Episodes

First to host is full-time mum Lydia Jones. She's opted for some French recipes that, although tried before, she's never had any success with. Her guests' responses aren't ideal: dental nurse Donna tries to work out what a canard is; hairdresser Marcello is convinced that Lydia is serving grated toast; and artist Anthony is confused by every course. As the evening starts, Ramsgate's 'most stylish man' Marcello wastes no time offending everyone he meets with cutting comments about their appearance. So, will Lydia manage to smooth the ruffled feathers with her French feast, or will they all just be rowing by the end of the first night?

It's arrogant hairdresser Marcello Marino's turn to entertain in Kent. He's really going to have to turn on the charm if he wants to win, having offended each guest last night, so he's hoping to impress with his Italian/Spanish menu - and salsa dance display. But the sound of his 'Lasagne a la Mia Mamma' main doesn't quite inspire his guests, and his starter leaves nearly everyone stumped as to what it is. The guests are amazed at what they find when they snoop around Marcello's bedroom and the risqué artwork on his walls. And, though the atmosphere is better than the previous night, the evening is destined to take a turn for the worse, leaving the host in a bit of a state. Can Marcello turn things round with a salsa dancing intermission? Or will his guests see through his veneer of vulnerability and go for the kill?

It's day three on the Kent coast and the host, Margate girl Donna Grieves, is hoping to impress with her locally sourced ingredients and a best-of-British menu. Unfortunately for Donna, Italian hairdresser Marcello is proving hard to please and, after yesterday's near-perfect manners when he was host, he's immediately back to his bad old ways. Anthony's attempt to lighten the mood with a startling revelation doesn't help matters, and things go from bad to worse when Donna gets all emotional over some news of her own. As Donna grows tired and weary, her dessert hits the deck, leaving one guest to eat pudding off the floor - much to Marcello's amusement.

Day four in Kent and experimental artist Anthony Wait is hosting. In truly alternative fashion, he's opted not to practise his cooking beforehand and just see what happens on the night. He also hopes to get his guests interested in his new art project, which uses body parts. Marcello spot-checks the house for dirt and dust, which upsets one of the other guests and causes a row. But Anthony has plotted revenge on the lippy hairdresser, and plans to make the troublemaker squirm with embarrassment. Will Anthony's improvised food prove a hit with his guests and give him a chance of grabbing the £1000 prize, or will their creative differences prove too hard to swallow?

It's the final night in Kent, and building boss - and confirmed foodie - Chris Newbold has the last opportunity to grab the prize. But he's also determined that Italian Marcello won't spoil the evening with his usual insults. Armed with a few choice words and a sophisticated, international menu, Chris hopes to impress his guests and keep Marcello in check. However, leaving much of his cooking until the guests are seated, Chris is taking quite a risk. And will Marcello's attempt to sweeten the others with gifts to win them over, or will they finally tell him exactly what they think? This is Chris' opportunity to win the £1000 prize, but only if he pulls off his challenging menu and impresses the pickiest guest of all.

A week of dining in East Lancashire with quite a lot of kissing, much belching and an unannounced twin. One of the funniest episodes of Come Dine with Me, this features the hilarious antics of mayoress Carol Stinton, perma-tanned hairdresser Jonny Kemp, spiritualist Sue Hartley and the plumber with Victorian values Nick Holt.

Part-time model, journalist and poet Azzi Kalili is first up in west London. Persian Aussie Azzi hosts her dinner party in a Moroccan marquee in her garden - on a cold London winter's night.

It's the second day of the competition and host plumber Steve Capel has a bit of an accident preparing his favourite dish, an African roulade of ostrich, kudu and springbok. Later on when he attempts a show featuring his nunchuks, Steve's routine is cut short by an injury to his thumb that causes carnage in the living room. Can he recover from these setbacks?

