MasterChef is a BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 television cooking

Cooking

Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...

 game show

Game show

A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...

. It initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was later revived in a different format known as MasterChef Goes Large from 2005 onwards. In 2008, the "Goes Large" part of the name was dropped, but the format remains identical. The revamped format was devised by Karen Ross and John Silver, who updated the original Franc Roddam

Franc Roddam

Francis George "Franc" Roddam is an English film director, businessman, screenwriter, television producer and publisher. He is married to photographer, Leila Ansari, and has six children from previous marriages. He currently lives in London.-Career:Roddam's films include "Quadrophenia", "K2",...

 format.

The series now appears in three versions: the main MasterChef series, MasterChef: The Professionals for working chefs, and Celebrity MasterChef. All three versions have been commissioned up to and including 2011. A further version, Junior MasterChef, for 10-to-12-year-olds, was also broadcast in May 2010.

Series 6 of Celebrity MasterChef began 12 September 2011 and finished on 22 October 2011, airing in a new daily daytime slot on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

 at 2.15pm. Catch-up shows were aired on Fridays at 20:30 (30 minutes long) and early evenings on Saturdays (60 minutes long) during the series. The winner was announced on the final Saturday catch-up show.

Series 4 of MasterChef: The Professionals began 7 November 2011 on BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

 at 8.30pm. The series will air for 6 weeks.

Original series

In the original series, three amateur cooks took part in each episode, with nine heats leading up to three semifinals and a final, in which they competed for the title of Masterchef. Their task was to cook a gourmet, three-course meal in under two hours. Contestants could cook whatever they liked, though there was a price limit on ingredients. "Everyday" ingredients and equipment were provided for them, in addition to which they could bring in up to five "specialist" ingredients or utensils.

The first incarnation of the series was presented by Loyd Grossman

Loyd Grossman

Loyd Daniel Gilman Grossman, OBE, FSA is an American-British television presenter, chef and musician who has mainly worked in the UK.- Early life, education and honours :...

, who was joined each week by two guest judges, one a professional chef, the other a celebrity. Grossman and the guest judges discussed the menus, wandered around talking to the contestants, and finally ate and judged the food at the end. Originally, the judges' "cogitations" took place off-camera, though later on edited highlights of the discussions were added between the tasting and the announcement of the winner.

In 1998, Grossman decided to take a one-series sabbatical. He returned to present the 1999 series, but left the programme in 2000.

MasterChef Live

MasterChef Live is an extension of the television programme. The Show runs annually in November, it is hosted at London Olympia, co-located with The Wine Show. In 2010 the show will take place on the 12–14 November.

Highlights of the event include live cookery demonstrations in the Chefs’ Theatre, celebrity chefs, Critics, plus MasterChef Cook-offs between the 2010 Celebrity MasterChef winner who was revealed on 20 August 2010.

Junior MasterChef

Based on the MasterChef format, Junior MasterChef was for cooks up to the age of 16. Presented by Loyd Grossman from 1994, it used the same set and format. A new series aired on CBBC

CBBC

CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...

 in May 2010 with John Torode

John Torode

John Torode is an Australian-born British celebrity chef specialising in Australasian food. He runs Smiths of Smithfield and several other restaurants scattered throughout London's Smithfield market....

 and Nadia Sawalha

Nadia Sawalha

Nadia Sawalha is an English actress and television presenter.Sawalha is perhaps best known for her role as Annie Palmer in the BBC soap opera EastEnders during the 1990s, although most of her television work is now as a presenter rather than an actress...

 as judges.

Revamp

In 2001, the series underwent a makeover. It was moved from its traditional Sunday afternoon slot on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

 to a new weeknight slot on BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

. The "celebrity" judge was dropped, and chef Gary Rhodes

Gary Rhodes

Gary Rhodes OBE is an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef, known for his love of British cuisine and distinctive spiked hair style ....

 took over as presenter. This new version of the series asked contestants to cook two courses in just 90 minutes. It was much criticised (notably by former host Loyd Grossman). It lasted just one series.

MasterChef Goes Large

In 2005, Karen Ross and John Silver radically overhauled the format, and a new series was introduced under the title MasterChef Goes Large, which in turn was renamed MasterChef in 2008. In the new version, there are two permanent judges, John Torode

John Torode

John Torode is an Australian-born British celebrity chef specialising in Australasian food. He runs Smiths of Smithfield and several other restaurants scattered throughout London's Smithfield market....

 and Gregg Wallace

Gregg Wallace

Gregg Allan Wallace is an English writer, media personality and former greengrocer, costermonger and farmer. He is probably best known for co-presenting MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC Two and BBC One along with John Torode, where he is referred to as an...

, though neither addresses the viewer directly. Instead information is conveyed in a voiceover by India Fisher

India Fisher

India Fisher is a British actress born in 1974. Her father is the ex-MP Mark Fisher. She is also the stepsister of musician Crispin Hunt and of actress Francesca Hunt, who appears with her in the play Other Lives....

.

The new series airs five nights a week for eight weeks, consisting of six weeks of heats and quarter-finals, with six contestants emerging to compete against one another over the final two weeks to select a winner.

In each of the first six weeks, there are four heats and a quarter-final. Six contestants enter each heat, with one quarter-finalist emerging from each of the four heats, and these four quarter-finalists compete for a semi-final place, so that over the first six weeks, six semi-finalists emerge. In 2010, the judges were given more flexibility, allowing them to promote more than one contestant to the quarter-finals, or in one instance, none at all.

Heats

The heats follow a three-round format:

• The Invention Test: the contestants must invent a dish from scratch in 50 minutes (40 minutes up until 2009). The contestants can choose from any of a selection of ingredients provided on the day. This forms the first round of the programs and reduces the contestants from six to three cooks.
• The Pressure Test: Working a lunchtime shift at a busy restaurant under the supervision of a professional chef who comments on their performance.
• The Final Test: Cooking a two course meal, with the contestants designing their own menus and choosing their own ingredients, in one hour.

