TV and radio

It's starting in a couple of weeks (w/c 8th Sep) day and time tbc shortly. Sarah returns but there is a new male sidekick for Raymond.

Previous articles have suggested that we will see a lot more of RB this time around, not just at judging.

The Restaurant is back for a second season and, once again, legendary chef Raymond Blanc is on the hunt for a couple with the culinary and business skills to join him as business partners. Among the hundreds who applied from across Britain, nine couples have been selected to compete for this once-in-a-lifetime prize. The couples include newlyweds, old school chums, partners, mums and dads, a father and daughter and a mother and daughter.

They arrive thrilled but nervous with their dream to run their own restaurant now closer than ever. In this opening show, they meet Raymond for the first time, along with his experienced inspectors: businesswoman Sarah Willingham, who scrutinises and questions their business acumen; and David Moore – a fastidious restaurateur and front-of-house obsessive who watches their standards of service. Raymond makes clear from the outset that this will be no easy journey and that it requires passion, enthusiasm, skill, hard work and a love of food.

But he has a surprise – a challenging test the couples must go through before they get their own restaurant to open and run during the series. It is a chance for each couple to showcase their restaurant concept and their cookery skills: a face-to-face opportunity to prove to Raymond they really deserve this chance. It's a first taste of the high pressure they will be under in the coming weeks. And for Raymond it is something he loves – finding out what his aspiring restaurateurs really know about food, cookery and service.

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There are 15 episodes this time and they don't get to see their places until episode 2 ...

The couples discover what the keys they randomly selected in the first show of the series will unlock for them, as The Restaurant continues. The empty restaurants could not be more varied – from a thatched country eatery to a sleek glass London showcase, from high street bistro to village gastro-pub. Each couple must take what they find and make it their own.

There are decisions to be made, such as a name for the restaurant and what it should look like, how the tables should be organised, as well as cutlery, dιcor and ambience and, of course, the menus. The couples have all this to do and only a week until opening night.

Straight away, the strength of the couples' relationships and the compatibility of the restaurant skills they thought they had are tested. Each chef must prove they can plan and run a busy commercial kitchen. Front-of-house partners have to pull in the bookings and keep the customers happy, even if chaos breaks out in the kitchen. The couples have no idea whether they have what it takes until 7pm on opening night.

As always, Raymond's inspectors – Sarah Willingham and David Moore – are in the thick of it, watching and ready to report back. What happens on opening night could decide who stays in with a chance and who faces the return home.

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Can't wait!

One of my favourites too, jb. Very addictive.

I assume they must have canned the programme that was filmed about Jeremy and Jane as it's not been on air yet, unless it's a curtain raiser for series 2. I think more likely it was abandoned after J&J gave up.

Oooh I'm so excited. We skyplussed both episodes and watched them together on Friday night with a bottle of wine. I can't wait!!!

You should be able to watch it on BBCi player for a week so if not recorded you will be okay

Not all the details are confirmed yet, just that it's w/c 6th and BBC2. I think it will be 2 episodes a week again so you can reckon on Wed and Thurs around 8pm. That'd be my guess.

Correction, confirmed tonight, Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th September. BBC2. I assume as before it's 8pm.

Every time I see one of the ads now I get all excited - this signals the start of the Autumn...

"zis is reelly the start of the most exciting journey" - cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope the rumours about Raymond being more prominant this time round are true!!

o devine!!!!! that sounds great!! although - very very scary!!!

Hi La Conchita. No I don't think it has ever been repeated perhaps because the winning couple didn't make a success of running the restaurant. Interesting but in my Mother's TV guide it says that the winners now run their own restaurant. Any idea what it is called? Not that I would go as I didn't think they should have won On holiday for 2 weeks from Tues and going near to Cromer. Cromer crabs here I come There is an excellent chap who sells them from his house (or at least there was 3 years ago when I last went . I shall be watching as many foodie programmes as I can but as I will not have access to my computer I will not be able to watch I Player

This is Wednesday's episode; cooking their 'signature dish' for RB.

Each couple must cook and present one dish to showcase both their concept and their skills. And they have just an hour to do it, under Raymond's critical eye. For them, it's a first taste of the high pressure they'll be under in the coming weeks. For Raymond: his first chance to see the couples in action.

And by the end, one couple's dream will be over - before it has even begun.

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