MasterChef: The Professionals

In this opening heat, six professional chefs from all over the country arrive at the MasterChef kitchen and put their reputations on the line to stake their claim to the coveted title. The chefs face two daunting challenges: firstly a test of their basic skills, followed by a chance to cook their own signature dish for the judges. At the end of the heat, three chefs will be sent home and the strongest three will go through to this week's quarter-final.

In this heat, six ambitious new chefs set out to prove to the judges that they have the ability, commitment and style to push them to the top of their demanding industry. They face two tests set by the MasterChef judges: first, the chefs must put their basic skills up for scrutiny in the skills test before they have the chance to impress with their own dishes. With only three places in the quarter-final up for grabs, the battle is on.

In this first quarter final, the six strongest chefs from the heats attempt to impress Monica and Marcus in two challenges. First, they tackle the new Reinvention Test. Only the four most talented chefs go on to cook for the restaurant critics.

Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace team up to search for the country's next culinary superstar. Six new chefs compete for a place in the quarter-finals. The first three chefs begin with a skills test set by Monica. They have 15 minutes to make a sea bass ceviche. The remaining three chefs must complete a skills test set by Marcus, who examines their butchery skills and subtlety of flavour, when they are asked to cook a pork chop and grain mustard sauce. In the final challenge, the six chefs come together to cook their own signature dishes.

Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace team up to search for the country's next culinary superstar. The first three chefs begin with a test set by Monica, who asks them to prepare a sauce maltaise asparagus and poached egg. The remaining three chefs must complete Marcus's skills test. They have 15 minutes to make a banoffee cheesecake with caramel bananas. In the second challenge, all six chefs have the chance to wow the judges with their signature dish. After this round, the three weakest chefs leave the competition.

Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace team up to search for the country's next culinary superstar. It is the quarter-final and the six best chefs from the week's heats return to the MasterChef kitchen to continue in the pursuit of the winner's crown. Monica and Marcus ask the chefs to reinvent and reimagine a great family favourite - fish and chips. They will need to elevate the dish to a new standard without losing its heart and soul. Next, the chefs cook for some of country's most discerning restaurant critics. This week's food critics are Jay Rayner and William Sitwell, joined by Amol Rajan, editor at large of The Independent, who is not bashful about bringing his opinion to bear.

Six more chefs line up to cook for Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace. Marcus challenges the first three contestants to make taramasalata from scratch in 20 minutes, also requiring them to open a scallop and crack a crab claw to finish the dish. Monica's three have 15 minutes to tackle tagliatelle carbonara. The chefs then have the chance to show what they can do with a signature dish of their own design. The pressure is on as only three chefs will march on to the quarter-finals.

Six more chefs line up to cook for Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace. Monica challenges the first three contestants to make a lamb tartare, with a confit egg in 15 minutes. Their butchery skills, fine dice, seasoning and presentation is under scrutiny as all three MasterChef judges examine their every move. The next three chefs are set a skills test by Marcus. He puts them under pressure to fillet a John Dory and serve it with the perfect polenta in 15 minutes. Finally, the six chefs come together in the MasterChef kitchen to complete the signature dish round. This is their chance to show what their cooking is all about with their own recipe. They also have their hopes pinned on the dish seeing them through to the quarter-final.

In this quarter-final, the best chefs from the heats return to the MasterChef kitchen to contnue their quest for the title. The chefs begin with a new test, Monica and Marcus ask them to reinvent and reimagine a great family favourite, steak and kidney pie. Only four chefs have the chance to cook for the critics, the others are sent home. The four chefs that impressed now face a test that has seen even the best crumble under the pressure. They cook a two-course menu of their own design to be scrutinised by judges Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti and three of the UK's most experienced food critics - William Sitwell, Jay Rayner and Tracey MacLeod. They have just one hour and 15 minutes to turn out a delicious main and dessert. The three chefs who conjure up dishes to impress critics and judges alike will make it through to knockout week, and keep their dreams of lifting the Professional MasterChef 2016 trophy alive.

It is the final heats week and six new ambitious chefs set out to prove they have what it takes to win the coveted title. The first three chefs must make an artichoke barigoule. This rustic dish from the south of France should be a breeze, but even the humble artichoke can be catastrophic for a terrified chef. The remaining three chefs must dish up a hot lamb sandwich with a pea and mint salsa. The simplicity of the dish belies the depth of skill on show and the excellence the judges will be keenly watching out for. The six chefs then have one last chance to show the judges they are top calibre when they cook their signature dish. They must deliver on presentation, technique and flavour if they want to secure their future in the competition, because when it is all over, the three weakest chefs will be sent home. Only the three most talented chefs win a place in the last quarter-final and continue in their cooking battle for the prestigious Professional MasterChef title.

