Over 1,000 Irish would-be chefs have applied to appear on the upcoming Irish version of Come Dine with Me which will air on TV3 this year.

The programme will see participants host and cook for each other to win a cash prize of €1,000, and could prove as popular as the hit UK version which was one of Channel 4's most-watched programmes in 2010.

A spokeswoman for TV3 said applications have been received from "every corner of Ireland".

"We are expecting it to be one of the best Irish reality TV?programmes of the year, given the quality of applications being received. We are expecting thousands of further applications over the next few weeks."

Producer David Sayer is understood to be pleased with preparations for the Irish format of the show after pushing for the creation of the new series.

"Sayer has been looking to bring this programme to Ireland for a very long time now. We will be the 26th country that this show will be filmed in and the producer has been pushing for Ireland for a good while. He knows that we have great character, a lot of one-liners and that it will make fantastic television."

Irish viewers can also look forward to the acerbic wit of narrator David Lamb, who is one of the reasons the UK show has been so popular. TV3 bosses say the production of the show will be "top notch".

"Granada is making the production especially for Ireland, so it will be the exact same as the UK version which Irish viewers have come to love. It will not be a cheapm watered-down version or a knock-off, it will be a top-quality production. David Lamb will be doing the voiceover, which will make it all even more hilarious."

Thirty episodes of the Irish show will be filmed in the spring once applicants have been chosen. The show is likely to air in the autumn.

Speaking before about his appearance on the TV3 version of the show, Lamb said: "There are times when I realise you can't say that on TV but I'm locked in a tiny room for seven or eight hours at a time so I amuse myself by being quite shocking.

"I like to try and do it as much in real time as possible and it works best that way with a bit of momentum."