Holly Willoughby opened her new YouTube series with a bleeped F-bomb, glasses of wine and a stream of suggestive jokes from her first guest, Stanley Tucci.
The former This Morning presenter launched Holly Willoughby Together with Voy on July 28 with an extended episode built around food, celebrity conversation and deliberately informal behind-the-scenes moments.
Within the opening seconds, Willoughby learned that Tucci had requested a beer before filming. “Oh, he wants a beer? I f***ing love that man,” she told the production team.
The episode later moved into the studio kitchen, where Tucci helped her prepare pasta alla Nerano and repeatedly turned their ingredients and quick-fire questions into double entendres.
Willoughby Opened the Show With a Bleeped F-Bomb
Willoughby’s exchange with the crew immediately distinguished the series from the polished daytime presentation associated with her 14 years on This Morning.
Tucci entered with a beer while Willoughby poured herself a glass of pinot grigio. “We can’t just stand here and drink all day, although it has been done before,” she joked, referring to their previous social encounters.
The episode frequently showed cameras, crew members and Willoughby’s husband, television producer Dan Baldwin, rather than attempting to hide the mechanics of production. Baldwin’s Hungry Bear Media produces the series.
Willoughby told The Independent that moving into digital programming felt natural after observing how her children watch entertainment and consuming more YouTube videos and podcasts herself.
Stanley Tucci Turned the Courgettes Into Innuendo
The pair prepared pasta alla Nerano, a dish made with spaghetti, fried courgettes and cheese. One of the vegetables quickly produced the episode’s most widely shared exchange.
“I’ve never seen one that looks like this,” Willoughby said while examining a green-and-yellow courgette. “That’s not what I’ve heard,” Tucci replied, according to the Evening Standard.
Willoughby laughed and called out Tucci’s name as Baldwin appeared behind the cameras. “Just as my husband walked into the room,” she said while continuing to hold the vegetable.
The innuendo continued during a game in which Tucci selected questions written on wooden spoons. After appearing confused by one asking whether the tea bag, water or milk should enter a cup first, he was asked to identify a British activity people enjoy in the morning. “Well, I’m sure everyone’s different,” Tucci said while looking toward the camera. “I know what I like.”
Tucci Discussed Harry Styles’ Cooking
Willoughby also challenged Tucci with British convenience foods and cooking habits that tested his more exacting culinary standards. She discussed keeping Greggs sausage rolls in her freezer, eating Fray Bentos pies and throwing spaghetti against a wall to determine whether it was cooked.
Tucci informed her that pasta sticking to the wall generally means it has been overcooked. When asked which celebrities could cook, Tucci singled out Harry Styles. “He made a beautiful lemon pasta when I went to visit him last year,” Tucci said. “He’s really good.”
Reviews Questioned the Premiere’s Length and Familiar Format
The Guardian praised the moments when Willoughby relied on her natural humor rather than emphasizing her attempted reinvention. The review nevertheless argued that approximately 15 minutes could be removed from the episode, particularly an extended sequence involving the preparation of four courgettes.
The Times awarded the premiere two stars and described it as an “empty gush fest,” criticizing the amount of praise exchanged between Willoughby and Tucci and questioning whether the show offered enough substance. The Sun argued that the combination of celebrities, cooking, fashion, beauty and personal stories remained close to the magazine-show formula Willoughby had previously presented on television.
‘Together’ Is Built Around Five Recurring Strands
The series operates under five formats: Talk Together, Cook Together, Look Good Together, Better Together and Hang Out Together. The program is filmed in a purpose-built studio containing a working kitchen, dining area and conversational seating.
Digital health provider Voy is the founding brand partner and is included in the show’s full title. According to Radio Times, two episodes will be released each week across YouTube, digital streaming platforms and social media.
Upcoming installments will feature Katherine Ryan, Joanne McNally, Emma Bunton and Nicole Appleton, alongside chefs, campaigners and other guests contributing to the show’s cooking, health, fashion and personal-conversation segments.