ITV Studios have started the casting process for two Couples Come Dine With Me episodes within Jesmond and other areas within Newcastle and the Tyneside area.

Producing the show to be broadcast on Channel 4, ITV Studios are looking for three couples to feature within each episode across a casting process that will start next week and will last around five weeks.

“Newcastle always gives us great contestants and a range of interesting couples,” said Sasha Risner, casting producer for Couples Come Dine With Me. “Geordies are fun basically – they say how they feel and always provide good energy on camera.

“Newcastle is also a bit of a hub for couples that move there from all over the country, giving us a real range of couples to choose from.

“We want to find couples who enjoy going to dinner parties and like showing off their cooking skills and trying new food. But most crucially, we want to find couples who would not naturally sit at the dinner table together,” said Risner.

“This is what provides the most interesting dynamic as it creates interesting and exciting conversations which would not normally happen. It’s not about finding couples who will cause drama or conflict, but rather those who revel in the opportunity to eat dinner with those they would not usually do so with.”

Risner also told JesmondLocal that Jesmond was very suitable to provide great contestants.

“We are looking all over Newcastle and the surrounding area, including Jesmond, Gosforth and Whitley Bay, but Jesmond does stand out for us. I think it is such a beautiful area with wonderful houses and lovely scenery,” said Risner.

“I have previously cast a Newcastle episode of the solo Come Dine With Me and we found some amazing people in Jesmond – people who are doing quite well in life, and are successful and ambitious.

“While we are definitely targeting Jesmond, casting two episodes this time round allows us more flexibility in looking all over Newcastle and the surrounding area. In the past, casting for a solitary episode had the limitation of ensuring the episode’s contestants are at most 30 minutes away from each other.”

The five-week casting process entails an initial online form for providing details about prospective applicants’ basic information (including their age and location) as well as a quick bio to fill out. 

From here, the show’s casting assistant producer and a researcher will start calling applicants for a quick chat in the next weekand invite them to a video call if successful. 

These video calls will be recorded and cut down to two to three minutes for the series producer and the commissioner to assess.

The entire casting process is conducted at a distance in line with government regulations regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, and includes couples who do not live together by conducting the video call stage via Zoom calls.

Risner told JesmondLocal that plans for the filming process were “very to be confirmed”. Initial plans were to start filming around July, until the COVID-19 lockdown measures were introduced.

“It’s just going to have to be a process of finding out our couples’ availability and keeping up communication, listening to the government and figuring out how to move forward. Ensuring everyone is healthy and safe is our number one priority while filming and there will be reserve couples on stand-by just in case someone falls ill.

“Once we have our six couples, we will find out their availability for filming and slot them in if and when it is safe to do so.

“These are unprecedented times, but it is good to try and get the public excited and provide a distraction to the constant news about coronavirus. We are getting a really good response from the public, who are really excited to chat to us and talk to someone about something other than coronavirus.”

ITV Studios have been commissioned to produce over 40 new episodes of Couples Come Dine With Me, and are casting in new areas every five weeks, such as for episodes in South London and Liverpool, and potential episodes in Essex, Glasgow, Blackpool and Preston.

You can apply to be on the show with your partner via the following link.