Quarter-Finals

The quarter-finals follow a different structure with different challenges. Up until 2010, the format was:

• The Ingredients Test: where the contestants are asked to identify a selection of ingredients or produce.
• The Passion Test: in which each contestant has one minute to convince the judges of their overwhelming passion for food. Following these two rounds, one contestant is knocked out without having cooked that day.
• Finally the remaining three quarter-finalists each produce a three course meal in one hour and twenty minutes.

In 2010, the quarter-final format was changed to:

• The Choice Test: where the contestants are given 15 minutes to cook their choice of either a pre-selected fish recipe or a meat recipe with the judges looking on. At least one contestant is eliminated after this test.
• This is followed by the remaining quarter-finalists producing a two course meal in an hour.

Comeback Week

The sixth week is called "Comeback Week" and features contestants from the previous series of MasterChef who did not advance past the heats or quarter-finals. The format is different for this week:

• The Skill Test: where the contestants have 25 minutes to cook one of two pre-selected recipes. Some contestants may be eliminated after this test.
• The Palate Test: where John Torode cooks a complex dish and asks the contestants one by one to eat the dish and list as many ingredients in the dish as possible. Some contestants may be eliminated after this test.
• The Pressure Test: where the remaining contestants work a lunchtime shift at a busy restaurant under the supervision of a professional chef who comments on their performance.
• The remaining contestants then have 60 minutes to cook a two course meal. One contestant is selected to advance to a 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.

It has proven very popular and is one of BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

's more successful early-evening programmes. The show's popularity led to an announcement by the BBC that the series would be moved to BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

.

Celebrity MasterChef

Based on the format of MasterChef Goes Large, a new programme of celebrity contestants face the MasterChef challenge on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

. There are three contestants per episode with a total of 24 celebrities taking part, who follow the full MasterChef Goes Large test. In 2011, the show was moved to a daily daytime slot with 30 episodes screened over 6 weeks and featuring only 16 celebrities.

In 2006, rugby player Matt Dawson

Matt Dawson

Matthew James Sutherland "Daws" Dawson, MBE is a retired English rugby union player who played scrum half for Wasps and Northampton Saints. During his international career he toured with the British and Irish Lions three times and was part of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning side...

beat Arabella Weir

Arabella Weir

Arabella Weir is a British comedian, actress and writer.The daughter of former British ambassador Sir Michael Weir, she is best known for her roles in The Fast Show and for writing several books including the international best seller Does My Bum Look Big In This? Arabella Weir (born 6 December...

, Charlie Dimmock

Charlie Dimmock

Charlie Dimmock is an English gardening expert and TV presenter. She was one of the team on Ground Force, a BBC gardening makeover programme.-Early years:...

, David Grant

David Grant (singer)

David Grant is an English pop singer and celebrity vocal coach.-Career:Grant became famous in the early 1980s as a member of UK soul/funk duo, Linx, whose biggest hit was Intuition in 1981. He began a solo career in 1983 with the Top 40 hit "Stop and Go"...

, Fred MacAulay, Graeme Le Saux

Graeme Le Saux

Graeme Pierre Le Saux is a retired English footballer of French ancestry who played for the Premier League clubs Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton, and for the England national football team. Primarily a left back, he was sometimes also played in midfield or on the left wing.After...

, Hardeep Singh Kohli

Hardeep Singh Kohli

Hardeep Singh Kohli is a British writer and radio and television presenter.-Background:Kohli was born in London and moved to Glasgow in Scotland when he was four. His parents came to the UK from India in the 1960s. The family's roots lie in the Punjab. His mother was a social worker, and his...

, Helen Lederer

Helen Lederer

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, Ian McCaskill

Ian McCaskill

Ian McCaskill is a former BBC weatherman. His Scottish accent, manner of speech, and relentless enthusiasm for severe weather made him popular with viewers . He became the most imitated weather presenter in the UK...

, Jilly Goolden

Jilly Goolden

Jilly Goolden is a British wine critic, journalist and television personality.-Education:Goolden was educated at an independent convent school ,-Career:...

, Kristian Digby

Kristian Digby

Kristian Digby was an English television presenter and director best known for presenting To Buy or Not to Buy on BBC One. On 1 March 2010 he was found dead in what police said were "unexplained circumstances"...

, Lady Isabella Hervey

Lady Isabella Hervey

Lady Isabella Frederica Louisa Hervey is a British socialite, model, and actress. She is the youngest daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol and his third wife Yvonne Marie Sutton, half-sister of the 7th Marquess of Bristol, and Lord Nicholas Hervey, both deceased, and sister of the 8th Marquess...

, Linda Barker

Linda Barker

Linda Barker is an English interior designer and television presenter.-Education:Barker studied Fine Arts at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design in Farnham. She then did odd jobs in various areas including fashion, before settling into a career as an interior designer...

, Marie Helvin

Marie Helvin

Marie Helvin is a fashion model, who worked extensively with David Bailey—to whom she was married between 1975-85—in the 1970s and 1980s she appeared in many fashion stories for British Vogue and posed for a series of nude photographs made by David Bailey, which were published in his 1980 book...

, Paul Young

Paul Young (singer and guitarist)

Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...

, Richard Arnold

Richard Arnold (TV presenter)

Richard Arnold is a British television presenter. He is currently employed by Seven Network.-Early life:Arnold was born in a house in Hampshire, grew up in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, and attended University of Edinburgh, gaining a MA in English Language and Literature. He then studied journalism at...

, Roger Black

Roger Black

Roger Anthony Black MBE is a retired British athlete. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4x400 metres relay gold medals at both the...

