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

There have been more than 20,000 episodes of Come Dine With Me. Photograph: Channel 4

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.