In the first episode, after sifting through over 12,000 nominations, Gordon presents his two finest Italian restaurants. First up is Mennula, a traditional Sicilian restaurant in London. Sicilian-born head chef Santino opened his thriving business less than a year ago, and specialises in authentic, simple dishes from his homeland. The opposition is Casamia, an innovative restaurant in Bristol. Head chefs and brothers Jon Ray, 26, and Peter, 24, are the youngest chefs in Britain currently holding a Michelin star. Who will emerge victorious?

In the second episode, after sifting through over 12,000 nominations, Gordon presents his two finest Indian restaurants, Bradford's Prashad and The Brilliant. Prashad is a family affair. The restaurant is run by Bobby and his wife Minal, who is the head chef, while Bobby's mother Kaushy was responsible for training Minal and now helps in the kitchen. Bobby's father Mohan works front of house with his son. Prashad was originally run by Bobby's mother Kaushy. She learned to cook as a girl in India, helping her landowner grandmother prepare feasts for the farm workers. When her daughter-in-law, Minal, arrived from India after marrying Bobby, Kushay encouraged her to start cooking as a way of finding her feet in a new country. Big in size and reputation, the Brilliant Restaurant is a family-run Southall institution. The Brilliant is headed by owner, Gulu, whose son and daughter work for him in the restaurant. They recently persuaded their father to spend a lot of money renovating the place, to attract a more modern customer base. The restaurant was set up by brothers Gulu and Kewal Anand, who came to Britain in 1972 from Nairobi, where they ran a successful restaurant called Brilliant. After moving to England, the brothers began a small-scale catering company, operating out of the family's shed.

Gordon presents his two best Chinese restaurants, Kai, based in London's Mayfair, and Yu & You, a family-run outfit in Blackburn, and puts them through a series of gruelling tests.

After sifting through over 12,000 nominations made by the public, Gordon presents his two finest local British restaurants, The West House in Biddenden, Kent and The Milestone in Sheffield.

Gordon presents his two finest local Thai restaurants, Nahm Jim, a Thai outlet in Scotland and London's Mango Tree. Sparks fly and tempers fray as the chefs bid to be best of the best.

At La Garrigue in Edinburgh and Winteringham Fields battle it out this week to be named the best French restaurant and gain a place in the next round of the competition.

Hammersmith restaurant Azou and Moroccan-themed establishment Momo in the heart of London's West End battle it out this week to be named Britian's best African themed restaurant and gain a place in the next round of the competition.

Gordon Ramsay highlights Spanish restaurants, pitting the Hart brothers' Fino in Fitzrovia, central London, against Notting Hill's El Pirata Detapas, which can serve up to 600 dishes in one service. The fare on offer includes squid wrapped in pancetta, stuffed courgette flowers and Iberian pork cheeks with foie gras. The first four semi-finalists also face further scrutiny as the chef sends in his secret collaborators to assess the dining experiences they provide, before making a personal appearance with chef Angela Hartnett and critic Simon Davis.

This first semifinal features Gordon's best Italian, Thai, Spanish and Chinese restaurants, all battling it out for a place in the prestigious grand finale.

The second semifinal features Gordon's best British, French, Indian and North African restaurants.

The top contenders finally compete to determine who will earn the title of Ramsay's Best Restaurant.