, Rowland Rivron

Rowland Rivron

Rowland J. Rivron is a British comedian, musician, writer and television presenter.-Early life: Rivron was brought up in Hillingdon, West London and attended Abbotsfield Secondary School...

, Sarah Cawood

Sarah Cawood

Sarah Cawood is an English television presenter.-Career:Cawood grew up in the Cambridgeshire village of Maxey and was educated at Stamford High School, Lincolnshire near Peterborough, United Kingdom. She also attended the Royal Ballet School and Arts Educational Schools London.Between 1995 and...

, Sheila Ferguson

Sheila Ferguson

Sheila Ferguson is an American singer, and was one of the longest serving singers of 1970s American female soul music group The Three Degrees.Ferguson settled in the UK after marrying an Englishman...

, Simon Grant

Simon Grant

Simon Grant in Falmouth, Cornwall is a British television presenter and actor.-Biography:Before becoming a CBBC presenter, he studied acting at Middlesex University....

, Sue Perkins

Sue Perkins

Sue Perkins is an English comedienne, broadcaster, actress, and writer.-Education:Perkins was educated at Croham Hurst School, an independent school for girls in Croydon in South London, at the same time as the BBC Breakfast News presenter Susanna Reid...

, Tony Hadley

Tony Hadley

Tony Hadley is an English pop singer-songwriter, occasional stage actor and radio presenter who gained celebrity as the lead vocalist for the 1980s band Spandau Ballet.-Early life:...

 and Toyah Willcox

Toyah Willcox

Toyah Ann Willcox is an English actress and singer. In a career spanning more than thirty years Toyah has had 13 top 40 singles, released 22 studio albums, written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays and ten feature films, as well as voicing and presenting numerous television shows...

In 2007, Nadia Sawalha

Nadia Sawalha

Nadia Sawalha is an English actress and television presenter.Sawalha is perhaps best known for her role as Annie Palmer in the BBC soap opera EastEnders during the 1990s, although most of her television work is now as a presenter rather than an actress...

beat Midge Ure

Midge Ure

James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...

, Craig Revel Horwood

Craig Revel Horwood

Craig Revel Horwood is an Australian-British dancer, choreographer, and theatre director in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...

, Jeremy Edwards

Jeremy Edwards

Jeremy Edwards is an English actor and television presenter, who has appeared in the TV shows Hollyoaks and Holby City...

, Chris Bisson

Chris Bisson

Christopher Paul "Chris" Bisson is a British actor.-Career:Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Chris Bisson first appeared on television as J.J. in Children's Ward in 1990...

, Martin Hancock

Martin Hancock

Martin Hancock is an English actor well known for his role as Emily Bishop's nephew Geoffrey "Spider" Nugent in the British soap Coronation Street and Reg Lund in Holby City....

, Sunetra Sarker

Sunetra Sarker

Sunetra Sarker is an English actress, most notable for her role as Dr Zoe Hanna on Casualty.Sarker has a degree in Information Systems for Business with French from Brunel University....

, Gemma Atkinson

Gemma Atkinson

Gemma Louise Atkinson is an English actress, television personality and glamour and lingerie model.-Personal life:...

, Sherrie Hewson

Sherrie Hewson

Sherrie Lynn Hutchinson is an English actor, broadcaster and novelist.-Early life:Born in Nottinghamshire, Hewson was brought up in a showbusiness family; her father was a singer and her mother a model. She began performing at the age of six, touring the UK's theatres in revues with her own...

, Pauline Quirke

Pauline Quirke

Pauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...

, Rani Price, Chris Hollins

Chris Hollins

Chris Hollins is an English journalist, presenter and sportsman, currently employed by the BBC and best known for being the sports correspondent for BBC Breakfast, and for winning Strictly Come Dancing 2009.-Early life:...

, Matthew Wright, Angela Rippon

Angela Rippon

Angela M. Rippon, OBE, born 12 October 1944, Plymouth, Devon, England, is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and television news programmes in South West England before moving to BBC One's Nine O'Clock News, becoming a regular presenter in 1975...

, Sue Cook

Sue Cook

Sue Cook is a British broadcaster and author.-Early life:Her father, William, worked for the Commission on Industrial Relations . She has two younger brothers, and lived on Burnham Avenue...

, Lorne Spicer

Lorne Spicer

Lorne Spicer is an English television presenter best known for presenting reality shows on the BBC's current daytime output....

, Emma Forbes, Jeff Green

Jeff Green (comedian)

Jeff Green is an English comedian and writer. He lives in Victoria, Australia with his wife and two children.- Stand-up :...

, Darren Bennett

Darren Bennett (dancer)

Darren Lee Bennett is a professional dancer, as were his parents. With his wife Lilia Kopylova he has a successful career in professional Latin dancing, competing nationally and internationally. Darren's favourite dances are the Samba and the Foxtrot.They teach private lessons in their own studio...

, Sally Gunnell

Sally Gunnell

Sally Jane Janet Gunnell OBE is a former British Olympic champion in the 400 m hurdles...

, Mark Foster

Mark Foster (swimmer)

Mark Andrew Foster is a British professional swimmer, specialising in butterfly and freestyle at 50 metres....

, Matt James

Matt James (TV presenter)

Matt James is a garden designer, horticulturist and university lecturer who rose to fame on the TV programme 'The City Gardener' which is shown on the UK's Channel 4. Originally from Essex, he now resides in Cornwall with his wife....

, Robbie Earle

Robbie Earle

Robert Fitzgerald "Robbie" Earle MBE is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals....

 and Phil Tufnell

Phil Tufnell

Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell is a former English cricketer turned television personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, "Tuffers" as he was known played 42 Tests and 20 One Day International matches for England, as well as playing for Middlesex from 1986 to 2002...

.

