Peter John Hudson (8 November 1930 – September 1992) and David George Halls (14 October 1936 – 24 November 1993) were a television chef duo, whose cookery show, ''Hudson & Halls'', ran on

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television from 1976 to 1986. They gained a cult following when the pair moved to produce their show on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

in the

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in 1987. The duo were noted for bringing a

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

humour, together with an element of

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...

, to the usually staid television cookery genre.

Early lives

Peter John Hudson was born in Toorak,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

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, on 8 November 1930. He was adopted and did not know his parents. Hudson's adopted mother, Mary Ethel Hudson, was a trained midwife who ran an adoption agency and arranged

abortions Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregnan ...

. At the time, abortions were illegal in New Zealand, and she was charged and tried for murder, along with the doctor she employed at her clinic to treat the clients who wanted a termination. Peter's mother died when he was 10 years old, and her daughter, Biddy, took over the maternity business. Hudson referred to Biddy, 21 years his senior, as his mother in later years. At 17 years old, Hudson left school and got his first job at George's department store, in the soft furnishings department. He was then sent to England, before returning to Melbourne to work as a shipping agent. David George Halls was born in

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, on 14 October 1936, to parents Hilda (née Manley) and George Taylor Halls. His parents married on 13 June 1936 at St. Barnabas Church in

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. During Halls' childhood, his mother spent time in hospital, and he took on the role of cooking Sunday lunch for the family. His parents were in service, and when Halls was 10 years old, they became the caretakers of a large house, Theydon Hall. The owners, Mr and Mrs French, treated Halls and his sister, Anne, as part of the family. At the age of 15, his parents left Theydon Hall, returning to live in a council flat. Halls left school and worked at the local

Coop Coop, COOP, Co-op, or ''variation'', most often refers to: * A chicken coop or other enclosure * Cooperative or co-operative ("co-op"), an association of persons who cooperate for their mutual social, economic, and cultural benefit ** Housing co ...

store. Initially considering a move to

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, he emigrated to

in 1959, after a spell working as a footwear salesman. In 1962, Hudson and Halls met at a party in Parnell,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand where Halls, by then a shoe designer, was living. Hudson, considering a move to England, had flown in from Melbourne to visit a friend. Hudson moved to Auckland, and they were soon living together, initially in Halls' flat in St Stephens Avenue, before they bought a small one bedroom cottage (with two single beds) with a swimming pool at 103 Brighton Road, Parnell. The pair held parties at their home and became known for their hospitality and cooking.

Career

Hudson and Halls opened a women's shoe shop, Julius Garfinkle's, in 1971 in the

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, Queen Street, Auckland. Later, in the same stretch of shops, they opened one of Auckland's first ice-cream parlours, Quagg's. By 1975, the pair had sold their businesses and they auditioned for the cookery slot on the

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...

afternoon magazine programme ''Speakeasy'' by cooking a

beef wellington Beef Wellington is a steak dish of English origin, made out of fillet steak coated with pâté (often pâté de foie gras) and duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry, then baked. Some recipes include wrapping the coated meat in a crêpe or parma ...

. The audition, and the beef wellington, were successful, and they were offered six 10 minute segments at $20 per programme. In 1976, Hudson and Halls debuted on

South Pacific Television South Pacific Television (SPTV) was a television channel in New Zealand, which operated between 1976 and 1980. History The channel, then known as TV2, first went to air on 30 June 1975. It was the second national government television channel ...

(SPTV), in New Zealand, with a 30 minute cookery show, ''Hudson & Halls,'' featuring cooking and a celebrity guest interview. The programme, which was popular in its original afternoon slot, was soon extended to an hour and moved to

prime-time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

evening viewing. The show was consistently ranked in the weekly top five programmes, and the duo were awarded a Feltex Best Entertainer of the Year Award in 1981. Unlike other entertainers, Hudson and Halls did not use a script, and their volatile temperaments were part of the act. The publicity material introducing the programme explained that the pair were unmarried and shared a house but their relationship was never specified. When asked about their sexuality, the network said "We don't know if they are gay, but they certainly are merry". The programme took a break between 1978 and 1980. During this period, the duo opened The Hudson & Halls Oyster and Fish Restaurant in Ponsonby, Auckland. The restaurant, known for its outside garden area, was only open at lunchtime and not in the evening. As their popularity grew, they demanded more money from TVNZ. Hudson and Halls bought a 17 acre farm in

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, Auckland (where they filmed their 1984 series) and a 1962

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, despite neither of them having a valid driving licence. Hudson and Halls appeared on TV

telethons A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and " marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons ...

, endorsed products, and were cover subjects for women's magazines. They hosted a morning radio show on

Radio Pacific TAB Trackside is a New Zealand horse racing and sports broadcast network, incorporating two pay TV channels. The TV channels are available on Sky (New Zealand), Sky channels and the Spark New Zealand#Spark Sport, Spark Sport streaming service. ...

and Halls also briefly presented the television

gameshow A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...

''Blankety Blank''. The pair published cookbooks in 1977 (''Hudson & Halls Cookbook''), 1978 (''Hudson & Halls Gourmet Cookbook''), 1985 (''Favourite Recipes from Hudson & Halls'') and 1988 (''Hudson & Halls: Beginnings, Middles And Ends''). Their TVNZ television series, ''Hudson & Halls'', ran until 1986 when, after more than 300 programmes, it was abruptly cancelled. In 1987, they took ''Hudson & Halls'' to the

in England, while continuing to live in New Zealand. However, reviews of their first series were universally hostile, with one critic commenting "if the BBC wanted a couple of ageing chorus boys who can open a can of lychees they could have found them closer to home". The '' Daily Star'' called them "pathetically unfunny",

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...

described them as a "failed

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

combo" and ''

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'' wrote, "They think they're such fun, so camp. You'll think they're naff on roller skates." Despite this criticism, the first series of their BBC programme attracted three million viewers, rising to 10 million by the end of the second series. The show followed the same format; cooking and celebrity guest interviews, including personalities such as

Thelma Barlow Thelma Barlow (''née'' Pigott; born 19 June 1929) is an English television actress and writer, known for her roles as Mavis Wilton in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and as Dolly Bellfield in the BBC One sitcom ''dinnerla ...

