A new spin-off series of Come Dine With Me is on the hunt for chefs and restaurateurs in Greater Manchester.
Come Dine With Me: The Professionals is a new twist on the classic daytime reality show.
It will see hospitality professionals, rather than amateur home cooks, battle it out to be crowned the best independent restaurant in their city.
Each self-contained episode will feature three local restaurants competing for a cash prize to be shared amongst the staff.
Due to air later this year, the programme will be formatted in a similar way to Four In A Bed, with two people from each restaurant representing the whole business.
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The hit show is on the hunt for restaurants. Credit: Channel 4
The competitors will dine in each other’s restaurants during a normal service and mark their experience out of 20.
Come Dine With Me: The Professionals will still be narrated by the iconic voice of Dave Lamb.
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Simone Haywood from MultiStory Media, which produces the show, said: “Come Dine With Me: The Professionals pays homage to one of the nation’s most-loved industries.
“We’re looking forward to heading across the country to meet some of the UK’s best restaurateurs and chefs in this new twist on our classic format.”
Come Dine With Me. Credit: Multi Story Media
MultiStory Media’s CEO Tim Carter said: “For 15 glorious years, we’ve been celebrating the culinary creations and epic fails that pour forth from the Nation’s home kitchens.
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“Now, as they recover from the battering of the last couple of years, Come Dine With Me cheers on Britain’s restaurants with its customary love note to gastronomic endeavour.”
Channel 4’s Jo Street added: “Come Dine With Me continues to be one of Channel 4’s best loved programmes with many memorable dinners served all over the UK in over 2,000 episodes.
“CDWM: The Professionals promises to really raise the stakes and we’re delighted to dish up this new extension on Channel 4 in 2022 to complement existing favourites Come Dine With Me and Couples Come Dine With Me.”
If you own or work in a Greater Manchester restaurant that would like to take part in Come Dine With Me: The Professionals, email [email protected].
Featured image: Channel 4
TV & Showbiz
A new Shrek-themed cafe has opened at Primark in Manchester
Thomas Melia
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There’s a new Shrek-themed cafe in Manchester city centre – and Donkey’s prayers for waffles have finally been answered by none other than clothing retailer Primark.
The back corner of the bargain fashion store on Market Street has been taken over by vines and fairytale characters as Shrek comes to town.
The cafe has been home to many iconic brands since its launch, one of the most notable being its 2019 debut as Central Perk, the go-to coffee hot-spot from TV Series Friends.
Shrek himself will also be paying a visit to the store in the coming weeks to sample some of the delicious delights customers can try such as nachos, waffles, shakes and bubble teas – each one with an ogre twist (yes, that is green cheese you see).
The Cafe is Shrek-ogeddon from head to toe with the menu paying homage to some familiar faces from the franchise.
Shoppers can indulge in ‘Fairy Godmother’s Potions’ which are a selection of sweet fruity concoctions, or treat your tastebuds to some Swampchos or Toastie ‘Slabs’, which are more appetising than they sound.
The grand entrance to the Shrek cafe in ManchesterA mural dedicated to the main ogre himself – Shrek!Inside the Shrek Cafe at Primark Credit: The Manc Group
After all those scrumptious snacks you’ll definitely be saying ‘I Need A Hero’ as you face your own battle – the dreaded food coma.
The Shrek Far Far Away Cafe will be a Manchester mainstay til the beginning of November, giving everyone the opportunity to have their happy ever after.
There’s also a handful of Shrek merchandise available storewide that fans and customers alike can get their hands on all-year-round.
Tim Kelly, director of new business development at Primark said: “We’ve gone Far, Far Away to find the inspiration for our latest cafe theme, bringing all the fun in the kingdom to our Primark cafes”.
“Our revolving themes have been so popular with our customers, giving them more reasons to visit their local store. We can’t wait to welcome fans to the cafes and hope they enjoy our limited-edition menu fit for a fairytale!”
And if that wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, fans of the iconic film franchise have just over two years to wait until Shrek 5 debuts in theatres on 1 July 2026.
You can visit the Shrek Cafe at Primark on Market Street and at the Trafford Centre in Manchester now.
Mancs wanted for new BBC adventure travel show with ‘life-changing’ prize
Emily Sergeant
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Are you a fan of travelling? Got a bit of a competitive streak in your nature? This might just be your calling then.
The BBC is currently casting for a brand-new travel adventure series.
At this point, not a great deal is known about the new series, with a lot of the details seemingly being kept under wraps, but the broadcaster has revealed that the show currently has the working title of ‘Destination X’, and is being described as “the world’s biggest guessing game”.
The show’s producers, Twofour, are on the look-out for budding travel enthusiasts who love solving clues, playing detective, and outsmarting their competition.
Not only does the experience promise to be “an epic journey”, but there’s also the chance to win a life-changing prize.
Casting is closing towards the end of this week (6 September), and filming for the show is set to begin next month and run through to November.
Putting out a UK-wide casting call for the show on the BBC website, producers Twofour wrote: Have you got what it takes to play the world’s biggest guessing game? Twofour are now casting for the BBC’s brand new travel adventure series. If you love solving clues, playing detective and outsmarting your competition, then we want to hear from you.
“This experience promises to be an epic journey, with a chance to win a life-changing prize.”
Fancy it then? Applications for the exciting new series are now open for anyone over 18 years of age, with a deadline date of this Friday (6 September 2024), and you can find out more information and apply via the BBC website.