit BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey. Her other TV credits include The Singing Detective, Pride and Prejudice, Fat Friends, The Syndicate, Love & Marriage and Boomers.
Quote:
"I didn't become an actress because I wanted to tell people what colour my knickers were. I wanted to entertain people."
Trivia:
Steadman won an Olivier Award in 1993 for her role in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
(Guest)
Zoe Ball
(Guest)
Born:
November 23, 1970
in
Blackpool
Best Known For:
Presenting the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, and It Takes Two.
Early-life:
Zoe Louise Ball was born in Blackpool on November 23, 1970, the daughter of TV presenter Johnny Ball. She began her TV career as a runner at Granada Television. She was also a researcher for BSkyB quiz shows. She became a regular host for The Ozone, which was the music program for CBBC. The show was even voted Best Music Show by Smash Hits and brought her to widespread attention.
Career:
She co-presented Saturday morning children's magazine Live & Kicking alongside Jamie Theakston from 1996 to 1999. She landed a co-hosting gig on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show in October 1997 with Kevin Greening. She eventually became the sole host, making her the first female DJ to do so. She also continued her onscreen partnership with Jamie Theakston for four series of The Priory on Channel 4. After a string of presenting roles and various radio jobs, she was a contestant in series three of Strictly Come Dancing. Since then, she has presented Soapstar Superstar, talent search Grease is the Word, Strictly Come Dancing's sister show It Takes Two, and The Voice's companion show, The Voice: Louder on Two. She also announced that Peter Capaldi would be taking over from Matt Smith in Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor.
Quote:
"After becoming a mum, I'm much more of a morning person these days... I promise!"
Trivia:
Wed DJ Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, in 1999. They have a son, Woody, and daughter, Nelly.
Karen Ross
(Executive producer)
Kelly Sparks
(Executive producer)
Grainne Hallinan
(Producer)
Sarah Myland
(Director)
