Let good times roll

DECADE: SA'S 'COME DINE WITH ME' ABOUT THE CHARACTERS NOT FOOD

- Hein Kaiser

There is no other way to describe the BBC's Come Dine With Me than hilarious. Because it is. It's a foodie show that's not so much about the meal as it is about the personalities that it brings together. After a decade, audiences can still not get enough of it and the South African incarnation of the show is back on air every Wednesday night at 8pm.

Executive producer Ryan Deacon has been the showrunner since the fourth local season and to him, the magic still lies in the show's unpredictable cast.

"The least important part is really the cooking. We don't focus on the food; it's about the contestants. We want to meet the characters, the personas, where they live, what they do. Are they weird? Have they got chickens in the kitchen?"

Nothing is out of bounds on the show, bar a bunch of expletives. That's why casting is a fine art and Deacon's team has had a knack for finding the kind of contestants who make for unforgettable television.

"People always ask how we find them," Deacon said. "They find us. It's such a niche pool of viewers and they love the show, so the right people tend to enter. Within 30 seconds of watching someone's casting video, you know if they'll work on the show."