Dog-mad executive PA Julie-Ann Rayner is a dinner party veteran and has high hopes that her 'Taste of the Sea' menu - with two fish courses - will have her guests hooked, assuming that they all like fish, that is. The strangers she has to impress with her surf-themed evening are 31-year-old science teacher and proud geek Damian Loneragan, 37-year-old international DJ Scott Langley, 20-year-old barmaid and self-confessed airhead Steph Barrett and 60-year-old glamorous granny Carol Dolman. And if her fishy feast doesn't go down a treat, Julie-Ann has some musical mayhem up her sleeve.

Everyone hit it off and had a whale of a time at Julie-Ann's dinner party, but glamorous grandmother Carol Dolman was the big surprise: she was dressed in hotpants and a tight top and the first one up dancing, so everyone was shocked to hear that she's 60. Now it's Carol's turn to host. She's pretty confident in the kitchen, and her menu includes scallops and roast lamb. Her dress code is 'Dress to Impress,' and everyone's making a special effort, with dicky bows and ball gowns aplenty. Carol's entertainment includes tango lessons, with some flirty results, and she's got a few secrets to reveal to her guests, so it promises to be a pretty racy night...

Science teacher and self-confessed geek Damian Loneragan has two chilli-based dishes on his menu. Damian goes all out to cater for each guest's individual taste, but Scott thinks the main course is the worst thing he's ever eaten.

It's barmaid and self-confessed airhead Steph Barrett's turn to host. Her day gets off to a disastrous start as she attempts to make pastry for the first time, so it's Nan to the rescue with some ready-made pastry. Everyone goes all out with their costumes for her 1940s fancy dress code, including Carol as a US naval officer complete with short skirt and white high heels. The guests are bowled over by the authenticity of Steph 1940s-styled home, but the biggest surprise of the evening is the quality of the food, which goes down a treat despite the day's shenanigans in the kitchen. For entertainment Steph lays on some 1940s dancing, which goes down even better than the food. The evening is brought to a close when Damian asks if Steph's ditziness is for real, and gets an answer that leaves nobody in any doubt.

International DJ and Jack-the-lad Scott Langley has taken a massive gamble and decided to serve fried pigeon for his main course. His dress code is 'outrageous,' and the guests go to town with their outfits. And he's planned something pretty special for his entertainment, which he's pretty sure is going to blow his guests away...

First to host is proud Scot and National Heritage worker Gillian Sutherland. Gillian's dinner party is a true Scottish affair and she's hoping her Touch of Tartan theme, with traditional Scottish menu, top quality local produce and bagpipes galore, will win over 35-year-old emergency call handler Melissa Kirby, 58-year-old property tycoon David Edes, 24-year-old hair stylist and party girl Zarina Ainslie, and 24-year-old personal fitness trainer Jamie Tulloch.

It's the turn of Melissa Kirby, in Inverness, who has not only taken cooking lessons from one of the best local chefs, but has also got him to make her gravy and crumble.

In Inverness, property tycoon David Edes hosts a nautical evening. David is a teetotaller and plans a menu of 'basic but wholesome food' - making his guests wary. A night of suspicion and hilarity ensues.

Rock 'n' roll hairdresser Zarina Ainslie is the latest to host in Inverness. The tattooed party girl claims to be an amazing cook. Could she be the dark horse of the competition?

It's the final night in Inverness and ex-professional footballer Jamie Tulloch has gone to town making sure his ingredients are all as fresh and local as possible.

First to host is university lecturer Amanda Sherratt, who is taking a risk with a full Japanese themed evening, including a raw fish starter and sumo wrestling for entertainment.

It's the turn of retail manager Ali Roberts, who is confident that her night of gourmet cuisine and elegant fine dining will win her the prize. As the evening unfolds, Geordie lass Alex shocks the diners with the tales of her outrageous exploits. Will Alex put Ali in the shade?

Farmer Chris Moore plans to win over his guests with his beetroot themed dinner party, managing to inject beetroot into every part of the night and surprising his guests with his unusual twists on conventional meals.

Jack Stone plans to win over his guests with his 'creative' evening, the theme including the guests making their own food. The night starts with a shocking outfit from Alex, which certainly catches beetroot farmer Chris Moore's attention.

The week of competitive dining concludes with proud Geordie Alex Coxon taking a turn as host. Alex's menu includes dishes called 'wey-aye-man!', 'a taste of toon' and 'a canny little dessert like'.

First to host is business consultant James Herbert, who has high hopes for his complex Italian menu. He also has some fun photo frolics planned.

Ronnie Imlah hosts, with a menu inspired by dishes she's eaten at friends' parties. But a revelation about her past leaves the guests in shock.

JP Goodyear-Martinez is the latest to host in Lichfield, treating his guests to a mix of Jamaican food, tight lycra outfits and a drag queen.

It's the turn of football coach Tim Travers to host, and Tim is determined to prove his worth in the kitchen, with his mum on the other end of the phone to help him out with his American-themed menu.

It's the final night, and there are high hopes for Amanda's evening. But an accident at the table has the guests in hysterics, with straight-talking Ronnie describing it as her 'worst nightmare'.

Fifty-two-year old fun farm-girl Jane Steele is the first to host. She plans a meal featuring twists on classic dishes and some fancy wine to wash it down.

Horse enthusiast Cassy Bell hopes her jockey-themed evening will put her in the running to win the £1000, confident that her gastro-pub food is just the ticket - just so long as her trusty chicken timer doesn't let her down.

Veteran punk turned cupcake seller Cathy McConaghy has decided to go back to her Irish roots on Day 3 in Harrogate, with a menu including homemade soda bread, cockle soup, oysters, roast lamb and stout-infused sticky toffee pudding. But the oyster starters and cockle soup are not to everyone's liking.

Photographer and all round cool cat Simon Meyer takes a laid-back approach to hosting in Harrogate. Simon's chicken soup starter goes down almost too well as his guests' kind comments leave an emotional Simon struggling to hold it together.

The final night from in and around Harrogate finds local toff Alasdair Moore looking to impress his guests with smart wines and 'proper' dinner party food. But an early slip-up sees Alasdair's confidence fall away. His monkfish is well received, but his guests are unimpressed with the portion sizes. And a rather risky parlour game doesn't endear him to farm lady Jane Steele.

Livewire Ptol Slattery is first to host in Winchester and is convinced his high quality food and fine wine make victory inevitable. Sadly Ptol's menu leaves his guests underwhelmed.

It's the turn of DJ Francis Leigh to try and dazzle his guests. Francis plans a Thai meal with a twist, including sunburnt chicken curry and a dessert simply called 'sticky', and some weird and wonderful entertainment including dead flowers on the table, a song about spring rolls and a main served in tutu and fur coat.

It's the turn of waitress Patricia Pearson to see if she can win over her guests with her Peruvian food and Latin-themed dinner party.

Care-home worker Georgia Groves plans a black tie affair for her evening in Winchester, with red carpet, posh frocks... and a spray-tan booth.

William Tilsley plans a vegetarian menu and a blind food-tasting game for the last night in Winchester. Later on, Patricia does an impression of Ptol and spits her wine all over another guest.