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.
Come Dine With Me begins its second run with a week of celebrity specials. Designer Ben de Lisi is the first to host, where the winner of the week's £1000 prize will give the money to charity. Guests include Mica Paris and Ulrika Jonsson.
"I think with the whole thing of this is that we're all - we're like five penguins craving fish, fish being attention." David Quantick sums up a rowdy night as host Mica Paris serves traditional Jamaican food to her noisy guests.
Five nights in Essex appear to get off to a bad start as first host Jane forgets some of her ingredients and cuts her finger preparing the food. Yet the outspoken host doesn't let it phase her, and welcomes her guests to a relaxed evening.
Belly dancer June plans a relaxed night in Essex and is hoping to say 'ciao' to her rivals with her Italian-style menu, including sea bass and apricot tart.
Fitness fanatic Kevin serves up a health-conscious meal of carrot soup and salmon in Essex and then reveals exactly how many calories his guests are eating.
Trainee actress Keeley in Essex has just moved house, hasn't got any cooking utensils and claims that asking a local restaurant to prepare her food is the only solution.
Interior designer Amanda from Essex draws up plans for a formal banquet, brings in a friend to play butler for the night and wears pearls and a tiara for her dinner party.
The first night in Doncaster is hosted by Neena, a no-nonsense child minder. But her guests don't seem to realise she's biting her tongue when questioning everything from her class, her taste in art, and even whether she was born male.
The first night in Doncaster didn't produce blossoming friendships as much as it produced irritations and potential enemies. The ill feeling continues on the second night, particularly when Kathryn admits to using help to prepare the food.
After two prickly evenings, there's hope for the third, as host Steve is the only contestant yet to clash with anyone else. But even laid back Steve isn't safe from suspicions and hostility, as he's accused of not cooking his own food.
Leg-pulling tailor Danny is the fourth host, and after three bad atmospheres in a row, he realises he needs to introduce some harmony to the group. While his Italian menu is appreciated, even more savoured is a night without arguments.
Former company director "Ross" invites the guests to her 400 year old farmhouse on her five acre estate. But her plans for a great evening become undermined by her own nervousness, the pressure causing her to argue with her guests.
For the first time Come Dine With Me holds a single gender competition, as five females compete for £1000 in Brighton. Margaret is the first to host, and brings back her love of the Caribbean in her menu, along with an ice breaker game.
Actress Julia has to put on the show of her life if she's going to scoop that first prize. She's decided to hire a butler to help her out, but will the others mark her down for cheating?
Tough-talking PR Paula knows some of Brighton's top restaurateurs and she's not too proud to call in a few favours, but even then the culinary cock-ups seem to flow from start to finish.
Glamour model-turned-housewife Nathalie may have braved the cameras but she's a bundle of nerves when it comes to cooking for her four feisty female guests.
Fiery farm-owner Melinda hopes to harvest the £1,000 prize with an upmarket evening. She's laying on a bumper crop of food including Beef Wellington, crab salad and a pudding of prunes.
72-year-old Aileen likes to face fresh challenges, and thinks hosting an evening will be an ideal experience. With her flat containing such attractions as a lift that enters her home, her guests enjoy Aileen's food and and her company.
Paul Lydon is Tuesday's host. He takes contests seriously and intends to make everything from scratch, so much that he goes fishing for trout to make his own pate.
Entrepreneur Karen Cullen starts a week in Nottingham, yet having just returned from holiday, she hasn't given herself much chance to get prepared. When her own assessment of her cooking is "absolute crap", what will her guests think?
Cocky Aussie sales rep Jarrod Pepper is Thursday's host. He's laying on the most unusual menu ever seen on Come Dine with Me: crocodile and prawn kebabs followed by roasted kangaroo.