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. The new series was originally 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. In February 2022, the BBC and Shine TV announced that they had agreed a multi-series six-year deal for the programme, and from 2024 the production base would move from London to Birmingham. In January 2023, it was reported that
Birmingham City Council had approved BBC plans to use the old Banana Warehouse in
Digbeth as the new
MasterChef studios.
Wallace and Torode's departure It was revealed in November 2024, that following allegations against judge
Gregg Wallace, he had decided to temporarily step away from the show. In December 2024, it was revealed that Wallace had temporarily been replaced with food critic
Grace Dent for the following year's celebrity series. In July 2025, the BBC dismissed Wallace as presenter after a further 50 complaints emerged concerning his behaviour. Following Wallace's dismissal from the show, it was revealed on 15 July 2025, that Torode had also been dismissed following extremely "racist remarks". Later that month, the BBC confirmed it would air the final amateur series with Torode and Wallace, which was filmed in 2024, but could be re-edited in light of recent events; meanwhile, no decision had yet been made on what to do with the completed celebrity series and Christmas special, which were both later filmed with Torode and Dent. It was later revealed that one contestant from the amateur series was to be edited out of the programme after requesting for it to not be aired. Philippa Childs, head of the
Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union called for the BBC to reconsider its decision. On 8 September 2025, it was announced that
Grace Dent and
Anna Haugh would be the new presenters of MasterChef. Haugh appears alongside Torode in the final episodes of the 2025 series, before the pair debut together from 2026.
Format 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
MasterChef 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.
Heats The heats follow a three-round format: •
The Market Test: the contestants must invent a dish using ingredients from the show's market. They have 15 minutes to select ingredients and 1 hour and 10 minutes to cook the meal. Three contestants are eliminated from the competition and those remaining advance to the Impression Test. •
The Calling Card: the contestants must invent a dish from scratch in 75 minutes (originally 40 minutes until 2009). The contestants can choose any ingredients they like. •
The Invention Test: the contestants are given two boxes: one with sweet items and the other with savoury items. They must pick a box and make a dish using its ingredients within 75 minutes. •
The Impression Test: the contestants must cook a two-course meal in 75 minutes for past winners and finalists of
MasterChef. They are given one hour to serve the main course and 15 minutes afterwards to serve dessert. This segment was first featured in 2017.
Quarter-finals The format of the quarter-finals has changed over the years. Before 2010, the format featured three rounds: •
The Ingredients Test: the contestants were asked to identify a selection of ingredients or produce. •
The Passion Test: the contestants each had one minute to convince the judges of their overwhelming passion for food. • After eliminating one contestant, the remaining three quarter-finalists each produced a three-course meal in 1 hour and 20 minutes. In 2010, the quarter-final format was cut to two rounds: •
The Choice Test: the contestants were given 15 minutes to cook their choice of either a pre-selected fish recipe or meat recipe with the judges supervising. At least one contestant was eliminated after this round. • The remaining quarter-finalists each produced a two-course meal in one hour. The current quarter-final format consists of two rounds: •
The Palate Test: Judge John Torode cooks a dish for the contestants, and they must identify the ingredients and try to recreate the dish using the ingredients available to them. •
The Choice Test: the contestants have 80 minutes to create a showstopping dish for the judges and a special celebrity food critic.
Comeback Week 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: •
The Skill Test: the contestants have 25 minutes to cook one of two pre-selected recipes. Some contestants may be eliminated after this round. •
The Palate Test: Torode cooks a complex dish and asks the contestants one by one to taste the dish and identify its ingredients. Some contestants may be eliminated after this round. •
The Pressure Test: the contestants work a lunchtime shift at a busy restaurant under the supervision of a professional chef who comments on their performance. • The remaining contestants have one hour to cook a two-course meal. One contestant is selected to advance to the quarter-final. • The comeback quarter-finalists then cook head-to-head in a larger version of the Invention Test, cooking one dish in an hour. One contestant is selected to advance to the semi-finals. ==MasterChef Live==