Voice of Come Dine With Me reveals behind-the-scenes secrets – from bizarre fan requests to last minute script changes
THE Voice of Come Dine With Me reveals behind-the-scenes secrets including bizarre fan requests and last minute script changes.
The much loved cooking show has aired on Channel 4 since 10 January 2005 and is narrated by Dave Lamb.
It sees five amateur cooks who live in the same broad area compete against each other.
Each hosts a three-course dinner party for the others at their own home over a week’s worth of episodes.
Speaking to Jane Garvey and Fi Glover on their podcast Off Air with Jane and Fi , Dave revealed behind the scenes secrets from the show.
Asked whether he’s ever ‘crossed the line’ in his iconic narration he replied: “I really hope not. A lot of the time – everything I say is scripted, because of the way it’s filmed.
“Obviously, they’re cutting down five whole days and evenings of shooting into five half-hour shows.
“So they have to tell a very tight story, with a proper narrative arc. So they have to be very precise about what gets said.
“I’m reading from a script, which I’m allowed to ad-lib around. If anything, I will try and tone it down rather than making it more cutting.
“I think what this show does really well is bring everyone with it.
“I don’t think there’s a nastiness to it, at least I hope there isn’t.
“It’s not about shooting fish in a barrel or trying to get one over on people. It’s about trying to have fun.
“There’s teasing, definitely, but hopefully it’s inclusive, gentle teasing and teasing of everybody. I’d hate to think that it’s nasty, I’ve really tried hard to make it not.”
Elsewhere in the conversation Dave revealed if he had received any bizarre requests from fans of hit Channel 4 show.
“I think in the early days, people seemed to think I’m going to be in the corner in a sheepskin coat like some sort of culinary John Motson, commentating live like I’m going to be there.
“So in the early days, I had people getting in touch asking if I’ll come to their dinner parties and commentate on them.
What it is like being a chef for the royal family
COOKING for royalty means that everything has to be perfect as former royal chef Darren McGrady well knows.
Darren, who worked for the royals for 15 years and cooked at Buckingham Palace, Sandringham and Balmoral, has revealed that when it came to banqueting events he had to prepare no less than 150 plates of food for the late Queen.
Speaking to Coffee Friend, Chef McGrady said: “There were no food tasters, no.
“Some Royals had their food prepared separately away from guests at big banquet events.
“However, with the Queen, we would prepare 150 plates and the Queen’s page would come in and pick one at random.
“That way, if you were to tamper with the food you would have to tamper with all of them.
“From our perspective, it also meant we had to get the same standard across every plate, not knowing which one the Queen would be eating.”
“Just privately, in their houses. The thought of doing that makes me feel quite weak, even thinking about it.
“It just doesn’t work like that. That would be so excruciating to turn up and go, “Oh, this’ll be hilarious, you’ll love this everybody.”
Meanwhile, the latest series airing on Channel 4 marks Come Dine With Me’s 20th anniversary.
This week took the show’s fans to Glasgow, where Lauren was first up to host.
Tensions rose about fish as one of the contestants thought her dish -sea bass steaks didn’t exist.
Fans of the show were quick to jump into the discussion on social media with one saying: “Me googling to see if you can really get sea bass steaks.”
“It definitely doesn’t exist! Seabass are tiny! I wonder if it’s a US/UK English thing, like prawns = shrimp?” said another.
Another viewer added: “Funny but quite a few sea bass steak recipes on Google, it may be fillets but recipes definitely say steak.”
Come Dine With Me airs on Channel 4.