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Pam St Clement Pamela Ann Clements (born 11 May 1942), known professionally as Pam St Clement, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Pat Butcher in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from June 1986 until January 2012, with a gu ...

Bonnie Langford Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series ''Just William''. In the 1980s, she played c ...

Dora Bryan Dora May Broadbent, (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014), known as Dora Bryan, was a British actress of stage, film and television.Gorden Kaye Gordon Irving Kaye(7 April 194123 January 2017), known professionally as Gorden Kaye, was an English actor, best known for playing womanising café owner René Artois in the television comedy series Allo 'Allo!''. Early life Kaye was born o ...

and

Christopher Biggins Christopher Kenneth Biggins (born 16 December 1948) is an English actor and television presenter. Early life Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of William and Pamela Biggins. He was brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, attended St P ...

. Hudson and Halls had ambitions to use their BBC programme as a stepping stone to the

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. However, this did not materialise despite the series being sold to many countries in

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. The BBC cancelled the programme after four series, with the last episode being broadcast in December 1990. By now, Hudson's health was failing, and the duo were struggling to find work. However, they made occasional appearances in the cooking segment on the

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

afternoon magazine programme ''Bazaar'' between January 1991 and June 1992. Hudson and Halls were subject to a Gotcha, a hidden camera

practical joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

, on

Noel Edmonds Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English television presenter, radio DJ, writer, producer, and businessman. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presente ...

' ''

Noel's House Party ''Noel's House Party'' is a BBC light entertainment series that was hosted by Noel Edmonds. Set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo, it ran from 23 November 1991 to 26 March 2000 on BBC One, an ...

'', under the pretence of filming a children's cookery programme with

Mr Blobby Mr Blobby is a British fictional character, created by British comedy writer Charlie Adams. His design involves mostly a costume of a bulbous pink figure with yellow spots, a permanent toothy grin, and green jiggly eyes, with performers often us ...

. The segment was filmed in 1992 and broadcast after Hudson's death, on 6 February 1993.

Personal lives and deaths

Hudson and Halls moved from New Zealand to the United Kingdom in 1990 and lived in a flat at 60

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. After thirty years, their long-term professional and personal relationship ended when Hudson developed

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

and died in September 1992 in London, aged 61, with Halls at his side. The death was announced on 20 September 1992. A devastated Halls changed his surname by

deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party (law), party. Et ...

to Hudson-Halls in January 1993, and continued to make some solo television appearances. Halls, grief-stricken and in dire financial straits, committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

the following year, taking an overdose of Hudson's

morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...

pills. Halls was found dead in the back bedroom of his London flat by two friends on 24 November 1993, with a picture of Hudson held tightly in his hand, and a note in his diary, which read "I don't want to grow old and alone, without Peter I don't want to go on – he was my life, and I have no regrets. I love him now as much as I always did and I want to be with him for all eternity." He was 57. Halls, who had arranged and paid for his own funeral, had written the date of the service in his diary. Halls' niece, Mandy Putnam, was the police officer on duty that night, and it fell to her to inform her mother and father that Halls had died. Halls' brother-in-law, Alan Putnam, told Westminster Coroners Court, "David was very upset. They were partners in the homosexual sense."

BBC television series

The first episode of ''Hudson & Halls'' was broadcast on

on 12 October 1987. The programme, typically 25 minutes in length and broadcast on Monday afternoons, ran for four series between 1987 and 1990. Each programme followed a similar format of cooking three dishes featuring a celebrity guest who would assist in the preparation of one of the dishes before being interviewed. Hudson and Halls would cook in a

tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...

and bow tie, and argue throughout. After the dishes had been cooked, the duo would don their dinner jackets and take the food to the table, where they interviewed their guest while sampling their culinary creations. Repeats of the first three series were broadcast on BBC1 in the mid-morning slot over the summer of 1990, and series four repeated in autumn 1992.

Series 1 (1987–1988)

Christmas specials (1987)

Series 2 (1988)

Series 3 (1989)

Series 4 (1990)

Selected filmography

Legacy

Hudson and Halls were the subject of a 2001 documentary, ''Hudson & Halls – A Love Story'', as well as a 2017 play, ''Hudson and Halls Live!'' A book, ''Hudson & Halls: The Food of Love'', written by

Joanne Drayton Joanne Drayton is a New Zealand art historian, biographer and nonfiction writer. Drayton graduated from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch in 1998 with a PhD on "Edith Collier: Her life and work (1885–1964)". She adapted her thesis f ...

, was published in 2018.

Bibliography

* ''Hudson & Halls Cookbook'', Hamlyn (, 1977) * ''Hudson & Halls Gourmet Cookbook'', Hamlyn (, 1978) * ''Favourite Recipes from Hudson & Halls'',

Century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

(, 1985) * ''Hudson & Halls: Beginnings, Middles And Ends'',

Sphere A sphere () is a Geometry, geometrical object that is a solid geometry, three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

(, 1988)

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0283738
''Hudson and Halls''
at

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Public Address: Kiwi Queer Screen (Part One) – From 'Hudson & Halls' to 'Squeeze'
Entertainer duos New Zealand cooking television series 1970s New Zealand television series 1980s New Zealand television series 1980s British cooking television series 1990s British cooking television series British television series based on non-British television series BBC Television shows