Hard Rocket Café

"Hard Rocket Café" is the eleventh episode of the first series of the British children's television programme Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde. The episode was directed by series producer Jeremy Swan and written by series creator Jim Eldridge. It was first broadcast in the UK on BBC One on 8 December 1995.

In the episode, the Rocket Academy is on the lookout for a new cook after Mrs Rocket (Ann Emery) nearly poisons Lester Blister (Robert Portal). But the new chef may not stick around long when they come face to face with Harriet Hyde's (John Asquith) appetite.

Plot
Lester Blister wanders the corridors of the Rocket Academy but gets spooked by Harriet Hyde. He runs into the kitchen where he finds Mrs Rocket cooking ratatouille. Remarking on the awful smell, Mrs Rocket offers Lester a taste causing him to head for the door. He is scared back inside by Harriet and tastes the dish. At first he is pleasantly surprised and picks up on the various herbs and spices, but then his face turns yellow and he vomits. Mrs Rocket criticises his lack of stomach and finds Julia outside, who has volunteered to help with the washing up. Hearing Lester retching, Mrs Rocket takes Julia away suggesting she come back later.

Lester, his face still yellow from the ordeal, demands Memphis Rocket do something about his mother's cooking before vomiting again. Memphis agrees and places an ad for a new chef in the local newspaper, which doesn't go unnoticed by his mother. Three chefs apply for the job and Memphis and Lester prepare for the interviews. The first is an 'Ada Dump', an elderly Cockney woman with a headscarf who claims to have cooked for the Queen. After tasting her samples and being disgusted, she quickly leaves as the pair realise it was Mrs Rocket in disguise. Next to enter is 'Mrs Spaghetti', whom Memphis assumes is Spanish. Upon entering, she sings and speaks pseudo-Italian gibberish, but Memphis and Lester identify her as Mrs Rocket again. She leaves, blaming her son for driving her to this deception. Lester fears she will pull the same trick again as they read the final name on their list of applicants - 'Willy Burnitt'. Believing this to be another fake name, Memphis and Lester are immediately hostile towards Willy with Memphis trying to pull his moustache off, only to realise he is a real chef.

The assembly hall has been transformed into a small restaurant called the Hard Rocket Café, with Memphis introducing the new chef to the pupils. Willy plans to make the café world-famous, while Mrs Rocket claims she could have done it herself. Memphis points out that her cooking only makes people ill as Lester continues to vomit into a bucket. Memphis notices that Willy left a stack of menus on his chair and Mrs Rocket asks Julia to take them to him. Julia tries to give Willy his menus back, only for him to shout at her for interrupting his cooking. Julia transforms into Harriet Hyde as Willy complains about wasting his talents on children, leading Harriet to pour a bowl of custard over his head. Willy screams and runs away as Harriet changes back into Julia. Informing Memphis and Mrs Rocket of his departure, Memphis frets over who will cook the food now. He announces to waiting pupils and staff the grand opening of the Hard Rocket Café, along with the change in chef - his mother. Everyone screams in terror and runs off, leaving Mrs Rocket in tears.

A poster in the foyer calls upon the students to cook a meal for the Hard Rocket Café and win a prize. Mrs Rocket scolds Memphis and hits him with a spoon for not standing up for her and her cooking. The Blister Sisters announce to the other pupils that they will win the prize, threatening to beat them up if they try to beat them in the competition. Roger is undeterred and plans to enter the competition. Sarah offers to help him, while Julia also plans to cook something, but wants to work alone.

In the kitchen, Lester finds his nieces preparing 'The Blister Sisters' Fabulous Baked Bean Surprise'. Lester is horrified to see cans of baked beans sitting in boiling water without the lids removed. As he explains about the subsequent buildup in pressure inside the cans, the cans explode and cover the Blisters in baked beans. Mrs Rocket places a 'cancelled' banner over the poster in the foyer and chuckles.

At the Jekyll household, Moira tells Jerry about the accident in the kitchen at school following a phone call from Memphis, with Jerry mentioning how 'dangerous' baked beans can be. Memphis, unable to find responsible adults to man the kitchens the following day, has asked Moira and Jerry to help. When Jerry tells Julia that they will be helping in the kitchen tomorrow, Julia's smile vanishes into a pained frown.