In 2008, Liz McClarnon

Liz McClarnon

Elizabeth Margaret "Liz" McClarnon is an English pop singer, dancer and television presenter. She was a member of the group Atomic Kitten and originated the role of Paulette in the first UK tour of Legally Blonde the musical....

beat Linda Robson

Linda Robson

Linda Patricia Mary Robson is an English actress. She played Tracey in the BBC comedy, Birds of a Feather from 1989 to 1998.-Personal life and education:...

, Louis Emerick

Louis Emerick

Louis Emerick, born 10 June 1960, Liverpool, England, UK, is a British TV actor, best known for his portrayal of Mick Johnson in the soap opera Brookside....

, Wendi Peters

Wendi Peters

Wendi Louise Peters is an English television and theatre character actress. Peters is married to Kenny Linden and they have one daughter together called Gracie who was born in 2000.-Film:...

, Debra Stephenson

Debra Stephenson

Debra Stephenson is an English actress, comedian, impressionist and singer.-Career:At the age of fourteen Stephenson appeared on BBC TV's Opportunity Knocks, winning her way through to the All-Winners' Final, broadcast live from the London Palladium...

, Chris Parker

Chris Parker

Christopher Parker may refer to:*Christopher Parker , British Member of Parliament for Clitheroe, Lancashire, 1708-1713*Christopher Parker , English actor and television presenter...

, Joe McGann

Joe McGann

Joseph 'Joe' McGann is an English actor. His most well known role is the lead role of Charlie Burrows, the "housekeeper" in the TV comedy series The Upper Hand . He is also known as a television reporter on the BBC's South Today programme, reporting on local events in the south of England...

, Steven Pinder

Steven Pinder

Steven Pinder is an actor.-Early life:Pinder was born on March 30, 1960, and comes from a small family with just one younger sister, Catherine, who is 11 years younger and works in agriculture. He grew up on Downham Avenue in Great Harwood...

, Mark Moraghan

Mark Moraghan

Mark Moraghan is a British actor and singer. He has appeared in many British drama series including Peak Practice and Heartbeat...

, Vicki Michelle

Vicki Michelle

Vicki Michelle MBE , is an English actress best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in the television comedy series Allo 'Allo! - a role which she has reprised in both 2008 and 2009 as a cast of the stage show based on the television series.After spending much of 2008 on tour with the Allo...

, Sean Wilson, Clare Grogan

Clare Grogan

Clare Grogan is a Scottish actress and singer. She is sometimes credited as C. P. Grogan.-Early life:...

, Hywel Simons

Hywel Simons

Hywel Simons , is a Welsh actor.Born in Neath, he was brought up in Porthcawl. He started acting while a pupil at Porthcawl Comprehensive School, before he went on to study at LAMDA....

, DJ Spoony

DJ Spoony

DJ Spoony is the stage name of Johnathan Joseph who is a British DJ, and former BBC Radio 1 presenter.-Radio and Dj career:...

, Claire Richards

Claire Richards

Claire Ann Richards is an English singer best known for being the lead singer of Steps from 1997 to 2001. She was a contestant on the second series of Popstar to Operastar before being voted off in the Semi Finals...

, Denise Lewis

Denise Lewis

Denise Lewis OBE is a retired British athlete who specialised in the heptathlon. She won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.-2000 Olympics:...

, Noel Whelan

Noel Whelan

Noel Whelan is a former English professional footballer who last played for Darlington. He has previously played for a number of league clubs including Leeds United, Coventry City and Middlesbrough...

, Andi Peters

Andi Peters

Andi Eleazu Peters is an English television presenter and television producer.-Education:Peters was educated at Emanuel School, a co-educational independent school in Battersea, in south-west London.-Life and career:...

, Andrew Castle

Andrew Castle

Andrew Nicholas Castle is an English retired tennis professional, former British No. 1, and now television presenter.-Biography:...

, Michael Buerk

Michael Buerk

Michael Duncan Buerk is a BBC journalist and newsreader, most famous for his reporting of the Ethiopian famine on 23 October 1984, which inspired the Band Aid charity record.-Early life:...

, Kaye Adams

Kaye Adams (presenter)

Kaye Adams is a Scottish television presenter, best known for presenting Loose Women from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...

, Julia Bradbury

Julia Bradbury

Julia Bradbury is an Irish-born British television presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One programme Countryfile and other documentaries and consumer affairs programmes.-Early years:...

, Josie D'Arby

Josie D'Arby

Josie d'Arby is a Welsh actress and television presenter from Newport, Wales.-Biography:d'Arby went to Lliswerry High School in her younger years then went on to attend the Anna Scher Theatre School, and later the London School of Journalism.d'Arby began a presenting career while still a student...

 and Ninia Benjamin

Ninia Benjamin

Ninia Benjamin is a British comedian who makes frequent appearances at the Edinburgh Festival. Benjamin has also appeared on the TV shows 3 Non-Blondes and Twisted Tales....

.

In 2009, Jayne Middlemiss

Jayne Middlemiss

Jayne Middlemiss is a London-based British television and radio presenter, originally from Northumberland. She began presenting music television shows such as The O-Zone and Top of the Pops in the mid '90s, before presenting a variety of other television and radio shows, including on BBC 6 Music...

beat Colin Murray

Colin Murray

Colin Murray is a Northern Irish sports and music radio and television presenter. He is the current host of the BBC Television show Match of the Day 2 on BBC Two, and the BBC Radio 5 Live shows 5 Live Sport and Fighting Talk, as well as a show on BBC Radio Ulster. He has previously hosted regular...

, Simon Shepherd

Simon Shepherd

Simon Shepherd is a British actor. He is well known to TV audiences from many appearances, including Dr Will Preston in five series of ITV's Peak Practice....

