BBC Two opens up 'The Restaurant'

BBC Two has unveiled new reality show The Restaurant where nine couples will run their own eatery under the tutelage of renowned chef Raymond Blanc.

The winning couple will be rewarded with their own restaurant, to be supported and funded by Blanc with a six-figure sum.

The series, to be screened in 2007, will see one couple eliminated each week by judge Blanc, after they have set up their restaurant and opened it to the paying public.

"To set up a business - especially a restaurant business - and make a success of it is one of the hardest things in the world," said Blanc. "It is a constant balancing act - of passion with acumen, ego with humility, knowledge with a hunger to take risks."

"I look forward to sharing my experience and expertise with like-minded people who are eager to enter this crazy but irresistible world and achieve the dream for themselves," added the chef.