Salamanda has produced a one-off Channel 4 documentary about “mega-restaurant” The Royal Nawaab.
Based in the Stockport Pyramid, its 150 staff serve up to 10,000 diners every week, including as many as 9 weddings and events each weekend.
Manchester’s Salamanda was given access to the largest Pakistani Indian restaurant in the world as they “rewrite the rulebook on how South Asian food is cooked, served and scaled.”
“We first became aware of the Royal Nawaab when we read about its opening in the local press. I’m from Stockport, so the idea that one of the world’s biggest restaurants was opening right on my doorstep immediately caught our attention. It felt extraordinary, not just because of the scale, but because it was happening here in Greater Manchester,” Creative Director, Sally Evans told Prolific North.
“We called the Royal Nawaab team on the day the article came out and very quickly went to meet the owner, Mr Mahboob, and his team. From the start, we felt there was a really exciting documentary to be made there. It had the size and spectacle, but also warmth, family, ambition, food, weddings, staff, customers and a huge sense of community.
“They agreed to let us film a taster tape for Channel 4, and that taster quickly became a commission. Channel 4 loved the idea from the moment we pitched it and supported us through development. It was one of those rare ideas where everyone could immediately see the appeal.”
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The production crew has filmed behind the scenes as the operation runs “at full tilt” with chefs racing against the clock and the front of house team manages thousands of customers.
The three-tiered venue has a 400-person banquet hall on the ground floor, with its largest hall able to host up to 800.
“We knew it was big, but I don’t think any of us fully appreciated quite how huge the operation was until we were inside filming. The sheer scale of it is genuinely astonishing,” continued Evans.
“What was also brilliant was discovering just how many fantastic people there were within the business. The team are passionate, funny, engaging and incredibly proud of what they do. Everyone has a story, and everyone plays a part in keeping this enormous operation moving.”
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The hour-long documentary was executive produced by Evans and Amanda De Freitas and will air on Channel 4 on 22nd May at 8pm and they’re hoping it could turn into a series:
“Channel 4 felt it would work brilliantly as a one-off documentary: one extraordinary place, one huge operation, and a world most viewers have never seen from the inside.
“One-offs are never easy to get commissioned because they have to feel big, distinctive and worth an hour in their own right. This had scale, access, characters and a brilliant sense of place.
“Our hope is that it does brilliantly and we get the chance to go back and make a series. We couldn’t be happier with the finished film, Channel 4 and The Royal Nawaab are thrilled with it, and we know there are plenty more stories, events and brilliant people yet to be filmed inside the Pyramid.”
