‘It brings people together’: Global hit Come Dine With Me celebrates 20 years

Media | The Guardian · Tara Conlan · last updated October 5, 2025 – 7:16 AM

Show’s narrator Dave Lamb thought ‘no one would ever see it’. Now there are 50 versions worldwide

It began as a small Channel 4 show that the narrator, Dave Lamb, thought “would be snuck out in the daytime and no one would ever see it”.

But Come Dine With Me has become a worldwide hit, marking 20 years since launch with a spin-off featuring teenagers and launching its 50th version – a French-speaking edition in north Africa.

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