Come Dine With Me Royal Wedding Special

12 April 2011

Come Dine with Me Royal Wedding Special. Fri 29 April, 8pm, Channel 4.

Break open the bunting!  Royal Wedding fever has hit Come Dine With Me and we've got a special new episode to commemorate this historic event. 

In a twist to the usual format, four strangers from four different parts of the country compete against one another by throwing their idea of the perfect Royal Wedding Street Party for up to 40 guests.  All the scoring is in secret and at the end of the week one of the party organisers will walk away with a whopping £3000 cash prize. 

The four royalists battling it out for the Street Party crown are vintage loving business development manager Samantha Porter, 39, first class air stewardess Claudie Howard, 44, flamboyant entrepreneur Vincent Osborne, 58, and retired broker Johnnie Hunter, 57.

First to host is Samantha, from Waltham Abbey in Essex, whose favourite royal is Prince Harry.  She's throwing a traditional East End knees up with a 1940s theme and has a menu to suit - with jellied eels, pie, mash and liquor all on the list. And if any of them finds that this all sits rather heavily on the stomach then they're going to struggle with the after dinner entertainment - learning to lindy hop!

Second contestant Claudie's favourite royal is Prince Charles and her Street Party takes a far more glamorous turn.  The first class hostess is throwing a wedding breakfast / garden party in the village of Chobham, Surrey.  Determined to make a great impression from the off, her guests are flown in by helicopter and immediately transported into a world of style and sophistication.  Expect tiaras, tuxedoes, champagne, canapés and show girls.

Third up is Vincent, from Brixton in South London and his favourite royals are Wills & Kate. In true flamboyant style, he's bringing a taste of the Caribbean to his ‘do' and has planned a Martinique mock wedding party with his guests expected to cross dress. There's rum punch, drunken chicken and guava cheesecake on his menu, complete with a royal rendition of Rule Britannia, and opera singer for afters.

Last to make his play for the title of best Royal Wedding Street Party organiser is Henry VIII loving Johnnie Hunter.  He's throwing a traditional boozy village party on a village green in Newick in East Sussex with a hog roast and treacle tart.  His guests have a merry old time with a local folk band and much dancing, but after four sun-soaked days, which of our party organisers will have done enough to be crowned dinner party King or Queen and walk away with the £3000 prize?

Produced & Directed by Amy Fallon and Nik Warner