East Lancashire Come Dine With Me tonight

Four would-be cooks from Darwen, Oswaldtwistle, Kelbrook and Padiham, pitted their menus against one another for the chance to win £1,000.

While three of the contestants said they enjoyed the experience and were keen to have reunions, Darwen plumber Nick Holt said he had 'the worst week of his life'.

The 41-year-old BNP member, who once stood against Jack Straw in the 2005 general election, said he would 'rather go to Afghanistan' than repeat his experience on the show.

He said: “I think they picked me for my intolerance of the other people on the show. It was the worst week of my life.

“The producers told me they think it was the best one they’ve ever filmed.

"I think I’ll probably come across as very cranky, but it was just because of the bad company.”

Other contestants include Padiham Mayoress Carol Stinton, 68, Jonathan Kemp, 39, a hairdresser from Oswaldtwistle, and Sue Hartley, 47, a teacher at Nelson and Colne College, who used to read tarot cards for a living.

Avid fan Carol said: “I cooked the food I was familiar with, but it didn’t all go quite to plan.

"The lights are so bright, and they don’t let you use your fans or have doors open, so I was wet through and my Swiss roll collapsed."

She added: “Even though it was a tiring week it was enjoyable and it was nice to try other people’s food.”

Jonny said his menu went to plan and he had a 'brilliant week', even though he spent more than the £1,000 possible prize money cleaning and redecorating his house and buying new clothes.

Sue, who teaches Child, Health and Social Care, said 'everything went to pot' on filming day.

She said: “It was just pathetic. My Caesar sauce curdled twice, I burnt all my vegetables and my moussaka parcels were heavy and stodgy."

The participants attend dinner parties at each other's homes and award points for each night.

The show will air at 8pm tonight on Channel 4.

Click on the link below for a photo gallery of the East Lancashire Come Dine With Me episode.