It's the turn of ex-wedding planner Zae, who hopes to impress with his wedding-style menu and his attention to detail. But when the guests arrive, things don't run quite as smoothly as the perfectionist host envisaged.

Events organiser Emma Boardman Magliocchetti is the latest host. The only issue is that Emma has never actually cooked a three course meal before in her life. Recently-married Emma wants to prove to her new Italian husband, and her guests, that she can be a perfect wife and create an incredible Italian feast. Will Emma's glamorous hostessing skills impress them all? Or will her picky behaviour over the previous few nights come back to haunt her?

Last to host in west London is busy mum Jane Welch, who's feeling the pressure as she's out of practice at hosting dinner parties. Fits of nerves are just the first of Jane's hurdles, because her adventurous menu may not be to everyone's taste. The night kicks off with the guests in fancy dress, but soon everyone's enjoying the first-class food. Compliments begin to flow, quickly followed by Jane's tears when she's overwhelmed by the positive feedback.

Plastic surgery fan Jo Allen takes on self-confessed `hairy-bummed roofer' Nigel Reid, Rocky Horror-obsessed drag queen Justin Hussey, and saleswoman Margaret Hope, in a week of fights and lost tempers.

Marketing manager Stephanie Hale goes head-to-head with local councillor Alex Foster, beauty therapist Janice Overton, project engineer Brian Hodges, and party animal (and business manager) Barry Dickman. Stephanie is a great cook and she also knows how to mix a mean cocktail. But one of her guests can't stomach her prawns, while another has trouble working out what an artichoke is.

In Nottingham, local councilor Alex Foster hopes to impress with a fancy French menu and a spot of bell ringing. Sadly, Brian likens Alex's starter to cat food, Janice tells him to tidy up his house, and Barry compares the cornichons to intimate body parts.

Janice Overton is feeling quietly confident that her 1970s themed night will be a winner. Luckily her guests are also in the mood for a bit of 70s nostalgia with the normally grumpy Brian arriving dressed as Noddy Holder and Alex squeezed into a PVC pantsuit. But it's not long before a chill descends on the dinner table when Brian reveals that he's not keen on one of his fellow diners. And things get worse when everyone reveals how uncomfortable they feel in Janice's pristine house.

In Nottingham it's the turn of a self-proclaimed 'sexist' - engineer Brian Hodges - to host. But, Brian can't actually cook. In fact Brian does so little cooking he doesn't even have enough cutlery to go round. Knowing his skills are limited to say the least, Brian's plan for his evening is to wing it. He's borrowing cutlery from his local pub, has a friend sorting him out with some wine, his local butcher helping him in the kitchen, and has even convinced his friend's daughters to come and waitress for him.

Barry Dickman is hoping his Greek-themed night will be enough to win him the competition. But how will his guests take to eating his traditional Greek food and dancing to traditional Greek music?

Battling it out in the heart of Robin Hood country are U2 fanatic Lynn Negus, DJ/photographer/ex-gigolo Dennis Nyama, primary schoolteacher Maria Beal and former roadie Pete Chaffe.

First to host is glamorous insurance worker Zoe Prince, who's cooking an Italian-themed menu, despite not being Italian and never having been to Italy. But that might not be too much of a problem as the other guests don't seem to know their saltimbocca from their vermicelli. With a tip-top menu prepared, Zoe soon learns she's got a lot more on her plate to deal with than just the food, as her guests are a right bunch. The boys seem more interested in finding out whether Zoe's a model or pole-dancer, rather than a good cook. And things go from flirty to frosty when chip shop manager Martyn Bilby attempts to hold the hand of fellow guest Latvian ice queen Signe Jase. Fusspot Tracey Hewer, who works in trading standards, is on edge as soon as she hears Tito the cat meowing upstairs. And don't even get her started on her high food-presentation standards. Will Zoe be able to get her guests to put their differences aside and stop looking at her grubby cutlery for long enough to give her a credible score?