, Janet Ellis

Janet Ellis

Janet Ellis is a British television presenter and actress, who appeared on BBC children's television in the 1980s, including a four year period as a presenter on Blue Peter, a role she won after hosting the award-winning children's programme Jigsaw.- Early life :Ellis's father was a soldier,...

, Deena Payne

Deena Payne

Deena Payne is an English actress and former singer who is best known for playing Viv Hope in ITV's Emmerdale.Payne was born in Orpington, Kent. She used to tour with ex-Animals keyboard player Alan Price as a backing singer and she was a member of the novelty girl band Cats U.K....

, Iwan Thomas

Iwan Thomas

Iwan Gwyn Thomas MBE is a sprinter who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympic Games in the 400 m, and Wales at the Commonwealth Games. Thomas is the current UK record holder at 400 m with a time of 44.36 seconds and is a former European and Commonwealth games champion...

, Rav Wilding

Rav Wilding

Rav Wilding is an English television presenter, former security guard at Harrods, former soldier and former police officer who, since June 2004, has been a presenter on Crimewatch.-Early life and education:...

, Pete Waterman

Pete Waterman

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, Stephen K. Amos

Stephen K. Amos

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, Gemma Bissix

Gemma Bissix

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, Shirley Robertson

Shirley Robertson

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, Ian Bleasdale

Ian Bleasdale

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, Paul Martin

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, Tracy-Ann Oberman

Tracy-Ann Oberman

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, Brian Moore

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, Saira Khan

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, Rosie Boycott

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, Michael Obiora

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, Joel Ross

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, Shobna Gulati

Shobna Gulati

Shobna Gulati is an English actress, writer, and dancer of Indian origin, best known for playing Anita in Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies, and Sunita Alahan in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street from 2001 to 2006, a role to which she returned at the end of 2009...

, Dennis Taylor

Dennis Taylor

Dennis Taylor is a retired snooker player, and current BBC snooker commentator. Winner of two ranking events, he is best known for winning the 1985 World Championship, beating World number one Steve Davis on the final black in one of the sport's most memorable finals...

, Sian Lloyd

Siân Lloyd

Siân Lloyd is a Welsh television presenter, best known as a ITV Weather presenter.-Biography:Lloyd was born in Maesteg, Bridgend, Wales, the daughter of two teachers. She attended Ystalyfera Bilingual School and performed at the Eisteddfod where she won the Crown...

, Jan Leeming

Jan Leeming

Jan Leeming is a British TV presenter and newsreader.-Career:Born Janet Atkins in Kent, England, and educated at the St. Joseph's Convent Grammar School, she worked as an actress and presenter in Australia and New Zealand before becoming a well-known face on British television in regional and...

 and Joe Swift

Joe Swift

Joe Swift is an English garden designer, journalist and television personality.-Television career:Swift is a regular presenter and designer on the BBC's Gardeners' World, co-presenter on the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show, Gardeners' World Live, Hampton Court, RHS Tatton Park...

.

There was also a week of Comeback contestants featuring Joe McGann

Joe McGann

Joseph 'Joe' McGann is an English actor. His most well known role is the lead role of Charlie Burrows, the "housekeeper" in the TV comedy series The Upper Hand . He is also known as a television reporter on the BBC's South Today programme, reporting on local events in the south of England...

, Marie Helvin

Marie Helvin

Marie Helvin is a fashion model, who worked extensively with David Bailey—to whom she was married between 1975-85—in the 1970s and 1980s she appeared in many fashion stories for British Vogue and posed for a series of nude photographs made by David Bailey, which were published in his 1980 book...

, Linda Barker

Linda Barker

Linda Barker is an English interior designer and television presenter.-Education:Barker studied Fine Arts at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design in Farnham. She then did odd jobs in various areas including fashion, before settling into a career as an interior designer...

, Claire Richards

Claire Richards

Claire Ann Richards is an English singer best known for being the lead singer of Steps from 1997 to 2001. She was a contestant on the second series of Popstar to Operastar before being voted off in the Semi Finals...

, Rowland Rivron

Rowland Rivron

Rowland J. Rivron is a British comedian, musician, writer and television presenter.-Early life: Rivron was brought up in Hillingdon, West London and attended Abbotsfield Secondary School...

, Ninia Benjamin

Ninia Benjamin

Ninia Benjamin is a British comedian who makes frequent appearances at the Edinburgh Festival. Benjamin has also appeared on the TV shows 3 Non-Blondes and Twisted Tales....

, Steven Pinder

Steven Pinder

Steven Pinder is an actor.-Early life:Pinder was born on March 30, 1960, and comes from a small family with just one younger sister, Catherine, who is 11 years younger and works in agriculture. He grew up on Downham Avenue in Great Harwood...

, Wendi Peters

Wendi Peters

Wendi Louise Peters is an English television and theatre character actress. Peters is married to Kenny Linden and they have one daughter together called Gracie who was born in 2000.-Film:...

, Helen Lederer

Helen Lederer

Helen Lederer is a Welsh comedienne, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s.-Career:...

, Tony Hadley

Tony Hadley

Tony Hadley is an English pop singer-songwriter, occasional stage actor and radio presenter who gained celebrity as the lead vocalist for the 1980s band Spandau Ballet.-Early life:...

, Martin Hancock

Martin Hancock

Martin Hancock is an English actor well known for his role as Emily Bishop's nephew Geoffrey "Spider" Nugent in the British soap Coronation Street and Reg Lund in Holby City....

  and Jeff Green

Jeff Green (comedian)

Jeff Green is an English comedian and writer. He lives in Victoria, Australia with his wife and two children.- Stand-up :...

, from which Wendi Peters reached the series final.

