The very first episode of Come Dine With Me begins in the village of Betley, some 15 miles outside of Stoke-on-Trent. Hobby performer Jane Bagley treats her four guests to a meticulously planned meal, followed by her own opera singing.
Footballer's wife Sarah is the second to host in the Stoke-on-Trent area, and she has a very different plan for home cooking: she's going to cheat. But will her guests realise that her starter has been bought from Birmingham's Bull Ring?
Semi-retired Tricia goes through meticulous planning for her turn to host, and her guests are wowed by her food. But the pressure of the situation gets to her, and nerves cause her to make mistakes and neglect her hosting.
It's Lesley's turn to host, and she surprises everyone by having a chocolate theme throughout every course of her menu. But her guests don't seem to want to give her a chance, having issues from everything from the food to her accent.
Vicar Brian Williams is held in affection by all of his fellow diners, and gets to host the final meal of the week. But with his cooking getting a mixed reaction, and cat hairs on one of his dishes, will their affection be enough?
Moona Messamri is the first to host in London, and her guests are all on their best behaviour, even when the wine starts flowing. Will her Italian menu go down well when she reveals she has paid her cleaner to help her with the meals?
Bruce is the second to host, and consults a friend who's a wine connoisseur for tips on the perfect drink accompaniment. Yet while the majority of his guests are happy, Moona seems less than pleased now she's no longer in the spotlight.
Canadian Pauline lives in a small, cramped flat and has a plan to host a garden barbecue to give her guests room. Yet while her food goes down well, fetishist Pauline's decision to have a burlesque dancer as entertainment divides opinion.
Michael is experienced at holding dinner parties, and his traditional method is to hire caterers while he fully takes on the role of host. His food is exceptional - but will he be marked down when he hasn't cooked any of it himself?
Belinda is the final host in London, and hopes to shake off her "mumsy" image with her food and decor. Yet Bruce is still bitter he's been the only one to cook without any outside help, and the high scores make it hard for Belinda to win.
Vera invites four guests into her council house for the evening, with the divide in class expectations too much to overcome. Vera is absent for long periods, enlisting a guest to help with the cooking, and her flatulent dog fails to charm.
The second night sees a somewhat blasé attitude from host Stuart, as he goes to work and leaves just three hours to get everything ready for the evening. Yet time catches up with him, leaving Stuart stressed and his guests impatient.
The third night sees Craig trying to break the downward trend after two nights of failed cooking and semi-absent hosts. But while Craig tries to introduce sophistication into the week, his rivals begin to get jealous of the competition.
"I'm not really looking forward to my guests arriving 'cause I don't really like them." In a week of underlying class tensions, snobbish Pippa has little time for most of her guests, even making one of them wait outside in the cold.
The last night in Leeds, and it's the turn of Paul, a former army chef. It's actually his second time in the kitchen after helping Vera on the first night, but he hopes to live by "The Five Ps": prior preparation prevents poor performance.
The first series ends with a second trip to London, this time to the home of Jane Furlong. Planning a five course meal with ten separate dishes, her evening gets mixed responses as her guests are almost overwhelmed with the volume of food.
Second to host for the week is David, who organises an evening of sophistication and innovative food. But with the tone very formal, will his guests award him highly when they haven't had chance to unwind?
Powerboat racer Sarah has a Moroccan-themed menu with 21 dishes, including 12 starters. With beanbag seats, belly dancing entertainment and a "hubbly bubbly" pipe for afterwards, it's a different experience for many, particularly David.
After three nights of intensively prepared food, fourth host Rocky wants a stress-free, low effort dinner. The atmosphere follows suit, as the group are the most relaxed they've ever been, though Sarah is beginning to grate on David.
Magician Paul rounds off the first series of Come Dine With Me, though an interruption from his wine delivery man disrupts the flow of the evening for his guests. There's also a change in the way winners are announced for this edition.