It's chip shop manager Martyn Bilby's turn to host, and he's pulling out all the stops with his signature dish 'Swan Lake': a chocolate éclair swan on a blue jelly lake. After a fractious first night at Zoe's, Martyn asks his guests to dress formally. But any chance of impressing them goes out the window when Zoe and Signe spot photos of him greased up and posing for a 'Mr Doncaster' body-building competition. And things go from bad to worse when Signe gets what looks suspiciously like a hair in her hot king prawn surprise. Martyn might talk a good game, but that just gives him further to fall as far as fussy Tracey is concerned. Can she hide her utter contempt or will it be plain for all to see?

Tracey Hewer is a queen of desserts and she's sure she can win over her guests with a barrage of cup cakes - for starter, main course and, obviously, for dessert. The guests might also be going home with a dozen carefully packaged cupcakes all of their own. But by the end of the night frozen peas might be of more use after Zoe threatens to wallop Martyn if he doesn't hold his tongue. And Signe is less than flattering about Tracey's cooking.

It's Latvian lecturer Signe Jase's turn to host, and she's decided to offer an adventurous menu of Latvian delicacies such as herring salad and salted salmon. Signe's main is wild boar. It's all too much for Tracey, who refuses to try much of the food, leading to a showdown with Martyn who thinks she's being rude. Can Signe calm fraying tempers and come out on top?

In South Buckinghamshire, Nicholas Witherick, who works and lives in a stunning stately home, takes on hard-talking waitress Lisa Bristow, wind-up merchant Dale Evans, and creative art teacher Annie Hearne. What follows is a week of fine dining featuring body art, seafood wars, fibbing, taunts, and daggers drawn at pudding time.

First to host in Birmingham is hair and beauty tutor April Richards. April is serving zebra meat for starters. But Paz Thakrar is a strict vegetarian who thinks even eating vegetables is cruel. Might a puppy in a pot and a raw dessert save the day?

Second to host in Birmingham is scientist John Fennel, who brings his lab skills into play with soda-siphoned fish batter and ice cream made with nitrogen oxide.

In Birmingham Vanessa Erigbogbo is serving lobster, confit of duck, and fried grasshopper canapés. This may pose a few problems for strict vegetarian Paz. Banker Vanessa describes herself as a `brilliant cook' and expects to win the competition by giving her guests their first fine-dining experience of the week. But her ongoing arguments with Paz could put a dent in her plans.

Strict vegetarian Paz Thakrar is latest to host in Birmingham. But first Paz must milk a cucumber to rid it of any evil cucumber toxins. Alas, there is still quite a bit of bad feeling from his avid meat-eating guests concerning the veggie menu - and his plans for karaoke as entertainment.

Last up in Birmingham is insolvency administrator Toni Shukla. It's been a fairly unsuccessful week, so Toni could quite comfortably take the prize. The only problem? She doesn't know how to cook.

In Dorset store-owner Harj takes on student/beauty queen Brittany, military trainer Shaun Jackson, and metrosexual foodie, Michael Psaradelli. Harj claims not to like ugly people, but when Cambridge undergraduate Brittany reveals that she once posed as a pin up - Harj condemns modern media for being all about boobies. And while Shaun rates his cooking almost as highly as his bedroom skills - giving himself a nine out of ten - Michael talks about his wife rather a lot, which becomes quite a bone of contention with the others. His wife also calls to check to see if he's drinking.

Zac Kwintner serves steak fondue while handing over cooking duties to his house staff, which does not go down well with his guests. Medical insurance boss Zac Kwintner goes head to head with easy-going mature student Gerry Hill, giggly travel agent Kayleigh Hunt, web designer Marc Harris, and fun-loving council worker Ameena Cott.

Mature student Gerry Hill hopes to spice things up with his Egyptian feast. But his menu gets mixed reactions from his guests. Later on, banter soon turns to insults as Ameena lays into Zac, accusing him of being manipulative, she compares him to Big Brother's 'Nasty Nick'. And Gerry's night goes from bad to worse when Kayleigh falls ill and has to go home early.

