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Season guide

Come Dine with Me: Season 26

49 episodes Premiered Feb 24, 2012 Updated Sep 27, 2026
Previously on Come Dine with Me

Season 26 Lore Primer

Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.

  • ⚡ Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Come Dine with Me Season 25.
  • ⚡ Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
  • ⚡ Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
  • ⚡ Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
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Season 26 Episodes

Episode Guide

🛡️ SPOILER SHIELD

Season 26 Progress Shield

Future titles & synopses blurred. Tap "Reveal" on any card to peek.
Binge Efficiency Engine

Season 26: Filler vs. Essential Canon

Filter episodes by narrative weight. Focus on essential mytharc and skip standalone side quests.

Time Saved 0.8h Skipping 1 filler episode
10%
88%
Mytharc (5): Crucial lore & season climaxes
Core (43): Character development & subplots
Side Quest (1): Standalone / filler
S26·E1 Mytharc

All in One: Watford

Feb 24, 2012

A week of competitive dining In Watford includes sumo wrestling, some very controversial opinions, a dash of DayGlo, a house full of dead animals, and some lettuce soup. Taking pa

S26·E2 Core

All in One: Stockport

Mar 9, 2012

In Stockport, four diners take part in a week of competitive dining featuring some surprising revelations, a few bombshells, an evening of mystery, and quite a bit of chaos. Takin

S26·E3 Core

All in One: Cardiff

Mar 11, 2012

Four weird and wonderful nights in Cardiff, featuring a two-pronged tongue, supper in a tattoo parlour, grace before dinner, and line dancing. Battling it out are Martine Dorey, g

S26·E4 Core

All in One: East Sussex

Mar 16, 2012

This week of competitive dining includes lemon curd souffle, a stray dog-hair in the dinner, a strange tale concerning a trip to the dentist, and an Alice in Wonderland menu. Goin

S26·E5 Core

All in One: Basildon

Mar 23, 2012

Four cooks in Basildon go head-to-head in a week of competitive dining featuring turkey twizzlers, spotted dick and quite a lot of conflict. Taking part are advertising sales exec

S26·E6 Core

All in One: Wolverhampton

Mar 30, 2012

A week of competitive dining in the Black Country, featuring some raw chicken, a few hidden agendas, and a dramatic final twist to proceedings. Going head to head for the £1000 pr

S26·E7 Core

All in One: Essex

May 4, 2012

Posh student Hannah Charrington kicks things off with a traditional country house menu. Hard-to-please management consultant Veronica Alexander finds fault with everything, especia

S26·E8 Core

All in One: Preston

Apr 6, 2012

Four amateur cooks from Preston fight it out in a week featuring pudding in pyjamas in bed, a controversial stuffed fox, and a swinging 60s night with a guest appearance from The B

S26·E9 Core

All in One: Stoke

Apr 13, 2012

In Stoke four cooks battle it out in a week of dining featuring lobby and pikelets, some very smutty conversation, a bit of mud-slinging, a Lady, and a bit of a peasants revolt. T

S26·E10 Core

All in One: Birmingham

Apr 20, 2012

A back-to-front menu, some bad jokes and wind-ups, a bold choice of duck, and some celebrity friends... are just a few of the highlights in Birmingham. Taking part is events and h

S26·E11 Core

All in One: Folkestone and Dover

Apr 27, 2012

Four cooks from Folkestone and Dover engage in a week of competitive dining. Taking part are eccentric 70-year-old Janet Cripps, self-confessed witch Lisa Mansfield, parish priest

S26·E12 Core

All in One: Aberdeen

May 11, 2012

Nicky, Tony, Chris and Angie are the contestants working their special brand of kitchen magic in Aberdeen. Marketing manager Nicky kicks things off with a lavish medieval banquet,

S26·E13 Core

All in One: Great Yarmouth

May 18, 2012

Come Dine with Me goes to the seaside, as four cooks in Great Yarmouth take turns to try and win the prize. Hairdresser Sarah Aldous is the first of the group to hear trainee barr

S26·E14 Core

All in One: Crawley

May 25, 2012

In Crawley, madcap primary school teacher Chris McGivern and wind-up merchant Bruce Burgess take an immediate dislike to each other that escalates as the competition progresses. T

