REBEL USHERS IN FINE FOODIE SHOW

Yet Sue sweaty with near-naked, obese men and strong women probably capable of tipping over a doubledecker bus, wasn’t even the strangest part of her travel documentary.

Japan With Sue Perkins on BBC1 was an engrossing insight into the land of the rising sun, where robots are the norm, forest bathing is on prescription and women strive to be cute.

“Welcome to Japan, the birthplace of zen,” she smirked, standing in the middle of Tokyo, a bright, noisy neon place rammed with people and puke-pink Hello Kitty merchandise.

It’s a place of contrasts – the traditional past clashes with a futuristic hi-tech world. Sue stayed in a hotel where robots check you in. It was all a bit sinister.

Then she visited a family which includes Pepper the robot, who helps the kids – I’m

a breath REBEL with a cause Gary Usher is

foodie food of fresh air amid the deluge offtv shows. A sweary, tattooed, straightaighttalking cook who “likes blowtorching orching things”, he is the best chef I’d never heard of. The

STAR Rebel Chef: My Restaurant Revolution on C4 on Thursday saw WEEK

Gary start his plan to open a French bistro in the run-down restaurant-starved town of Prescot, Merseyside. Merseyside “It’s a bit minging here,” re,” he said. He wants to bring posh food ood to the mamasses, nothing new there. e.

“I hate all the fake bull***t around restaurants,”re he said. As he battles to get locals to eat pig’s heahead and pickled veg, I’ll

be rooting for him.