Wowzers! The Restaurant (The Final, BBC Two, Wednesday, 29 October, 8pm) is over and right to the death, I couldn’t call a damn thing! Still, not that this was an issue. The whole point of the show is to strap yourself in and watch the experts at work, caring and sharing wisdom. Naturally, this being reality TV (of sorts… I think it’s beyond mere ‘reality’) there was a journey or two to be had, and boy, what a journey! After last week’s eye-popper of an episode, The Final, the Big Prize was in sight… but who would get it? Alasdair and James? Russell and Michelle?

TV Scoop’s section on The Restaurant

Before the show started, and right up to the decision, a comment left by a reader nagged in the back of my mind. Basically, if Alasdair and James were in the final, they would surely win. It was a fair point. Like no other couple in the show, these two seemed to get away with cock-ups that dwarfed the mistakes made by others. Initially, I loathed the pair of them, but as time went on, they became Laurel and Hardy. Loveable and slightly calamitous.

My views had also shifted from Russell and Michelle who began the show as weird and cold and reminded me of those bubble headed Christians you meet who are pleasant enough, but irritatingly optimistic. At the close of the show, they’d retained their optimism but matched it with something a little more steeled.

So… who to win? Well, if you’re reading this, chances are you watched the show… so you’ll know that Russell and Michelle won the comp, which was a result I couldn’t have seen coming. So tricky and elusive is the decision making in this wonderful programme (and always 100% spot-on too) that right up to the intake of breath of ‘I’m going to open a restaurant wiz you‘, I was completely none-the-wiser. After the hugs were shared, I think it’s fair to assume that everyone felt the right decision had been made and also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Monsieur Blanc gives James and Alasdair some kind of job anyway, such is the size of Blanc’s heart.

Anyway, away from the big finish, there was a lot to chew over. The final focused on a great challenge that saw the contestants cooking up a storm on The Orient Express. Even if this wasn’t the most demanding of challenges (on the surface of things at least), it provided us with a great spectacle and some seriously intoxicating shots to drool over. The minute detail of the edits really shone on this, right down to a 2 second segment of fine China gently rocking on a silver tray as the train sped along.

Of course, our inspectors were on board to keep an eye on things, and hilariously, Raymond stowed himself away like a thief in the night. No-one knew he was there as he hid out of view, almost like the losers of the show would be bumped off with a candlestick as the train went through a tunnel. “Russell, Michelle… as you are the only living contestants, I’m pleased to tell you that you are the winners!”

As ever, Raymond was in danger of completely stealing the show, just by being himself. He didn’t feature a great deal in on-screen minutes, but when he did, he nearly brought the house down. When he quipped “a terrible turnip experience”, I couldn’t think of a single other human who could get away with it. That wasn’t Raymond’s show-stopper though. There were two other moments that showed two very different, but very important sides to Blanc.

The first was his playful, boyish charm. While Inspector David tucked into his Lobster Thermidor, Raymond asked him what it was like. Offering some on a fork, David fed Raymond like a proud parent, which saw a hilarious exchange, with Raymond proudly chirruping “Sonk you Papa!” David, for a brief moment, let his ice melt and replied “My pleasure mon petit…”. It was a glorious moment! The second moment, saw Raymond at his most serious and grave… and when deciding who he wanted to go into business with, he quietly turned to Sarah Willingham and David respectively, “could you leave us… I would like to make this decision alone”. I was stunned (and stressed/excited beyond words).

From the word go, it was a fantastic show and a great end to a sublime series. In the closing moments, I had two realisations. The first was a stupid thing. Basically, it took me a whole series to realise just how much Russell looks like a moving eyes Action Man (click here to see for yourself). The second was slightly more serious.

The only real drawback of the second series of The Restaurant was that there was none of the spontaneous buzz of the follow-up show on BBC Three (The Restaurant: You’re Fried). Even though I barely watched last year’s extra show, the one that followed the final really added to the experience. A chance to see the crackle and fizz of the two victors getting loud and joyful applause in a live setting.

That said, it was great to see Russell and Michelle winning, who may not have thrived in the live environment. As winners, you can only assume that Raymond and his team saw a little of Jeremy and Jane, last year’s winners, in them. A quiet determination, occasional crying and, most importantly, great food. As for me, I’m going to sulk for a while because there’s no more Raymond on TV.