In 2010, Lisa Faulkner

Lisa Faulkner

Lisa Tamsin Faulkner is an English actress and television personality.-Early life:Faulkner was educated at Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston upon Thames.When Faulkner was 16, her mother, Julie, died of cancer...

beat Neil Stuke

Neil Stuke

Neil Stuke , is an English actor notable for playing Matthew in the second and third series of Game On after taking over the role from Ben Chaplin,and for his role as Billy Lamb, Head Clerk in the 2011 BBC television series "Silk"...

, Richard Farleigh

Richard Farleigh

Richard Farleigh is an Australian private investor. He is currently a member of the Business Review Weekly Rich 200 list, a list of the 200 wealthiest Australian individuals.- Early life :...

, Nihal Arthanayake, Alex Fletcher

Alexandra Fletcher

Alexandra Fletcher sometimes credited as Alex Fletcher is a British actress best known for her role as Jacqui Farnham in the now defunct soap Brookside.-Career:...

, Tessa Sanderson

Tessa Sanderson

Theresa Ione Sanderson CBE is a former British javelin thrower and heptathlete who competed in the javelin competition in every one of the six Olympics from 1976–1996 winning the Gold medal in 1984...

, Jenny Powell

Jenny Powell

Jenny Powell , is a British television presenter.-Early life:Powell's parents are from South Africa, she attended Woodford County High School for Girls in Woodford Green and the Italia Conti school in London.-Career:...

, Colin Jackson

Colin Jackson

Colin Ray Jackson CBE is a British former sprint and hurdling athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles. Over his career representing Great Britain and Wales he won an Olympic silver medal, became world champion three times, went undefeated at the European Championships for 12 years and...

, Tricia Penrose

Tricia Penrose

Patricia "Tricia" Penrose is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Gina Ward in ITV1's long-running 1960s drama Heartbeat, a role she played continuously from 1993 to 2010...

, Martin Roberts

Martin Roberts

Martin Roberts is a Wales international rugby union footballer who currently plays at scrum-half for the Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership....

, Christine Hamilton

Christine Hamilton

Christine Hamilton is a British television personality and author, and the wife of former British Member of Parliament Neil Hamilton who was Minister for Corporate Affairs between 1992-1994....

, Chris Walker

Chris Walker

Chris Walker may refer to:*Chris Walker , English motorcycle racer*Chris Walker , Australian rugby league footballer*Chris Walker , English squash player...

, Dick Strawbridge

Dick Strawbridge

Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Francis "Dick" Strawbridge, MBE, , is a British engineer, television presenter and environmentalist...

, Danielle Lloyd

Danielle Lloyd

Danielle Lloyd is an English glamour model. The former Miss England 2004 and Miss Great Britain 2006, she first rose to prominence when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain 2006 title after posing for nude pictures featured in the December 2006 edition of Playboy magazine and her alleged...

, Marcus Patric

Marcus Patric

Marcus Patric is an English actor, possibly best known for the role of Ben Davies in the British soap opera Hollyoaks and its spin-offs Hollyoaks: Let Loose and Hollyoaks: In the City, which he won after entering the televised open-audition "Hollyoaks: On The Pull".-Filmography:*2000 - 2005...

, Dean Macey

Dean Macey

Dean Macey is an English athlete from Canvey Island. He is best known for competing in the decathlon, which he did from 1995 to 2008, winning World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals, as well as twice finishing fourth in the Olympic Games...

, Mark Chapman

Mark Chapman

Mark Chapman may refer to:* Mark David Chapman, murderer of John Lennon* Mark Lindsay Chapman, British-born TV and film actor* Mark Chapman , sports journalist and presenter* Mark Chapman , Hong Kong-born cricketer...

, Jennie Bond

Jennie Bond

Jennifer "Jennie" Bond is an English journalist and television presenter. She worked for fourteen years as the BBC's royal correspondent. She has most recently hosted Cash in the Attic and narrated the five series programme, Great British Menu.-Early career:She was educated at St...

, Mark Little

Mark Little (Australian actor)

Mark Little , is an Australian actor, television presenter and comedian, born in Brisbane, Queensland.-Career:Little appeared in a string of Australian films and TV series during the 1980s. He also performed his own comedy/performance in Melbourne's burgeoning comedy clubs throughout the eighties...

 and Kym Mazelle

Kym Mazelle

Kym Mazelle is an American dance-pop, Hi-NRG, soul, and house singer. She was brought up and lived on the same street as the Jackson family and knew Michael Jackson's mother and uncle.-Career:...

.

In 2011, former rugby player, Phil Vickery beat Kirsty Wark

Kirsty Wark

Kirsteen Anne Wark is a British journalist and television presenter best known for fronting the BBC Two's news and current affairs programme Newsnight since 1993, and its weekly arts annexe Newsnight Review which is now relaunched as "The Review Show".-Biography:Wark was born in Dumfries to Jimmy...

, Nick Pickard

Nick Pickard

Nicholas "Nick" Pickard is an English actor, best known for his role as Tony Hutchinson on soap opera Hollyoaks.He is currently the longest serving cast member and appeared in the very first episode in 1995...

, Darren Campbell

Darren Campbell

Darren Andrew Campbell MBE is a former English sprint athlete. He competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres, as well as the 4 × 100 metres relay...

, Linda Lusardi

Linda Lusardi

Linda Lusardi is an English actress, television presenter and former Page Three Girl. She is married to the actor Samuel Kane; they have two children, both born in Enfield, London: Lucy Anne and Jack Francis ....

, Michelle Mone

Michelle Mone

Michelle Mone OBE is a Scottish entrepreneur and model, who is best known as being the CEO of Ultimo.-Success with Ultimo:...

, Ruth Goodman

Ruth Goodman (historian)

Ruth Goodman is a British freelance historian of the Early Modern period specialising in offering advice to museums and heritage attractions. She is a specialist in British social history and is a presenter of the BBC educational documentary series Victorian Farm, Victorian Pharmacy and Edwardian...

