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It launched as a small series that the voiceover artist, Dave Lamb, believed “might be slipped out in the daytime slots and nobody would ever watch it”.

But the dinner party competition has become a global sensation, marking 20 years since its launch with a spin-off featuring teenagers and launching its 50th iteration – a French-speaking version in North African region.

{Over the last two decades, participants on the dinner party show have served up dishes from unusual desserts to insect-based sweets in their efforts to impress.

Internationally there have been more than 20,000 episodes aired and over 60,000 courses presented. And during that time the show has charted cultural change in social, culinary and home decor styles.

“It represents a kind of cultural snapshot,” said its director, Henry Hainault.

{Lamb stated that in the UK, contestants have become, “more advanced in their methods”. A show representative, the executive of ITV Studios Creative Network, which owns the production company Multistory Media, added they have shifted from simple meals such as traditional fare to more complicated dishes with the rise of additional cookery shows.

One of the reasons for its popularity, he said, is viewers can view it collectively, but also because “it remains one of very few series that celebrates contestants in their own homes …furthermore at its core people are curious about people”.

“It brings together a group of five that might not typically be eating together, that was the program began and it continues to succeed now.”

{Lamb values that it illustrates diverse personalities can get on: “It offers a really varied depiction of the residents of the UK … besides does it travel around the country, but you encounter a lot of different types of contestants within it and they blend very naturally with their peers. It’s very reassuring that that British character is so very multicultural and very accepting … it feels that it can play a role connecting us a little at the moment.”

{The UK series has produced besides notable moments – a pet snake previously made a mess on a table, a participant did a song in Thai dialect and a different one was discovered breaking the rules with food from a restaurant – but also enduring friendships (participants even now gather once a month), love connections and even an offspring.

{And it has furthermore united people with opposing perspectives to the shared table. He recounts that the Israeli edition showcases Palestinian and Jewish participants: “It really draw people in one place … from different backgrounds who might not typically cooperate.”

{The best-received dish across the series is tiramisu, but some of the worst-rated, Hainault noted, was a UK competitor’s cheesecake variation. “An observation might note regarding the UK version, personally it is likely near the bottom the list in when it comes to the standard of cooking,” he said.

{Beale added that, in France, the cooking is taken “very seriously”. Other gastronomic variations globally encompass the eastern European editions showcasing a “many potatoes” and the Mexico’s version many bean-centric dishes.

{A nation’s culture furthermore produces adaptations. He said: “It remains fascinating how different regions localises [the show] or embraces it.” He explained that German audiences enjoys experimenting with fresh ideas, setting the program in a palace on one occasion, while in the Turkish edition the key thing is the entertainment the contestants provide to delight their guests.

{The show has long been favored with the youth and from this autumn, the broadcaster will show a adolescent new version. Hainault said he had praise for the youngsters, as for “most of them, it’s the initial occasion they’ve ever prepared a meal for others. Occasionally, the first time they’ve ever been around to other people’s homes to have a meal and of their own age.” Notably two contestants had not even tried broth before, “as it seemed too runny”.

Globally, the format has adapted before, with famous iterations and a couples’ adaptation – which allowed the format to travel to the Arab world, where earlier it had not been shown due to the mixing of male and female contestants.

{One of the universal truths that crosses borders, said Hainault, is “at its heart, there is a significant divide between contestants’ perceptions of their persona and the person they really present to the viewers. The difference between how they see themselves and who other people think they are is the reason a lot of the humor happens.”

{Lamb also commented his voiceover had “evolved a little more gentle over the years”, although he invariably ensures “I shouldn’t say any remark I would not be ready to say if {I was|I were|