Third to take up the challenge in Gloucestershire is bubbly travel agent Kayleigh Hunt. Kayleigh's hoping to add a touch of the exotic to her night with her Moroccan-themed menu. However her meal soon becomes more famine than feast when she forgets to put on the main course, leaving one guest snoring and another fuming. With a table full of hungry guests, Kayleigh resorts to dressing up in her favourite outfits to keep everyone amused.

Web designer Marc Harris is next up in Gloucestershire and is confident his Spanish menu will blow his guests away. But things go downhill fast as he makes a mess of his starter.

It's the final night in Gloucestershire and last to take the challenge is fun-loving council worker Ameena Cott, who hopes to dazzle with a glitzy, glamorous evening. Having carved carrots into butterflies, fashioned a birdcage centrepiece from a melon, and colour co-ordinated her evening dress to match her dog's outfit, Ameena is ready to party. Initially her guests are impressed, but things take a nose dive when Kayleigh refuses to eat her starter. Can Ameena recover with an electric pulse-pad treatment and strawberry face mask for her guests?

Castle-dwelling food snob Patrick Dromgoole battles it out with no-nonsense cookery addict Ann Hay, Christian weight watcher Jolyn Jewson, and Duffy, a performance poet and forager. The week starts at Patrick's castle with a lone piper playing on top of the castle tower and with grace before dinner said in Latin. The week also features some foraging in the glen and dogs dressed as butlers in fitted dinner jackets.

First to host is Lola Oduba, who is convinced that her natural flare for cooking and sophisticated tastes will ensure an effortless victory. Twenty-three-year-old languages graduate and vintage clothes collector Lola's retro menu features polenta with tapenade, pork belly, and rhubarb and almond pudding. Lola's guests are curtain maker Joss Woolf, stand-up comic Boe Olaleye, rapper and DJ Niyi Adelakun, and doggie outfit designer Francesca Sawyer.

It's the turn of Essex girl and dog-lover Francesca Sawyer to host. Unfortunately Francesca doesn't own a cooker. Francesca's menu includes fruit-flavoured vodka jelly, poussin, and her self-proclaimed `award-winning' cup cakes.

Niyi swaps his decks for dishes as the DJ deals with a shed full of chickens, a table made from a door, a fridge that doubles as a wardrobe, and a menu that might just have too many courses.

It's the turn of 54-year-old curtain maker Joss Woolf to take the culinary challenge. Joss finds that her Thai menu gets a mixed response from her guests, and that her entertainment for the evening, singing around a piano, brings out the worst in Lola. And if that wasn't enough to be dealing with, what will Joss make of Niyi saying he has a crush on her, and would love to cuddle up in bed and listen to Radio 4 with her?

Last to host in north London is stand-up comedian Boe Olaleye, who is hoping his 'Back to African Roots' menu will wow his guests. A master on the stage and meticulous in the kitchen, Boe has everything to play for, but can comedy and cooking claim the prize, or will Boe's evening bomb?

Battling it out are proud and very loud American post mistress Rosie Rawsthorn, straight-talking vegetarian Linda Cottam, not-so-funny joker DJ Johnny Pep and ultra-critical financial advisor Anne Thompson. Which of them will walk away £1000 richer?

There's a meat feast fiasco in Walsall, moonwalking, insults and tears at dinner time. Jeweller Christian Woodall's meat menu goes a bit haywire, while vegetarian beauty therapist Georgina Smith's animal-free meal is not to everyone's liking. On the first two nights of the week the insults fly and tears are shed at the table. But a group rendition of Oasis's Don't Look Back in Anger on Paul Wigfield's evening brings some amount of calm back to proceedings. But will Irish cattle farmer Jennifer Brack's home reared steak pies be good enough to win her the prize?

