Despite my moaning about the sheer mountainous volume of foodie shows on TV, I'm actually looking forward to The Restaurant (BBC Two, Thursday, 29 October, 8pm). That's because this show knows how to do it and do it exceedingly well. Even better than Mr Kipling. With it's air of sophistication, it melds the cool with the white hot tension of The Apprentice, without all the needless showboating and ranty put-downs. In Raymond Blanc, they've got a man who doesn't think of himself as a TV personality, but a man who knows about food who just happens to have a camera in his face. This new series kicks off with The Pitch...

The Restaurant is one of the most engrossing and classy shows on the box and, in world-renowned chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc, they've got a man who really knows his onions. Literally I guess. Blanc & Co return to BBC Two on Thursday 29 October at 8.00pm in the third series of the show with nine couples hungry for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open a restaurant with him. It still stuns me at how great the prize is!

Related: More Restaurant action on TV Scoop

C'est formidable! The BBC have made me very happy this morning by announcing that they've recommissioned The Restaurant for a third series! WAHOO! [Although we did cover this a few weeks ago - Ed] The show, fronted by Le God, Raymond Blanc, will once again see nine couples battling it out for the opportunity to open a restaurant with him. Even after two series, that's still a mindnumbingly brilliant prize. Blanc said of the new series: "This year will be survival of the fittest. I am not looking for dreamers, I want to see couples with fresh ideas and a partnership that will flourish under pressure." And what's this about Masterchef?

Related: Our The Restaurant section | Our Masterchef section

As regular readers of this site will know, TV Scoop loves a bit of Restaurant action. Papa Raymond Blanc is an amazing host, Sarah Willingham and David Moore are pretty fierce as his judges, and the contestants/participants are always good value. The show has been voted in our end of year Top 10 two years on the trot, so forgive me for getting a teensy bit excited when I read that the show had been picked up for another series. What's more, the show is looking for a new batch of people to take part. Fancy it? Read on...

For all our Restaurant news, views and interviews, go here.

The Restaurant has, again, been brilliant this year. In fact it's one of the few shows that was placed very highly in last year's Top 50 and still managed to hold it's own in this year's chart. Why? Well, it speaks very highly of the show and those that took part. I've had the pleasure of talking to series judge Sarah Willingham throughout the series, and, I must say, she has been terrific to chat to. I thought I'd grab a few words with her to get her reaction on another great year for The Restaurant, and it turned out that she was more than accommodating. She was just coming back from filming a brand new show, so she was pushed for time. Read what she had to say after the cut.

To catch up on our Top 50 run-down so far, go here. To have a look at all our Restaurant coverage (including our weekly interviews with Sarah), go here.

Where to even start? Once again, The Restaurant (BBC Two) proved to be one of the highlights of the TV year, exuding class, sophistication... as well as all those crude things we like, like tension, drama, hissy-fits and a big fat prize. After the first series, I thought that this was a series that couldn't get any better... but how wrong I was. A tweak here and a tweak there saw the show as scintillating as ever and Raymond Blanc showed further why absolutely every single human in the world adores him.

Related: The Restaurant Section on TV Scoop | Top 50 2008

It's been a few days since the final of The Restaurant and I've had a chance to digest the news that Russell and Michelle beat out James and Alasdair. I was so convinced that the latter would do it, simply because the momentum seemed to be theirs and I still wasn't convinced about Michelle. But they were a lovely couple and I wished them all the best. But let's not get ahead of ourselves - I spoke to Sarah for the last time this series on Friday morning and wanted to get her views on a riveting and tense final. Read on...

For all our Restaurant news and reviews, go here.

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

Tonight is the final of the brilliant, stupendous, marvellous and fantastique The Restaurant (BBC Two, 8pm) and I can barely contain myself! However, before I remind you of what the show entails, we have a little announcement to make. Le God, Raymond Blanc, star of the show, has been made an honorary OBE for services to the British food industry. How great is that? Raymond was presented with the honour by Culture Secretary Andy Burnham... just in time for the big finish!

I'm really sorry this is so late, but I've been a bit all over the shop in the past few days. But, better late than never, is Sarah Willingham's verdict on week seven of The Restaurant. It also serves as a nice little preview for tomorrow night's finale, which should be pretty amazing (although I have to admit that there's no travelling to France to cook for Raymond's family). It was a pretty dramatic episode last week, and Tim and Lindsie were given the boot. But not after and extraordinary bit when he admitted to Raymond he wouldn't hire him, and then previously meek and mild Lindsie battling their corner. Anyway, go over the jump and you can read what Sarah had to say...

For all out Restaurant news, reviews and interviews go here.

I'm going to keep this simple. If you only watch one programme this week, then it MUST be The Restaurant (BBC Two, Wednesday, 29 October, 8pm). Seriously. It's the final and things need resolving... for me... for the participants (who only find out moments before final transmission). It's all getting completely unbearable. Both my hands have completely disappeared from over-chewing my fingernails, leaving me with two raw, bloody stumps. Obviously, typing all this is agonising. So what's in store?

Pressure does funny things to people. With only three couples left and one week to go to the final of this excellent series, you could see the pressure and the stress really starting to tell on the remaining partnerships. Tears were shed, words were shouted, pleas were, erm, pleaded and the whole thing was by far the tensest episode yet.

For all our Restaurant new, reviews and interviews, go here.

Okay. This is getting silly. I've spent the whole series trying to predict what's going to happen in The Restaurant (BBC Two, Wednesday, 22 October, 8pm) whilst simultaneously acknowledging the fact that it's night on impossible to second-guess. I've found the difference between my decision making and that of Raymond Blanc and his team, is that all of my guesses are from my heart, whereas the very rich and always right Raymond uses his head and his heart together. So where does that leave us? Well, I can only vouch for myself... it leaves my completely enthralled and confused...

Related: Our section devoted to The Restaurant

The show I'm most looking forward to this week, by some distance, is The Restaurant (BBC Two, Wednesday, 22 October, 8pm). The show has already been stupidly good, engrossing, fascinating and above all else, entertaining. As we close in to the final, with only three couples remaining, minute detail is now paramount, as success relies not only on business nous, but the ability to handle everything thrown at you, while still making food that will do Raymond Blanc justice. No small beer eh? To throw a spanner into the works, please be standing for 'the tricky customer'...

I've been a bit poorly recently (have I mentioned that before?), and last week's chat with The Restaurant's Sarah Willingham went a bit by the wayside (apologies for that). Even though I'm on my way back to bed with a newspaper, I managed to chat to Sarah on Friday before this damn head cold kicked me in the nadgers. Anyway, this week's episodes were, once again, terrific, and it was time to say goodbye to Helen and Stephen. Who saw that coming after their excellent start to the series? It seemed the wheels were slowly coming off the couple's bid to bring a family restaurant to the masses as the weeks went by. Go over the jump and you'll see what Sarah made of it all...

For all our Restaurant news, reviews and interviews (and to find out where Sarah got her necklace from) go here.

Sigh. I've made a fatal flaw. Watching The Restaurant (BBC Two, Thursday, 16 Ocotber, 8pm) you can't help but to get involved with the contestants, having a wild hatred for people you've never met, watching segments through your fingers as someone makes a horrific mistake, getting irritated at people who constantly cry and geeing people on like you know them. With that, I was all gutted that my favourite couple of the series were shown the door... although, begrudgingly, you know deep down that it was the right decision...

TV Scoop's The Restaurant section here>