There hasn’t exactly been a shortage of chaotic contestants on Come Dine With Me over the years.
It’s fairly understandable really considering the popular Channel 4 show – which sees participants take turns at hosting dinner parties during the week to cook and entertain the rest – has been on air since 2005 and now has more series’ than we care to count.
With that many episodes then of course comes some of the quirkiest ‘characters’ to ever grace our TV screens.
Last month we counted down five of our funniest Come Dine With Me moments, but according to a now viral post on Twitter, it seems there’s one “underrated” moment we missed off the list. Or rather, one contestant in particular, and that contestant is Claire from Cardiff, who featured on the show last year.
Judging from the thousands of retweets, likes and comments the tweet has amassed over the past few days, it turns out we’re not the only ones to have forgotten about her, and it’s not just one bizarre moment that helped Claire make a name for herself either, try a whole slew of them.
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From grilling “stirloin” steaks, to stir frying bacon and numerous microwave mishaps, Claire took us all on a journey – and not a good one.
Twitter user @CalumS1991 shared the throwback video of Claire’s finest moments this week saying: “An underrated Come Dine With Me contestant. Extremely chaotic energy, very 2020.”
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an underrated Come Dine With Me contestant. Extremely chaotic energy, very 2020. pic.twitter.com/3WDYLDvgdR
One Twitter user commented that “If she added “British tea” made in a microwave [to her menu], this would have been perfection”, which is of course a reference to everyone’s ‘favourite’ American mother-daughter duo on TikTok who have been continuously enraging Brits with their bizarre how-to-make videos over the past couple of months.
Another even went as far as calling it “one of the best Come Dine With Me weeks ever” and said that the every contestant that week was “a bit nuts”, which is really quite a statement to make, but hard to disagree with when you see it.
Well, it’s safe to say we know what we’re watching this weekend then.
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Classic FM will be back playing calming music for anxious pets this Bonfire Night
Emily Sergeant
Classic FM will be back playing calming music for anxious pets during this year’s fireworks season.
Bonfire Night may be loved by us humans for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that come along with it… but sadly, the November holiday isn’t quite so fun for our four-legged friends.
Loud bangs, flashing lights, and unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives are just some of the reasons why fireworks are frightening to pets.
Not only that, but with multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays across this time of year, pets are rarely able to pinpoint when and where the booming explosions are coming from, therefore creating even more anxiety around this time of year.
Classic FM will play calming music for anxious pets during this year’s fireworks / Credit: DESIGNECOLOGIST (via Unsplash)
Which is why, for the ninth year running now, Classic FM is once again teaming up with the RSPCA for two Pet Classics programmes packed with ‘the most soothing and comforting classical music’.
The music has been handpicked to help calm and settle any anxious pets.
A survey by the RSPCA revealed that almost two-thirds (63%) of animal owners reported their pet was distressed during fireworks season, and that playing relaxing music was the most common way (36%) to help calm or prepare their animal.
Presenters Dan Walker, Aled Jones, and Dawn O’Porter will each host a night of the specially created programme to help keep the nation’s pets calm through the whizzes and bangs.
Dan will present the first programme on Bonfire Night itself (Thursday 5 November), and then as celebrations continue throughout the weekend, Aled will be on hand to bring some peace to Friday 6 November, and Dawn picks up the baton on Saturday 7 November.
All three Pet Classics programmes will be broadcast from 5pm to 10pm, and you can listen on Classic FM or Global Player available across the UK.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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What is the UK’s national dish? New survey reveals Brits’ pick in landslide victory
Emily Sergeant
If you’ve ever thought to Google the question ‘what is Britain’s national dish?’, then you probably came away thinking it’s chicken tikka masala.
But is that actually the truth? A new survey has disproved the claim, massively.
There’s no denying that chicken tikka masala – an Indian curry that’s actually widely thought to have been created in Britain – is a popular dish that’s loved by many, but despite what many headlines have claimed over the years, a new YouGov survey has revealed it’s not what Brits consider to be the country’s ‘national dish’.
YouGov conducted two online surveys earlier this month, made up of 2,079 and 2,104 adults aged 18+ living in Great Britain.
And, in their own words, Brits chose fish and chips as the country’s national dish, making it the ‘resounding’ winner with 49% of the vote.
What is the UK’s national dish? A new survey has revealed Brits’ pick in a landslide victory / Credit: The Manc Group
With nearly half of the overall vote, this puts fish and chips far ahead of the roast dinner in second place, which only 24% of people picked – including the 6% who made sure to specify a beef roast.
In fact, only 3% of Brits actually name chicken tikka masala as the UK’s national dish, although 52% in the survey did confess that they eat some form of curry at least once a month, so it is still a popular pick regardless.
Fish and chips is by far the most common answer across all generations too, according to the survey (45-50%), with the biggest difference between age groups being that 18-24 year olds are less likely to have nominated roast dinner and more likely to have chosen chicken tikka masala instead.
What do Brits say is the UK’s national dish?
Fish and chips – 49%
Roast dinner – 24%
Chicken tikka masala – 3%
Curry (non-specific) – 2%
Full English breakfast – 2%
Bangers and mash – 1%
Cottage or shepherd’s pie – 1%
Other – 3%
Don’t know – 15%
The survey also showed that, of the three top contenders for the UK’s national dish, roast dinners are the most frequently eaten, as 52% of people said they eat them on a monthly basis – including 16% who do so every week.
Aside from the frequently mentioned dishes, some survey respondents also gave shoutouts to the full English breakfast (2%), bangers and mash (1%), and cottage or shepherd’s pie (1%).
Emily Sergeant -
27th August 2020 