First to host in west Lancashire is 30-year-old business manager Ross Chapman, whose fishy themed menu suffers a string of errors and culinary disasters in the kitchen.

Second to host in west Lancashire is single mum-of-two Lindsay Pulford, who's hoping to impress with her Caribbean-themed night.

History student Chris Mosey is the latest to host, with a menu including blue cheesecake and Scouse tapas.

Louise Dee is hoping to impress with her menu of Spanish-inspired food and her plans for an 'Old Skool Rave'.

It's the final day in west Lancashire, and last to host is medical photographer Lorraine Rimmer, who is looking forward to giving her diners a night of authentic Spanish cuisine.

Fighting it out this time are football-mad lad Christian Wood, fussy army wife Tina Watson, drama queen spiritualist and picky eater Dean Foy, and no-nonsense ex-18-30s holiday rep Lara Watson. The week features an apparently food-phobic host, tears at dinner time, the ashes of three dead cats and a white witch, with a white witch for a partner. And if all this wasn't enough, a guest commits one of the cardinal sins of dinner party etiquette by spitting her food out into a napkin.

First up in east Cheshire is fun and flirty Val. The glamorous pensioner is going head to head with yummy mummy Hazel Ardern, radio DJ Nick Hawkins, garage servicing manager Michelle Kenworthy, and party girl Zoe Miller. Nick is initially thrilled to be the only man, but soon gets nervous when he realises what he's taken on. Val's out to impress with a Middle Eastern banquet but spicy food makes Michelle's ears itch! There's also a course of belly dancing lined up for afters.

Yummy mummy Hazel hopes her combination of fine food and great hosting skills will get her top scores in east Cheshire. But Hazel has a big job on her hands to impress one guest in particular - fussy eater Michelle, who made a display of herself at last night's dinner party spitting out a broad bean and making faces over dessert.

DJ Nick Hawkins is next to host and is confident that he can multi-task as well as any woman. But guests Val and Hazel wonder if Nick's beef Wellington will rise to the occasion. Nick decides to win over his guests over with some good old fashioned impressions. However, things take a turn for the worse when the women decide to do impressions of each other.

It's the turn of Michelle to host and she is certain her deep fried mushrooms stuffed with duck and orange pate and a round of bingo will win her the prize.

Party girl Zoe Miller is last to host in east Cheshire and has high hopes for her international menu - and some interesting hats and disco lights for entertainment.

Bollywood wannabe Paresh Vara takes on shop assistant Cherelle Welch, mind reader Alex Crow and straight talking solicitor Cathie Woolhouse, in a week featuring some deep-fried kofta balls gone wrong, a titanic clash of two chatterboxes, and a mysterious dark parlour filled with rats, snakes and all things spooky.

Singleton sauce-pot Rosita Bowkat takes on feisty landlady Tania Jones, Take That tribute-band member Tony James (AKA Blobbie Williams of Take Fat), and fitness enthusiast Nicholas Clarke. Prepare for a colourful week featuring farting at the table, a dessert of gazelle horns and honey balls, insults, rampant fatism, a Roman-inspired menu with dormouse, and a scary pig mask.

A week of culinary giddiness in Swansea includes a never-ending soup and a close thing with a pavlova. Some of Swansea's keenest hosts go head to head. Doing battle are garage manager Stephanie Morgan Thomas, TV cameraman Luke England, telesales worker Ed Curnow, and larger-than-life charity worker Helen Foley.

Mum-of-two Joanne Wilson takes on Italian hairdresser Franko Russo, Richard Haxell and Aussie weight-loss consultant Sam McCallum. Joanne hates noisy eaters and takes exception to Franko for slurping his drink. The next night she tries to educate Franko about burping at the table. By night three, CEO Richard has set up a naughty chair for Franko to sit on whenever he misbehaves. Not only this, but Richard soon reveals his collection of thongs... and a photo of him stripping. The week also features a battle of the tiramisus.