, Aggie MacKenzie

Aggie MacKenzie

Agnes MacKenzie , is a Scottish television presenter. She is most prominently known for co-presenting the Channel 4 series How Clean Is Your House? with Kim Woodburn.-Biography:...

, Ricky Groves

Ricky Groves

Richard "Ricky" Groves is an English actor best known for playing Garry Hobbs in EastEnders from 2000–09. Before his role in EastEnders he appeared in the series Burnside, a spin-off from The Bill.-Other TV work:...

, Margi Clarke

Margi Clarke

Margi Clarke is a British actress . She was born in Liverpool and raised in Kirkby , and is known for her Scouse accent and platinum-blonde hair.-Early career:...

, Colin McAllister, Justin Ryan, Shobu Kapoor

Shobu Kapoor

Shobu Kapoor is a British actress.She is most notable for playing the role of Gita Kapoor, the long suffering wife of the market-trader Sanjay , in the popular BBC soap opera, EastEnders ....

, Sharon Maughan

Sharon Maughan

Sharon Maughan is a British actress.-Life and career:Maughan was born in Kirkby, Liverpool, one of five siblings in an Irish Catholic family...

, Tim Lovejoy

Tim Lovejoy

Timothy Paul Lovejoy is a British television presenter most famous for hosting Saturday morning football programme Soccer AM alongside Helen Chamberlain for over a decade.- Career :...

 and Danny Goffey

Danny Goffey

Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974 in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) is an English musician and singer-songwriter best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the English Britpop band, Supergrass...

.

MasterChef: The Professionals

A version for professional chefs. While Gregg Wallace and India Fisher reprise their roles as co-judge and voiceover, Torode is replaced by Michel Roux, Jr.

Michel Roux, Jr.

Michel Roux Jnr , is an English two-star Michelin chef at the London restaurant, Le Gavroche.-Biography:...

, who has two Michelin stars and who is assisted, from 2009, by his sous-chef Monica Galetti. Derek Johnstone won the competition on the 19 September 2008, and went on to take a job with Michel Roux Jr at Le Gavroche restaurant in London.

The second series began on Monday 14 September 2009 at 8:30pm on BBC2 and was won by Steve Groves on Thursday 22 October 2009. On 6 June 2010 the series was awarded a BAFTA in the Features category, fending off competition from The Choir

The Choir (TV series)

The Choir is a BAFTA award winning TV series following Gareth Malone as he tackles the task of teaching choral singing to people who have never had the chance, or experience to sing before....

, James May's Toy Stories

James May's Toy Stories

James May's Toy Stories is a television series presented by James May. The series was commissioned for BBC Two from Plum Pictures. The first episode, "Airfix", was shown on BBC Two at 8:00 pm on Tuesday 27 October 2009....

and Heston's Feasts

Heston's Feasts

Heston's Feasts is a television cookery programme starring chef Heston Blumenthal and produced by Optomen for Channel 4. The programme follows Blumenthal as he conceptualizes and prepares unique feasts for the entertainment of celebrity guests...

. The winner was Steve Groves, of Launceston Place.

The third series began on Monday 20 September 2010, the eventual winner being 30 year old Claire Lara from Liverpool. She was pregnant at the time.

The fourth series began on 7 November 2011, with India Fisher's voiceover replaced with Sean Pertwee

Sean Pertwee

Sean Pertwee is an English actor known for his television, film and voice-over work.-Career:In the early 80s, he auditioned for a place at the Surrey County Youth Theatre where he was cast as Captain Fitzpatrick in the play Tom Jones, based on the novel by Henry Fielding...

.

Junior MasterChef

Junior MasterChef

Junior MasterChef is a British game show in which ten to twelve year olds must compete to be crowned Junior MasterChef. It began on BBC One on 10 May 2010. it is a spin-off from the television series MasterChef...

A version for children over 10. It began on 10 May 2010 as part of the children's programming

CBBC

CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...

 block on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

. India Fisher provided the voiceover as usual, while the judges were John Torode and former Celebrity Masterchef champion Nadia Sawalha

Nadia Sawalha

Nadia Sawalha is an English actress and television presenter.Sawalha is perhaps best known for her role as Annie Palmer in the BBC soap opera EastEnders during the 1990s, although most of her television work is now as a presenter rather than an actress...

.

Georgia, aged 13 was the winner in 2010.

Masterchef (original series)

Year	Winner
1990	Joan Bunting
1991	Sue Lawrence Sue Lawrence Sue Lawrence is a Scottish cookery and food writer, noted for her promotion of traditional Scottish recipes and regional produce.-Biography:Lawrence first became well known after winning the BBC cookery programme MasterChef in 1991....
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 air in 1998.

Junior Masterchef

Year	Winner
1994	Katie Targett-Adams
1995	Jenna Tinson
1996	Lucy Wright
1997	Serena Martin
1998	Curtis Jackson
1999	Dominique Fraser
2010	Georgia Bradford

MasterChef (Goes Large)

Year	Winner
2005	Thomasina Miers Thomasina Miers Thomasina "Tommi" Miers is an English cook, writer and television presenter. She is married to Mark Williams.Born in Cheltenham, she studied at St Paul's Girls' School and Ballymaloe Cookery School and worked as a freelance cook and writer, with influences from time spent in Mexico.In 2005 she won...
2006	Peter Bayless
2007	Steven Wallis

MasterChef (renamed series)

Year	Winner
2008	James Nathan James Nathan James Nathan is best known as the winner of the BBC's MasterChef 2008, having beaten Emily Ludolf and Jonny Stevenson in the grand final.Along with his wife Linsey Stroud, James was co-author of The Trailrider Guide - Spain: Single Track Mountain Biking in Spain.A barrister, he practised criminal...
2009	Mat Follas Mat Follas Mat Follas, 44, was the winner of the BBC's MasterChef programme in 2009. He was born in the UK, to New Zealand parents and grew up in New Zealand. He moved to the UK when in his 20s and is now the father of three children....
2010	Dhruv Baker
2011	Tim Anderson

