Somebody feed Phil now in the UK

After six seasons of delighting audiences with his dynamic food travelogue on Netflix, Phil Rosenthal arrived in London this week for his sell-out Somebody Feed Phil tour, which included two nights at the Hackney Empire. First appearing at Theatre Royal Glasgow where he performed to 1500, the Jewish American host  then travelled to the capital where fans queued around the East London theatre to meet him after his on-stage chat with TV chef Ching He Huang .

Throughout the talk, which focused on his family and global eating experiences, there were cries of “I love you” and “Phil for President” from the audience; some of whom had travelled from Yorkshire, Birmingham, Kent and even as far as Totteridge in north west London. Though some had been invested in Phil since his 2015 food series I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, the popularity of Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil rose during the pandemic when travel and indeed eating out were off the menu.  “We were stuck at home living vicariously through him,” said Tom, 26, a fan from Hull.  “And there is something about him that is so likeable because he enjoys eating without being pompous about it. He is also really nice to people. If only everyone could be like Phil.”

These sentiments were shared by others – a diverse mix of young and old – as they queued to have a selfie with their favourite foodie once they had bought a copy of his book. Filled with popular recipes from past episodes, anecdotes and appreciable photos, Somebody Feed Phil The Book is much more than a cookbook for the coffee table, so copies  sold. Phil is donating his share of the book’s proceeds to the ALS Foundation in honour of his late mother, Helen, who died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; his philanthropy makes it an even more irresistible purchase.

The signed copy also included a hug from the demonstrative author, which led to more than half of Hackney Empire’s 1,275 ticket holders lining up for a cuddle. But this didn’t faze Phil, who stood at the front of the stage for over an hour smiling into phone cameras stoically with jet lag, after his book signing at Fortnum & Mason and the Glasgow show.

There were faith reps in the audience, but I had expected a bigger Jewish turnout at the Empire, as Phil makes a virtue of his faith in his series and says “Oy “a lot while gesticulating.  He also got brownie points when he dedicated a previous episode to Israel, doing, among other things, a tour of markets with Masterchef judge Michal Ansky and chef Michael Solomonov. As his enthusiasm for the country was palpable, the impression he delivered to many viewers, especially in the UK, was very different to the usual negative news reports and potentially changed a few minds.

As a typical Jewish son and a flag waiver to treasure, Phil also shared each series with his screen-stealing parents Max and Helen, who were Holocaust survivors. Checking in hilariously with them on his travels, following their respective deaths – Helen in 2019 and Max in 2021 – in a season six tribute, Phil reveals that Max escaped Berlin after Kristallnacht in 1938 and Helen was in a concentration camp in France until she was relocated to Cuba and later America.

Fittingly, Phil’s visit to the UK coincided with Holocaust Memorial Day and the audience could sense the loss he feels for parents. who were key inspirations for the parental figures in his hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond.

As a celebrity with 440K followers, Phil Rosenthal is in demand and has appeared in numerous issues of JN’s Life Magazine, several of which were produced during the pandemic. In that time our Zoom conversations were always enjoyable and we shared stories, so to finally meet him in person in Hackney was the encounter I’d been waiting for as he had become a virtual friend.

When I lost my mother, who was also a fan of his show, I shared it with Phil, who lost his father at the same time and offered words of comfort. This kindness was repeated just recently when our dog died, and Phil – who has a beautiful rescue dog called Murray – understood our sadness. He is that kind of a guy, and this is reflected in the standing ovations he is getting after each show and the food gifts fans are bringing.

“But I didn’t get to hug him,” said a disappointed female fan who brought him biscuits.”I was too busy inviting him to my birthday party.”  Fortunately I did get to hug him and if the reaction at the Hackney Empire is anything to go by,  if Everybody Loves Raymond, they love Phil more.

The tour continues until Feb 5 then goes to Europe. www.livenation.co.uk