Season 21 of Come Dine With Me (CDWM) has hit our screens this week and it’s filled to the brim with all the joy, madness and Dave Lamb naughtiness you’d expect. After 20 years it seems only right to take a moment to look back at the iconic show.
CDWM was the brainchild of Nell Butler back in 2005, arriving on telly with a trip to Betley, a village near Stoke-on-Trent where 5 amateur chefs competed to throw the best dinner party.
To date, there have been 2,426 episodes of CDWM broadcast on Channel 4 and E4, all of which have been narrated by the unmistakable voice of Dave Lamb. There have been a total 11,533 contestants, a couple of marriages and even some babies. Celebrity editions have allowed us to see the likes of Amelia Dimoldenberg, AJ Odudu and Spencer Matthews rustling up their party favourites. And that’s just in the UK. CDWM is one of the biggest global formats to ever exist, it’s made it to 49 countries and is still being discovered by other territories.
[Picture of Five Come Dine With Me contributors sat around a dinner table with winning cash, holding up score cards]
CDWM wouldn’t be anything without its contributors. Each week a unique dynamic is formed, creating a brilliant moment together that will never be replicated again. Contestants are only ever allowed to appear once and the casting team delivers magic year after year. Appearing on CDWM is a badge of honour for so many and we are so grateful to the level of commitment each and every one of you has for the show.
Perhaps the most famous duo to emerge from the UK series are Peter and Jane. Peter did not take Jane’s win too well and accused her of having “all the grace of a reversing dump truck with no tyres on”. The line “what a sad little life Jane” from that episode, which featured during season 7, has become part of popular culture.
It’s certainly the people that make CDWM so special, but it’s the pressure of cooking that drives the drama. Many contestants, hoping to impress, choose to make things they have never attempted before. The kitchen triumphs and disasters are what make the show so relatable, we’ve all been there and it’s a joy to watch. One of the most popular dishes to make is steak, which is often seen as one of the trickiest things to get right if you’re cooking to order. The other most popular dishes include potato dauphinoise, Jerk Chicken and “homemade” pasta.
Over the years there have been some extremely unusual delicacies. Sausage trifle anyone?! Others include Yorkshire pudding with rabbit, a grasshopper cheese cake and even a squirrel and ale pie.
CDWM has stood the test of time, navigating an ever-changing media landscape, existing before smartphones and Instagram. But it’s easy to see why CDWM is so beloved and still going after all this time. What’s the secret recipe? A pinch of talented TV folk, a tablespoon of incredible contestants, a peppering of witty quips from a legendary narrator and a consistency that is equally comforting, funny and different. Every. Single. Episode.
Happy Anniversary Come Dine With Me – here’s to another 20 years!
Series 21 of Come Dine With Me is on every weekday at 5.30 pm on Channel 4 for 8 weeks starting on 27th January 2025. You can all also catch up on All4.
