Come Dine With Me will feature professional chefs for the first time ever

Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is welcoming professional chefs to the show. (Image credit: Channel 4)

Come Dine With Me is launching a professional version of the series which will see chefs battling it out in the kitchen to win the £1000 prize.

In the classic version of the Channel 4 series, fans are used to amateur cooks hosting dinner parties in their homes, but this time we're seeing professional chefs showcasing their skills and promoting their restaurants.

According to the synopsis, there will be "stunning cooking, hilarious hosting, no shortage of drama and some secret scoring, as these restaurateurs do battle for the coveted cash prize". And yes, Come Dine With Me legend Dave Lamb is back narrating!

Channel 4's Head of Daytime and Features 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.’’ 

"Come Dine With Me: 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." 

The first episode of Come Dine With Me: The Professionals will see Yorkshire-based chef/owner Ben and front-of-house Jo, at their intimate dining restaurant, The Barn, hoping to be the lucky winners.

Meanwhile, in the second episode, we follow Brian and his business partner and his other half Lisa, who are hopeful that their eclectic menu of French classics and street food at Disco Kitchen will impress their guests.

The final night focuses on Scandi-inspired restaurant Fint, as restaurant owner and chef Simon and his manager Sakina put on a vegan spread for their guests, so there's a lot of variety going on.

This professional twist on the popular program follows in the footsteps of the likes of MasterChef: The Professionals, so foodies will be getting another show that features an array of mouthwatering dishes by those who know their stuff.

With 27 seasons of the original under their belt, it's time for a new twist on Come Dine With Me and fans don't have long to wait as it's heading our way later this month.

Come Dine With Me: The Professionals kicks off on Monday, June 27 at 5 pm on Channel 4. Previous seasons of Come Dine With Me and Couples Come Dine With Me are available on All4.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Now she works for our sister site TechRadar in the same role. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress