| MasterChef | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | MasterChef Goes Large (2005–2007) |
| Genre | Reality show |
| Created by | Franc Roddam |
| Presented by | Loyd Grossman Gary Rhodes |
| Judges | Gregg Wallace John Torode |
| Narrated by | India Fisher |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | MasterChef 11(original) 19 (revived) Celebrity MasterChef 17 (aired to date) |
| No. of episodes | MasterChef 146 (original, inc. specials) 278 (revival, at the end of series 10) Celebrity MasterChef 211 (end of series 10) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Franc Roddam |
| Producers | Karen Ross David Ambler |
| Production locations | Original TVS Television Theatre (1990)[1] Limehouse Studios (1991)[2] Revival City University's Bastwick Street Halls of Residence (2005–11)[3] Ram Brewery (2011–14)[4] 3 Mills Studios (2014–23)[5] Digbeth Loc Studios (2024–)[6] |
| Running time | 30–90 minutes |
| Production companies | Union Pictures[7](1990–2000) Union 175 (2001) Shine TV and Ziji Productions (2005–present) |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One (1990–2000, 2009–present and Celebrity MasterChef 2006–2011, 2013–present) BBC Two (2001, 2005–2008 and Celebrity MasterChef 2012) |
| Release | 2 July 1990 (1990-07-02) – 3 July 2001 (2001-07-03) |
| Release | 21 February 2005 (2005-02-21) – present |
| Related | |
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MasterChef is a British competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2005 as MasterChef Goes Large. The revival featured a new format devised by Franc Roddam and John Silver, with Karen Ross producing. In 2008, the name was changed back to MasterChef but the format remained unchanged.
The series currently appears in four versions: the main MasterChef series; Celebrity MasterChef; MasterChef: The Professionals, with working chefs; and Junior MasterChef, with children between the ages of nine and twelve.[8] The format and style of the show have been reproduced around the world in various international versions.
In the original series, amateur cooks competed for the title of Master Chef. The show featured nine rounds leading up to three semifinals and a final. In each round, three contestants were tasked with preparing a gourmet three-course meal in under two hours. The contestants could choose the meal, although there was a price limit on ingredients. "Everyday" ingredients and equipment were provided, and contestants could also bring up to five "speciality" ingredients or utensils.
The first incarnation of the series was presented by Loyd Grossman, who was joined each week by a professional chef and a celebrity to act as judges. In each episode, Grossman and the guest judges discussed the menus, talked to the contestants, and finally ate and judged the food. The judges' "cogitations" originally took place off-camera, but later episodes included edited highlights of the discussions after the food had been tasted and before the winner was announced.
In 1998, Grossman decided to take a sabbatical and the series was not made in his absence.[citation needed] He returned to present the 1999 series but left the show in 2000.
In 2001, the show underwent a makeover in response to declining ratings. It was moved from its traditional Sunday afternoon slot on BBC One to a Tuesday night slot on BBC Two and the format of the show was modified. The celebrity judge was no longer included and the contestants had to cook two courses in 90 minutes, which was extended to two-and-a-half hours for three courses in the final episode. As an additional requirement, each contestant had to use the same key ingredient in each course.[9]
In October 2000, Grossman left in anger over the proposed changes and was replaced by chef Gary Rhodes, who had previously presented MasterChef USA.[10] Rhodes' advice to contestants was more critical than Grossman's and the show was acclaimed for its more serious tone, which later inspired the MasterChef Goes Large format and other cooking competitions like Hell's Kitchen.[11] However, the new version of the show did not revive ratings as hoped and was cancelled by the BBC after the first series.
In 2005, the executive producers Franc Roddam and John Silver, with the series producer Karen Ross, radically overhauled the show's format and introduced a new series. It was initially titled MasterChef Goes Large, but the name reverted to MasterChef in 2008.[12] The new series is judged by John Torode and Gregg Wallace, with voice-over narration provided by India Fisher.
The show proved very popular and became one of BBC Two's more successful early evening programmes, leading to an announcement by the BBC in 2009 that it would be promoted to BBC One.[13]
In February 2022, the BBC and Shine TV announced that they have agreed a multi-series six-year deal for the programme, and from 2024 the production base would move from London to Birmingham.[14] In January 2023, it was reported that Birmingham City Council has approved BBC plans to use the old Banana Warehouse in Digbeth as the new MasterChef studios.[15]
Each series is broadcast on five nights a week for eight weeks. During the first six weeks, the first four episodes of each week are heats and the fifth episode is a quarter-final. Six contestants enter each heat and the winner becomes a quarter-finalist. At the end of each week, the four quarter-finalists compete and a semi-finalist is chosen. After six weeks, the six semi-finalists compete in the final two weeks.
In 2010, the judges were given more flexibility, allowing them to advance more than one contestant to the quarter-finals or, in one instance, none at all. Series 7 of Master Chef had auditions with a format similar to The X Factor, in which hopeful chefs cooked in front of the judges to secure a spot in the competition. More than 20,000 people applied to audition for the series.[16]
The heats follow a three-round format:
The format of the quarter-finals has changed over the years. Before 2010, the format featured three rounds:
In 2010, the quarter-final format was cut to two rounds:
The current quarter-final format consists of two rounds:
The sixth week is called "Comeback Week" and features contestants from previous series of MasterChef who did not advance past the heats or quarter-finals. The format changes for this special week. It includes:
MasterChef Live is an extension of the television programme. It has been held each November since 2009 and the event lasts three days. It is hosted at London Olympia and is co-located with the annual Wine Show. Highlights of the event include live cooking demonstrations in the Chefs' Theater, celebrity chefs, former contestants, critics and MasterChef-style cook-offs.
Celebrity MasterChef was devised as a celebrity version of MasterChef Goes Large. The show was screened on BBC One from 2006 to 2011. Originally, 24 celebrities participated in each series with three contestants per episode following the full MasterChef Goes Large test.[17]
In 2011, the programme was moved to a daily daytime slot with 30 episodes screened over six weeks and with only 16 celebrities.[18] Catch-up shows were broadcast on Fridays at 20:30 (30 minutes) and on Saturdays at various times (60 minutes). In 2012, the show moved to BBC Two due to low ratings and returned to an evening 18:30 slot. In 2013, it moved back to BBC One prime time, shown at 20:00. Since 2014, the show has had 20 celebrities competing for the title.
The winner from each year is in bold text.
Matt Dawson, Arabella Weir, Charlie Dimmock, David Grant, Fred MacAulay, Graeme Le Saux, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Helen Lederer, Ian McCaskill, Jilly Goolden, Kristian Digby, Lady Isabella Hervey, Linda Barker, Marie Helvin, Paul Young, Richard Arnold, Roger Black, Rowland Rivron, Sarah Cawood, Sheila Ferguson, Simon Grant, Sue Perkins, Tony Hadley and Toyah Willcox.[citation needed]
Nadia Sawalha, Midge Ure, Craig Revel Horwood, Jeremy Edwards, Chris Bisson, Martin Hancock, Sunetra Sarker, Gemma Atkinson, Sherrie Hewson, Pauline Quirke, Rani Price, Chris Hollins, Matthew Wright, Angela Rippon, Sue Cook, Lorne Spicer, Emma Forbes, Jeff Green, Darren Bennett, Sally Gunnell, Mark Foster, Matt James, Robbie Earle and Phil Tufnell.[citation needed]
Liz McClarnon, Linda Robson, Louis Emerick, Debra Stephenson, Christopher Parker, Joe McGann, Steven Pinder, Mark Moraghan, Vicki Michelle, Sean Wilson, Clare Grogan, Hywel Simons, DJ Spoony, Claire Richards, Denise Lewis, Noel Whelan, Andi Peters, Andrew Castle, Michael Buerk, Kaye Adams, Julia Bradbury, Josie D'Arby, Wendi Peters, and Ninia Benjamin.[citation needed]
Jayne Middlemiss, Colin Murray, Wendi Peters, Simon Shepherd, Janet Ellis, Deena Payne, Iwan Thomas, Rav Wilding, Pete Waterman, Stephen K. Amos, Gemma Bissix, Shirley Robertson, Ian Bleasdale, Paul Martin, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Brian Moore, Saira Khan, Rosie Boycott, Michael Obiora, Joel Ross, Shobna Gulati, Dennis Taylor, Siân Lloyd, Jan Leeming and Joe Swift.[citation needed]
Lisa Faulkner, Neil Stuke, Richard Farleigh, Nihal Arthanayake, Alex Fletcher, Tessa Sanderson, Jenny Powell, Colin Jackson, Tricia Penrose, Martin Roberts, Christine Hamilton, Chris Walker, Dick Strawbridge, Danielle Lloyd, Marcus Patric, Dean Macey, Mark Chapman, Jennie Bond, Mark Little and Kym Mazelle.[citation needed]
Phil Vickery,[19] Kirsty Wark, Nick Pickard, Darren Campbell, Linda Lusardi, Michelle Mone, Ruth Goodman, Aggie MacKenzie, Ricky Groves, Margi Clarke, Colin McAllister, Justin Ryan, Shobu Kapoor, Sharon Maughan, Tim Lovejoy and Danny Goffey.[20]
Emma Kennedy,[21] Danny Mills, Michael Underwood, Zoe Salmon, Gareth Gates, Cheryl Baker, Laila Rouass, George Layton, Diarmuid Gavin, Richard McCourt, Rebecca Romero, Jamie Theakston, Jenny Eclair, Javine Hylton, Steve Parry and Anne Charleston.[22]
Ade Edmondson, John Thomson, Heidi Range, Shane Lynch, Miranda Krestovnikoff, Denise Black, Phillips Idowu, Speech Debelle, Brian Capron, Les Dennis, Matthew Hoggard, Katy Brand, Shappi Khorsandi, Joe Calzaghe, Jo Wood and Janet Street-Porter.[23]
Sophie Thompson, Christopher Biggins, Todd Carty, Tina Hobley, Kiki Dee, JB Gill, Wayne Sleep, Alison Hammond, Tania Bryer, Amanda Burton, Jason Connery, Ken Morley, Millie Mackintosh, Emma Barton, Russell Grant, Alex Ferns, Leslie Ash, Jodie Kidd, Charley Boorman and Susannah Constantine.[24]
Kimberly Wyatt, Keith Chegwin, Sarah Harding, Yvette Fielding, Arlene Phillips, Samira Ahmed, Andy Akinwolere, Syd Little, Amanda Donohoe, Craig Gazey, Tom Parker, Patricia Potter, Chesney Hawkes, Danny Crates, Mica Paris, Sheree Murphy, Natalie Lowe, Scott Maslen, Rylan Clark and Sam Nixon.[25]
Alexis Conran, Donna Air, Neil Back, Amelle Berrabah, Marcus Butler, Tommy Cannon, Amy Childs, Richard Coles, David Harper, Audley Harrison, Cherry Healey, Liz Johnson, Tina Malone, Louise Minchin, Laila Morse, Jimmy Osmond, Sid Owen, Gleb Savchenko, Sinitta and Simon Webbe.[26]
Angellica Bell, Rebecca Adlington, Abdullah Afzal, Kate Bottley, Patti Boulaye, Brian Bovell, Tyger Drew-Honey, Lesley Garrett, Dev Griffin, Barney Harwood, Stephen Hendry, Jaymi Hensley, Ulrika Jonsson, Henri Leconte, Debbie McGee, Aasmah Mir, Jim Moir, Nick Moran, Julia Somerville and Rachel Stevens.[27]
John Partridge, Michelle Ackerley, Chizzy Akudolu, Keith Allen, Clara Amfo, Martin Bayfield, Jay Blades, Frankie Bridge, Gemma Collins, Josh Cuthbert, Carol Decker, Anita Harris, Jean Johansson, Zoe Lyons, Spencer Matthews, Lisa Maxwell, Monty Panesar, Stella Parton, AJ Pritchard and Stef Reid.[28]
Greg Rutherford, Élizabeth Bourgine, Joey Essex, Alex George, Andy Grant, Rickie Haywood-Williams, Judge Jules, Josie Long, Oti Mabuse, Kellie Maloney, Dominic Parker, Vicky Pattison, Martha Reeves, Zandra Rhodes, Neil Ruddock, Jenny Ryan, Tomasz Schafernaker, Mim Shaikh, Dillian Whyte and Adam Woodyatt.[29]
Riyadh Khalaf, Shyko Amos, John Barnes, Jeff Brazier, Baga Chipz, Phil Daniels, Karen Gibson, Gethin Jones (withdrew due to illness),[30] Amar Latif, Lady Leshurr, Dominic Littlewood, Judi Love, Felicity Montagu, Judy Murray, Matthew Pinsent, Sam Quek, Crissy Rock, Thomas Skinner, Myles Stephenson and Pete Wicks.[31]
Kadeena Cox, Nabil Abdulrashid, Bez, Kem Cetinay, Munya Chawawa, Michelle Collins, Dion Dublin, Gavin Esler, Patrick Grant, Duncan James, Melissa Johns, Will Kirk, Penny Lancaster, Megan McKenna, Su Pollard, Katie Price, Johannes Radebe, Rita Simons, Joe Swash and Melanie Sykes.[32]
Lisa Snowdon, Richard Blackwood, Melanie Blatt, Jimmy Bullard, Paul Chuckle, Nancy Dell'Olio, Chris Eubank, Kirsty Gallacher, Danny Jones, Katya Jones, Lesley Joseph, Kae Kurd, Gareth Malone, Queen MoJo, Cliff Parisi, Adam Pearson, Clarke Peters, Kitty Scott-Claus, Ryan Thomas and Faye Winter.[33]
Wynne Evans, Richie Anderson, apl.de.ap, Dave Benson Phillips, Luca Bish, Marcus Brigstocke, James Buckley, Remi Burgz, Dianne Buswell, Terry Christian, Dani Dyer, Sam Fox, Max George, Cheryl Hole, Jamelia, Leon "Locksmith" Rolle, Shazia Mirza, Michael Praed, Mica Ven and Amy Walsh.[34]
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Eshaan Akbar, OJ Borg, Edith Bowman, Mutya Buena, Chloe Burrows, Diane Carson, Vito Coppola, Charlotte Crosby, Craig Doyle, Danielle Harold, Tamer Hassan, Jamie MacDonald, Christine McGuinness, Jake Quickenden, Rochenda Sandall, Snoochie Shy, Dominic Skinner, Emma Thynn, Marchioness of Bath and Ian "H" Watkins,
MasterChef: The Professionals, a version for professional chefs, was introduced in 2008.
Junior MasterChef originally ran from 1994 to 1999 for contestants under 16 years old. It was revived in 2010 with contestants between nine and twelve years old. A second series of the revived format ran in 2012 and a third series followed in 2014.
In February 2022, BBC Three commissioned Young MasterChef, which premiered its first series in 2023.[35] The judges for the first series were Poppy O'Toole and Kerth Gumbs. While O'Toole continued as a judge for the second season, Kerth Gumbs was replaced by Big Has. The second series aired in 2024.
During the 13th episode of its 14th series when Wallace and Torode criticised a rendang dish made by the Malaysian-born contestant Zaleha Kadir Olpin for its poor quality. Zaleha had been given a task to make a chicken dish in thirty minutes and chose to attempt rendang, which takes several hours to prepare. The judges deemed the dish inedible because the chicken skin was rubbery and undercooked and advised her that with a thirty-minute task she should have made a crispy fried chicken with a sauce. Malaysian and Indonesian commentators pointed out that rendang is usually cooked as a stew and is not intended to be crispy.,[36] and that both judges had failed to differentiate between "crispy" and "under-cooked".
Najib Razak, the Malaysian Prime Minister at the time, joined the conversation with a subtle tweet denouncing the judges' opinion.[37] The former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad also joined in, suggesting that the judges were confusing rendang with KFC.[38]
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Joan Bunting |
| 1991 | Sue Lawrence |
| 1992 | Vanessa Binns |
| 1993 | Derek Johns |
| 1994 | Gerry Goldwyre |
| 1995 | Marion Macfarlane |
| 1996 | Neil Haidar |
| 1997 | Julie Friend |
| 1999 | Lloyd Burgess |
| 2000 | Marjorie Lang |
| 2001 | Rosa Baden-Powell |
Note: The original MasterChef series did not appear in 1998.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Thomasina Miers |
| 2006 | Peter Bayless |
| 2007 | Steven Wallis |
The show's original name returned in series 4 in 2008.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2008 | James Nathan |
| 2009 | Mat Follas |
| 2010 | Dhruv Baker |
| 2011 | Tim Anderson |
| 2012 | Shelina Permalloo |
| 2013 | Natalie Coleman |
| 2014 | Ping Coombes |
| 2015 | Simon Wood |
| 2016 | Jane Devonshire |
| 2017 | Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed |
| 2018 | Kenny Tutt |
| 2019 | Irini Tzortzoglou |
| 2020 | Thomas Frake |
| 2021 | Tom Rhodes |
| 2022 | Eddie Scott |
| 2023 | Chariya Khattiyot |
| 2024 | Brin Pirathapan |
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Matt Dawson |
| 2007 | Nadia Sawalha |
| 2008 | Liz McClarnon |
| 2009 | Jayne Middlemiss |
| 2010 | Lisa Faulkner |
| 2011 | Phil Vickery |
| 2012 | Emma Kennedy |
| 2013 | Ade Edmondson |
| 2014 | Sophie Thompson |
| 2015 | Kimberly Wyatt |
| 2016 | Alexis Conran |
| 2017 | Angellica Bell |
| 2018 | John Partridge |
| 2019 | Greg Rutherford |
| 2020 | Riyadh Khalaf |
| 2021 | Kadeena Cox |
| 2022 | Lisa Snowdon |
| 2023 | Wynne Evans |
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Keziah Whittaker[39] |
| 2024 | Famara Kurang[40] |
| Year | Show | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Children in Need Junior MasterChef | Alexander (Billy) Wyatt |
| 2010 | Sport Relief does MasterChef | Alan Hansen |
| 2011 | Comic Relief does MasterChef | Miranda Hart |
| 2013 | Comic Relief does MasterChef | Jack Whitehall |
| Year | Contestant |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Ross Burden |
| 2008 | Emily Ludolf |
| 2017 | Solomon Taiwo |
| 2018 | Ashley Grote |
| 2019 | Jilly McCord |
| 2020 | Bruce Tasker |
| Christian Day |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | Hosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 July 1990 | 24 September 1990 | 13 | Loyd Grossman |
| 2 | 21 April 1991 | 14 July 1991 | ||
| 3 | 26 April 1992 | 19 July 1992 | ||
| 4 | 11 April 1993 | 4 July 1993 | ||
| 5 | 10 April 1994 | 3 July 1994 | ||
| 6 | 16 April 1995 | 9 July 1995 | ||
| 7 | 7 April 1996 | 30 June 1996 | ||
| 8 | 27 April 1997 | 3 August 1997 | ||
| 9 | 3 January 1999 | 28 March 1999 | ||
| 10 | 12 March 2000 | 4 June 2000 | ||
| 11 | 3 April 2001 | 3 July 2001 | Gary Rhodes |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 February 2005 | 1 April 2005 | 29 |
| 2 | 23 January 2006 | 17 March 2006 | 40 |
| 3 | 22 January 2007 | 15 March 2007 |
The show's original name returned in series 4 in 2008.
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 7 January 2008 | 28 February 2008 | 32 |
| 5 | 5 January 2009 | 26 February 2009 | |
| 6 | 18 February 2010 | 7 April 2010 | 23 |
| 7 | 16 February 2011 | 27 April 2011 | 15 |
| 8 | 17 January 2012 | 15 March 2012 | |
| 9 | 12 March 2013 | 2 May 2013 | 23 |
| 10 | 26 March 2014 | 16 May 2014 | 24 |
| 11 | 10 March 2015 | 24 April 2015 | |
| 12 | 23 March 2016 | 6 May 2016 | 25 |
| 13 | 29 March 2017 | 12 May 2017 | |
| 14 | 26 February 2018 | 13 April 2018 | |
| 15 | 11 February 2019 | 29 March 2019 | 24 |
| 16 | 24 February 2020 | 17 April 2020 | |
| 17 | 1 March 2021 | 14 April 2021[1] | 18 |
| 18 | 23 March 2022 | 5 May 2022 | 21 |
| 19 | 10 April 2023 | 1 June 2023 | 24 |
| 20 | 1 April 2024[41] | 23 May 2024 |
Specials
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 September 2006 | 29 September 2006 | 15 |
| 2 | 28 May 2007 | 15 June 2007 | |
| 3 | 2 July 2008 | 25 July 2008 | 12 |
| 4 | 10 June 2009 | 10 July 2009 | 15 |
| 5 | 21 July 2010 | 20 August 2010 | |
| 6 | 12 September 2011 | 22 October 2011 | 30(daily) 13(highlights) |
| 7 | 13 August 2012 | 21 September 2012 | 30 |
| 8 | 31 July 2013 | 6 September 2013 | 18 |
| 9 | 10 June 2014 | 18 July 2014 | |
| 10 | 18 June 2015 | 24 July 2015 | 12 |
| 11 | 22 June 2016 | 29 July 2016 | |
| 12 | 16 August 2017 | 22 September 2017 | |
| 13 | 23 August 2018 | 28 September 2018 | |
| 14 | 2 September 2019 | 11 October 2019 | 18 |
| 15 | 1 July 2020 | 30 July 2020 | 15 |
| 16 | 9 August 2021 | 17 September 2021 | 18 |
| 17 | 10 August 2022 | 22 September 2022 | |
| 18 | 2 August 2023 | 8 September 2023 |
A six-part series looking back over 15 years of Celebrity MasterChef, first episode broadcast on 6 August 2020.
Christmas special episodes, where past contestants competed to hold the title of Christmas champion; first episode broadcast on 21 December 2020, second episode broadcast on 23 December 2020.
The winner from each episode is in bold text.
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| MasterChef |
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| Junior MasterChef |
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| Teens MasterChef |
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| Senior MasterChef |
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| Celebrity MasterChef |
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| MasterChef: The Professionals |
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| Dessert Masters |
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| MasterChef: All Stars |
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