Celebrity MasterChef

Year	Winner
2006	Matt Dawson Matt Dawson Matthew James Sutherland "Daws" Dawson, MBE is a retired English rugby union player who played scrum half for Wasps and Northampton Saints. During his international career he toured with the British and Irish Lions three times and was part of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning side...
2007	Nadia Sawalha Nadia Sawalha Nadia Sawalha is an English actress and television presenter.Sawalha is perhaps best known for her role as Annie Palmer in the BBC soap opera EastEnders during the 1990s, although most of her television work is now as a presenter rather than an actress...
2008	Liz McClarnon Liz McClarnon Elizabeth Margaret "Liz" McClarnon is an English pop singer, dancer and television presenter. She was a member of the group Atomic Kitten and originated the role of Paulette in the first UK tour of Legally Blonde the musical....
2009	Jayne Middlemiss Jayne Middlemiss Jayne Middlemiss is a London-based British television and radio presenter, originally from Northumberland. She began presenting music television shows such as The O-Zone and Top of the Pops in the mid '90s, before presenting a variety of other television and radio shows, including on BBC 6 Music...
2010	Lisa Faulkner Lisa Faulkner Lisa Tamsin Faulkner is an English actress and television personality.-Early life:Faulkner was educated at Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston upon Thames.When Faulkner was 16, her mother, Julie, died of cancer...
2011	Phil Vickery

MasterChef: The Professionals

Year	Winner
2008	Derek Johnstone
2009	Steve Groves
2010	Claire Lara
2011	TBA

Charity Specials

Year	Show Name	Winner
2008	Children in Need Children in Need Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...  Junior MasterChef	Robin (surname not known)
2010	Sport Relief Sport Relief Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...  does MasterChef	Alan Hansen Alan Hansen Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...
2011	Comic Relief Comic Relief Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...  does MasterChef	Miranda Hart Miranda Hart Miranda Katharine Hart Dyke , known professionally as Miranda Hart, is an English actress, writer and stand-up comedienne. She writes and stars in the BBC sitcom Miranda...

Other notable contestants

• 1993: Ross Burden
  Ross Burden
  Ross Burden is a celebrity chef from New Zealand.Ross Burden's early career was as a model but became a chef later in life. His inspiration for being a chef was his mother's extremely bad cooking skills, which meant that he spent a lot of time cooking with his grandmother.Ross was brought up in...
  
  
• 1999: Joel Wright
• 2008: Emily Ludolf
  Emily Ludolf
  Emily Ludolf first became famous for being in 2008, at the age of 18, the youngest-ever finalist in the BBC TV show MasterChef, a reality tv show where amateur cooks attempt haute cuisine. In the finals Ludolf competed against Jonny Stevenson and James Nathan, the latter eventually winning the...
  
  
• 2009: Lewis Bebbington
• 2009: Marianne Lumb

Original Series

Masterchef


Presented by Lloyd Grossman:

Series	Start Date	End Date
1	2 July 1990	24 September 1990
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

Masterchef (Revamp)


Presented by Gary Rhodes

Gary Rhodes

Gary Rhodes OBE is an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef, known for his love of British cuisine and distinctive spiked hair style ....

:

Series	Start Date	End Date	Number of editions
11	3 April 2001	3 July 2001	13

Junior MasterChef

Presented by Lloyd Grossman:

Series	Start Date	End Date
1	14 August 1994	13 November 1994
2	16 July 1995	22 October 1995
3	4 August 1996	27 October 1996
4	11 March 1998	21 May 1998
5	18 April 1999	1 August 1999

Note: 13 editions for each series of Masterchef and Junior Masterchef.

Specials

• Happy 10th Birthday MasterChef: 18 June 2000
• Tales from the MasterChef Kitchen: Series 1: 10 editions from 2 July 2000 - 3 September 2000
• Celebrity Special: 27 August 2000

Revived Series

MasterChef Goes Large (MasterChef from Series 4)

Series	Start Date	End Date	Number of editions
1	21 February 2005	21 February 2005	29
2	23 January 2006	17 April 2006	45
3	22 January 2007	15 March 2007	40
4	7 January 2008	28 February 2008	32
5	5 January 2009	26 February 2009
6	18 February 2010	7 April 2010	23
7 (Revamp)	16 February 2011	27 April 2011	15 (inc. audition shows)

Specials

• What The Winners Did Next - Special on winners from Series 2 of Masterchef Goes Large: aired 22 January 2007

Note: Series 7 of MasterChef featured 'talent show-type' audition shows (similar to The X Factor

The X Factor (TV series)

The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...

) in which hopeful chefs cooked in front of the judges to secure a place in the competition. More than 20,000 people applied to audition for the show.

Celebrity MasterChef

Series	Start Date	End Date	Number of editions
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 (Revamp)	12 September 2011	22 October 2011	30 (daily shows) 13 (catch-up shows)

Note: Series 6 of Celebrity MasterChef was aired weekdays on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

 at 2:15pm. Catch-up shows were also aired on Fridays at 20:30 (30 minutes long) and on Saturdays (60 minutes long).

MasterChef: The Professionals

Series	Start Date	End Date	Number of editions
1	25 August 2008	19 September 2008	20
2	14 September 2009	22 October 2009	29
3	27 September 2010	2 November 2010	17
Special	8 November 2010 (Michel's Classics)		1
4	7 November 2011	22 December 2011	22

Junior MasterChef (New version for CBBC

CBBC

CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...

)

Series	Start Date	End Date	Number of editions
1	10 May 2010	28 May 2010	13 (daily shows)

External links