The following day, the Blister Sisters see Roger and Sarah's advert for their dish - sausages in curry sauce - and plot their disruption to stop them winning the prize. Finding the pot bubbling away in the kitchen, Nicola places inflated balloons into the pot and covers them with the curry sauce while Sharon stands guard. Nicola covers the pot again and they leave, just as Roger and Sarah return with Moira and Jerry. Roger goes to poke the 'sausages' to check that they are ready, as Jerry says he 'does love a good banger'. The balloons explode, covering the four in curry sauce as the Blister Sisters giggle behind them. Another 'cancelled' banner is placed over the poster with Memphis lamenting not a single dish being served in three days. Looking forward to Julia's dish for the following day, the Blister Sisters lurk behind the poster plotting.

At home, Julia puts her ingredients in her rucksack as Jerry and Moira appear in hazmat suits - not taking any chances after the curry sauce incident the day before. Julia says they don't have to come, but Jerry and Moira insist, not wanting to let their daughter down - much to Julia's dread.

'Julia Jekyll's Pancake Special' is advertised on the Hard Rocket Café poster, making the Blister Sisters laugh. In the kitchen, Julia transforms into Harriet Hyde as she bakes her pancakes. Hearing her parents coming, she hides behind a door just as they enter. Wondering where she is, Jerry and Moira go through the door, only for Harriet to lock them in. Harriet leaves the kitchen having forgotten the lemons for her recipe, just as the Blister Sisters enter - planning to mix cement into the pancake batter. Hearing Jerry and Moira knocking on the locked door, the Blister Sisters let them out, but are scared by their outfits and mistake them for aliens, running into Memphis and Lester in the corridor and covering them in the cement.

Mrs Rocket announces Julia as the winner of the competition and prepares to present her with her prize of 10 free meals, as Memphis and Lester are still stuck in the cement. Waiting in the corridor, Julia turns into Harriet Hyde and runs into a neighbouring room. Mrs Rocket enters the room to bring Julia onstage, but screams at the sight of Harriet. Harriet peers round the doorframe, hoping she liked the pancakes, as the credits roll.

Cast

 * Julia Jekyll - Olivia Hallinan
 * Moira Jekyll (credited as 'Mum') - Victoria Williams
 * Jerry Jekyll (credited as 'Dad') - Bill Fellows
 * Memphis Rocket - Simon Green
 * Mrs Rocket - Ann Emery
 * Lester Blister - Robert Portal
 * Willy Burnitt - David Sterne
 * Nicola Blister - Tiffany Griffiths
 * Sharon Blister - Karen Salt
 * Roger - Anthony Tobias
 * Sarah Slocombe - Emma Barnett
 * Mrs Smith - Christine Lohr
 * Mr Slime - Philip Philmar
 * Harriet Hyde - John Asquith

Crew
Executives:


 * Director - Jim Eldridge
 * Writer - Jeremy Swan
 * Producer - Jeremy Swan
 * Executive Producer - Anna Home
 * Musical Director - Jonathan Cohen
 * Casting Directors:
 * Jane Deitch
 * Angela Grosvenor
 * Makeup Designer - Elaine Smith
 * Costume Designer - Rosemary Cheshire
 * Production Designer - George Kyriakides

General production staff:


 * Production Assistant - Lesley Taylor
 * Assistant Floor Manager - Michael Towner
 * Production Manager - Claire Gerschwiler
 * Studio Resource Manager - David Massen

General post-production staff:


 * Videotape Editor - Andy Quested
 * Vision Mixer - Carol Abbott

Script department:


 * Script Editor - Marilyn Fox

Camera and lighting department:


 * Camera Supervisor - Nigel Saunders
 * Lighting Director - Alan Jeffery

Art department:


 * Production Buyer - Sue Templar
 * Graphic Designer - Pete Wane
 * Art Director - Nick Harding

Special and visual effects:


 * Visual Effects Designer - Roger Turner
 * Video Effects - Dave Chapman

Sound:


 * Sound Effects - Keith Eldridge
 * Sound Supervisor - Richard Partridge