S26·E15 Core

All in One: Hartlepool

Jun 1, 2012

Competing in Hartlepool are former 18-30s holiday rep Dotty Page, financial adviser Gavin Wise, beautician Becki Cooper and student Alex Jackson. Lovely in person but scathing in

S26·E16 Core

All in One: Chichester

Jun 8, 2012

Taking on the Come Dine challenge in Chichester is football fan Darren Morrison, ex-navy officer Stefan Gershater, housewife Henrietta Edwards and posh traveller Jemima Thomas. It

S26·E17 Core

All in One: Jubilee Special

May 27, 2012

Four monarchy-mad celebrities host a Jubilee-themed dinner party. Take part are EastEnders actress Cheryl Fergison, Kerry Katona, Give Us a Clue host Lionel Blair, and her majesty

S26·E18 Core

All in One: Windsor

Jun 17, 2012

Four cooks go to war in Windsor in a week of dining featuring some raucous banter, a duck on fire and a prawn and asparagus salad... with no asparagus! Taking part is hairdresser

S26·E19 Core

All in One: Warwickshire

Jul 1, 2012

Slow-cooked sweet and sour mackerel and mango with vanilla are just some of the things on the menu as four cooks in Warwickshire battle for the prize. Taking part are former Miss

S26·E20 Core

All in One: Peterborough

Jul 15, 2012

Four cooks in Peterborough compete for the prize in a week featuring some heavy flirting, a few fights, and some incident-packed dining. Taking part are PA Claire Mazurek, managin

S26·E21 Core

All in One: West Yorkshire

Jun 29, 2012

With a week of surprises that include wetsuits, Willy Wonka outfits and a rave in a shed, Julian, Henry, Jilly and Rachel battle it out for the culinary prize.

S26·E22 Core

All in One: Milton Keynes

Jul 22, 2012

Some hearty grub, glitzy fun, offbeat gags and squirrel for a starter, are just some of the things on show in a week of competitive dining in Milton Keynes. Taking part is competi

S26·E23 Core

All in One: Sport

Jul 29, 2012

Four Olympic athletes go head to head for charity. On the starting blocks are Tasha Danvers, Mark Foster, Derek Redmond and Louise Hazel. Who will take the gold? Tasha's Jamaican

S26·E24 Core

All in One: Surrey

Aug 5, 2012

Four cooks do battle in leafy Surrey, in a week featuring a Best of British menu, but also the worst of British snobbery. But are the group's divisions really due to class differe

S26·E25 Core

Celebrity Horror Special

Oct 31, 2012

Four cooks do battle in leafy Surrey, in a week featuring a Best of British menu, but also the worst of British snobbery. But are the group's divisions really due to class differen

S26·E26 Core

All in One: Alicante

Nov 9, 2012

In Enfield, north London, four dinner party hosts battle it out for the prize: Burlesque starlet Charlie Hunt, Cypriot Maria Theodorou, entrepreneur Wesley Singh and Habiba Hrida.

S26·E31 Core

All in One: Enfield

Aug 12, 2012

In Enfield, north London, four dinner party hosts battle it out for the prize: Burlesque starlet Charlie Hunt, Cypriot Maria Theodorou, entrepreneur Wesley Singh and Habiba Hrida.

S26·E32 Core

All in One: Kingston upon Thames

Nov 28, 2012

Beautician Lisa Hughes takes on Australian mum-of-two Carly Baker, cool and confident Philip Gwott, and laconic barrister Simon Levene. The week of competitive dining features some

S26·E33 Core

All in One: North Cornwall

Aug 19, 2012

In North Cornwall, the exuberant first host is bouncer Danielle Stephens, who makes an immediate impression on the first of her guests, shy and retiring lawyer Liz Ashton. The lin

S26·E34 Core

All in One: Paralympics

Aug 24, 2012

This special episode sees four Paralympians past and present fight it out for podium glory and a £1000 charity prize. The line-up is: Giles Long, retired swimmer and now Channel 4

S26·E35 Core

All in One: Made in Chelsea Special

Mar 31, 2012

Four stars of Made in Chelsea - Mark Francis Vandelli, Spencer Matthews, Binky Felstead and Caggie Dunlop - battle for a £1000 charity prize as they each try to host the perfect di

S26·E36 Mytharc

Paralympic Special (2-part version: part 1)

