Fanny Cradock was once the queen of British cookery -- flamboyant, feared, and firmly in charge. But decades after she ruled the BBC airwaves in a ballgown and pearls, the original celebrity chef died penniless, alone in a filthy flat, and forgotten by the industry she once dominated. With her trademark scolding voice and a wardrobe full of chiffon, Fanny was the first true kitchen TV star. She cooked up flambéed veal brains and green-dyed potatoes, all while barking orders at her monocle-wearing husband Johnnie, who stood dutifully at her side, wine in hand.

At the height of her fame, Fanny was untouchable. She had a Rolls-Royce, a boat in Cannes, and hosted glitzy parties at her South London home -- which she reportedly encouraged gossip columnists to describe as "Hollywood style." But behind the powdered face and pencilled-on eyebrows, her real life was far messier. She wasn't legally married to Johnnie for most of their relationship -- her second husband, Arthur Chapman, refused to divorce her.