Episode eight of Hell’s Kitchen 2009 ended resembling a Shakespearean tragedy and began no better; with murder. Ms Dynamite struggled to flash-fry some crayfish and Adrian summed up the tone of kitchen nicely, with a voice like a hanging bell.
“There was a bit of flame, a bit of fire, death, destruction and Pernod.”
Tonight was also the night that Bruce Grobbelaar broke the nation’s heart. You could hear the collective heaves of surprise ring out from windows of the country’s living rooms; episode eight saw Grobbelaar turn his back on Hell’s Kitchen, taking a little part of us with him.
Strong and silent Bruce stole in and took possession of our affections. The workhorse of the team his reliability and consistency earned him a coveted place in Marco Pierre White’s good-books (in which there are few pages and even fewer names).
Initially dismissed by many Bruce was perceived to be too quiet, too reserved. Many overlooked the former Liverpool goalkeeper because he wasn’t all thunder and hellfire; unlike Jody Latham who not only threw all the toys out of his pram but he then threw the pram out of a window and set it on fire. The shamed star became the first person ever to loose their mind on a cooking programme; although there have been allegations that Delia has been mad for years.
In the end Bruce’s likeable character rose above the rest like a well-made soufflé; in the end it was his humility and hard-work ethic that earned him his place in our hearts.
So as we turn in for the night, as the curtains are drawn and the blinds shut; as the televisions are turned off and the lights are dimmed. Now that the lawns and the gardens and the living rooms of the country lay silent, only now can you hear a faint call rising. If you listen hard enough you can hear it swelling, echoing up from all the bedrooms of the almost sleeping cities and the half-dreaming towns.
You can hear it because you are saying it too and a whisper becomes a roar.
“Bring back Bruce, bring back Bruce, bring back Bruce, bring back Bruce!”
We can all live in hope.