Aug 30, 2012

The first half of a two-part special as four Paralympians past and present fight it out in the cooking competition. The line-up is: Giles Long, retired swimmer and now Channel 4 pr

S26·E37 Mytharc

Paralympic Special (2-part version: part 2)

Aug 31, 2012

Part two of the special edition featuring Paralympic champions. On Lee Pearson's night he's confronted about how much of the cooking has actually been done by his 'assistant' Jo, a

S26·E38 Core

All in One: Benidorm

Sep 14, 2012

On Spain's Costa Brava four ex-pats show off their culinary skills in a week of competitive dining that features banter, blunt speaking, weird photos, and food without any cooking

S26·E40 Core

All in One: Jersey

Nov 16, 2012

Come Dine with Me visits the island of Jersey for the very first time. Hoping to avoid any kitchen calamities are local radio dj Kevin Pamplin, no-nonsense food aficionado Jane-Ann

S26·E41 Core

All in One: Swansea

Nov 23, 2012

First to try his hand at winning in Swansea is 36-year-old theatre bod, Dean Verbeck. Dean's Hollywood-themed evening dazzles his guests, none more so than super-glamorous, Yvonne

S26·E42 Core

All in One: South East London

Nov 30, 2012

Politically incorrect Reg - 'meat and two veg' - Gaston cooks off against English teacher Hannah Elliot, musician George Chambers and legal eagle Sarah Maguire. The week of controv

S26·E43 Core

All in One: The Wirral

Dec 14, 2012

In Liverpool's posh cousin, budding entrepreneur Stephen Wong takes on saucy book-lover Jennifer McLoughlan, energy assessor Steve Rampton and boutique owner Cher Arnott. The week

S26·E44 Filler

Come Dine WIth Me Christmas Special

Dec 16, 2013

In this Christmas episode, Come Dine with Me goes music-crazy with a festive jukebox special, with four celebrities bidding to win £1000 for charity. Taking part is Jona Lewie, who

S26·E45 Core

All in One: Darby

Dec 30, 2012

The hosts in Derby are talkative housewife Tori Yerbury, Canadian drama teacher Allison Hunt, babyfaced Tom Flannery, and prankster Jeff Foster - who loves to push people's buttons

S26·E46 Core

All in One: Wrexham

Jan 8, 2013

The hosts in Wrexham are financial advisor Joey Perez, the zumba-loving Jacki De Sanders, sci-fi fan Tom Evans, and hotel inspector Lisa Groom. The week features quite a bit of hav

S26·E47 Core

All in One: East Coast of Yorkshire

Jan 13, 2013

Beautician Amanda Bradley takes on author and businessman Heath Samples, accident-prone Fran Atkin and technician Phil Laycock. The week features some deliberate overspicing of a g

S26·E48 Core

All in One: Lake District

Jan 20, 2013

Battling it out in the picturesque Lake District are 30-year-old fitness fanatic Lindsey Berry, joker and salesman Marc McAdam, hairdresser Julie Wall and Michael Webster, former b

S26·E49 Core

All in One: Barnsley

Jan 27, 2013

Elaine Ashton starts the competition off with an American-themed evening. Sam West is second to host, serving some unusual delicacies such as ostrich eggs, pigs' ears and stuffed a

S26·E50 Core

All in One: Edinburgh

Feb 3, 2013

Opinionated lady of leisure Sandie McConnell faces off against fashion and events student Gary Anderson, adult leisure specialist Vimbai Marongwe, and nice guy GP Kevin Fernando. T

S26·E51 Core

All in One: Bristol

Feb 10, 2013

American Keith Weinberg goes up against three local diners in a week of dining that includes some 'gert lush' and a revealing outfit. Also taking part is fun-loving Rachel Flowers,

S26·E53 Mytharc

All in One: Surrey

Mar 14, 2013

In Surrey, there are divisions between estate agent James, pensioner Cherry Hughes, tattoo artist Lee Jackson and project manager Sandhya Gadsby.

S26·E54 Mytharc

All in One: Benidorm

Mar 15, 2013

A shorter version of a classic episode where four ex-pats in Benidorm on the Costa Blanca in Spain show off their culinary prowess. Taking part are travel journalist Irena Bodnarec

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