Void left by Floyd
TV viewers and amateur cooks everywhere were morning the lose of TV chef Keith Floyd, who died on Monday. He was a trailblazer who took television cookery out of the studio and on location. From fishing boats in rough seas to remote countryside vistas and even real restaurant kitchens Floyd's engaging style and sense of fun attracted huge television audiences. There are many cookery shows on both sides of the Atlantic who regularly go trotting the globe thanks to Floyd.
Keith Floyd published over 27 books in his career, including three in the last 12 months Floyd's China; Keith Floyd's Thai Food and A Splash and a Dash which was he's most recent. He was equally prolific on Television presenting 19 TV series, which were phenomenally successful and still being televised throughout 40 countries world wide.
Away from TV and the world of publishing Keith life was less successful having gone through 4 marriages and more than a few failed businesses, not to mention the legendary stories of his drinking.
On hearing the sad news of Floyd's death many of today's TV chefs where quick to praise Keith's ability including Michelin starred TV chef Marco Pierre White who said "He had this great ability at the stove, great confidence. He was a natural cook. But his very special talent was he could articulate himself and deliver inspiration with words. He spoke in a way that everybody could understand. A little piece of Britain died yesterday which will never be replaced. He was an individual, he was a maverick, he was mercurial, he was magical, he was special, he was rare." 
Having been out of England at the time of Keith's rise to fame I first saw one of his program's broadcast on a channel in the US and I found his style and enthusiasm very entertaining. His first series Floyd on Fish was aired on the BBC in 1984 and his last series Floyd's India was made in 2001 so Floyd's TV career spanned 17 years which in itself is remarkable but what is even more so is how watchable all of his programs still are. Cookery programs usually have the same length of shelf life as property programs and rarely get rebroadcast like many of Floyd's do and will continue to do so.
Last year Keith performed in his sell out one man show in the Lake District where he told the enthusiastic audiences about his very colourful life in a very Keith Floyd way. He also found time in 2008 to open Floyd's Thai Restaurant in Phuket.
