Get your apron at the ready and prepare for some inspirational recipes, as fan-favourite cooking show MasterChef 2022 finally has an official air date.
And it looks like John Torode has had a smart new haircut to boot!
MasterChef’s official Twitter account has shared a new photo of Torode and fellow judge Gregg Wallace looking suited and booted to announce that the series will be returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 8pm on Wednesday, March 23rd.
#MasterChefUK is BACK! ???? The brand new series with @JohnTorode1 and @greggawallace starts Wednesday 23rd March on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer ???? pic.twitter.com/pFZFbjjGus
— MasterChef UK ???? (@MasterChefUK) March 9, 2022
Last year, 31-year-old Tom Rhodes beat fellow finalists Mike Tomkins and Alexina Anatole to win the coveted Masterchef 2021 title.
Speaking about his win, Tom said: “Being this year’s MasterChef Champion, after watching and admiring so many past Champions, seems like a dream come true. I’m grateful that I met, got to know and cook alongside some of the most wonderful and talented people, and have found friends for life in them.
“I’ll also never forget and can’t be more thankful to all the friendly, hardworking, fantastic people, that make MasterChef such a special show. I feel this is just the start, and I’m excited for what comes next.”
This year, Torode and Wallace will be back to watch another 40 contestants cook up a storm (or potentially crumble) in the high-pressure studio kitchen. They’ll be put through their paces in a series of extraordinary cooking challenges, and we can’t wait!
Here’s everything you need to know.
MasterChef 2022 release date
MasterChef 2022 will return to BBC One and iPlayer on Wednesday, March 23rd.
MasterChef 2022 contestants
The show usually starts with 40 contestants, who are then whittled down to six semi-finalists after several weeks of heats.
It’s a little early for any news on who will appear in series 18, but applications are now open.
Hopefuls can apply by filling out the application form on the MasterChef UK website. Applicants must be over the age of 18 and must never have worked as a full-time chef.
Who are the judges on MasterChef?
We’re sure these long-standing judges need no introduction, but here’s a refresher on the MasterChef hosts all the same.
John Torode
!["LONDON,]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/04/GettyImages-467619250-c1f1659.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Portraits")
Straight-talking Australian chef John Torode is credited with helping introduce Australasian food to the UK in the 1990s, and opened restaurants The Luxe and Smiths of Smithfield in London.
He has presented MasterChef and Celebrity MasterChef since 2005, hosts John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen alongside Lisa Faulkner – his wife – and also makes the occasional appearance on This Morning.
Gregg Wallace
!["BBC,]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/08/gregg-wallace-tv-dea7670.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Gregg")
Gregg Wallace started out as a greengrocer in Covent Garden, eventually expanding into the successful George Allan’s Greengrocers.
He presented the first series of Saturday Kitchen in 2002, and is now the long-running presenter of MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.
Who narrates MasterChef?
MasterChef knows not to mess with its winning formula. As well as judges Torode and Wallace, British actress India Fisher has been with the show as its narrator since it was revived in 2005.
Fisher is best known for her voice work in audio dramas including BBC Radio 4’s Elephants to Catch Eels, Ghosts of Albion, and Big Finish’s Doctor Who series. She has also appeared on-screen in Dead Ringers, Peep Show and CBBC’s The Dumping Ground.
MasterChef returns to BBC One on March 23rd at 8pm. Looking for something else to watch? Visit our TV Guide. Also visit our hub for more Entertainment news.