It is the last week of the heats and these are the last six chefs to battle to make it through the competition. The chefs' first task is to complete a skills test under the watchful eyes of judges Monica, Marcus and Gregg. The first three are asked to prepare a cold andaluz soup with a ham and egg garnish. With minimal cooking, the chefs need to deliver a soup that pings with flavour and colour in limited time. The final three contestants must knock up nougatine with a white chocolate and green tea mousse along with a raspberry coulis, all in 15 minutes. The chefs will be racing to cool their mousse and cook a nougatine that won't crack the judges' teeth. All six chefs now have one last chance to impress in the signature dish challenge. Failure to do so means they could be among the three chefs sent home at the end of the round. The three most talented chefs will return for the last quarter-finals.

In the last of the quarter-finals, the best chefs from the week's heats come together in the kitchen to cook against each other and continue in their quest for the title. The first test the professionals face is to reinvent a sweet family favourite, fruit crumble. The chefs need to deliver a dish that sets them apart because only four chefs will have the chance to cook for the critics. The remaining four chefs have just one hour and 15 minutes to serve up an exceptional two-course menu to three of the country's most notable restaurant critics. Newcomer Grace Dent joins Jay Rayner and Tracey MacLeod at this week's table. This culinary ensemble is accustomed to dining at some of the UK's most exciting destinations and will only be won over by the very best. After a tough session in the kitchen, one more chef's ambitions will be thwarted when they are sent home. The three remaining chefs move into knockout week.

After four weeks of intense competition, 48 chefs have been whittled down to the 12 most talented. Now they come together for the first time in the MasterChef kitchen. Their fate rests on one almighty cook off. The chefs have a surprise selection of ingredients to create one savoury dish. To test them even further, the judges have removed all the modern equipment from the kitchen. With just two hours and 15 minutes to deliver that make-or-break dish, the nerves are running high and the competition is fierce. Only the chefs who seize the opportunity to stand out from the crowd and blow the judges away with a stunning plate food will be among the eight considered strong enough to go straight through to the next round. The four weakest chefs have to cook off again for the final two places in the next round. Can they convince the judges they have a future in the competition?

Only ten outstanding chefs remain in the competition, and now they have been split into two groups. The first group of five are set two daunting challenges by Marcus and Monica. The professionals must prove they can work as a team when they are asked to create an exceptional dinner at the prestigious Royal Society of Medicine. The chefs have two and a half hours to create and cook a three-course fine-dining menu for the president and his guests. The menu must meet the expectations of the president, his guests and the judges. Finally, the chefs have 90 minutes to cook one showstopper dish for Marcus and Monica. At this level, only their very best will be good enough in this make or break round. It is a tense, thrilling battle and any mistake could cost them their place in the competition. Once they have tasted the five dishes, Monica and Marcus decide which chefs are good enough to become semi-finalists.

The second group of five chefs face two tough tests set by Monica and Marcus. In their first challenge, the chefs travel to one of London's most exclusive addresses, the French ambassador's residence. Marcus and Monica set them the task of cooking a three-course fine-dining menu from a selection of the finest French ingredients for the ambassador and her special guests. The chefs must work as a team to come up with perfectly-executed dishes worthy of the gastronomic connoisseurs, including the ambassador's chef de cuisine. The chefs then return to the MasterChef kitchen where they must set their friendships aside and battle for their place in the competition. Just 90 minutes and one showstopper dish is all that stands between the chefs and a place in the semi-finals. After tasting all five dishes, Monica and Marcus decide whose time in the competition is finally up and which four chefs will move forward.

The eight semi-finalists sizzle in a double cook off. The first challenge is to create an outstanding dish dedicated to the person who inspired them in their careers. Only the top two chefs who seize the opportunity to stand out from the crowd will go straight through to the next round. The six weakest chefs have to pick themselves up and return to the kitchen to battle it out for the four remaining places in the next round. They face an invention test set by Gregg. He wants to be knocked out by a dish successfully celebrating the fruit and vegetables on offer. Which of the chefs can summon up the creativity and resilience to secure a place in the next semi-final challenge? Only the six best chefs will continue in the fight for the title of Professional MasterChef 2016.

The first three semi-finalists battle it out for a place in finals week. First, they are sent to work alongside the incredible and inspirational chef Alyn Williams. Within the first 15 months of opening his restaurant at the exclusive Mayfair location of The Westbury, Alyn Williams had been awarded a Michelin star. The chefs are in a unique position to supercharge their knowledge under this legendary chef. The chefs are given the responsibility for one course each during a hectic lunchtime service. The chefs will have to deliver his incredible and intricate dishes to his exacting standards before they can be sent to the diners. They then must present one of the star dishes on the Alyn's Michelin-starred menu - roasted cornish turbot, with ratatouille, aerated bouillabaise and an amaretto and black olive crumb. Finally, the chefs return to the MasterChef kitchen to cook a two-course menu for Marcus and Monica. A main course and a dessert stand between them and a place in finals week.

In the last semi-final, the three chefs still to do battle for a place in finals week are sent to work under Michelin-starred chef George Blogg. His unique culinary style capitalises on being situated within one of the UK's most formative kitchen gardens at the exclusive Gravetye Manor. The chefs are given the honour and nervewracking experience of being responsible for one of George's dishes each during a packed lunchtime service. Under George's watchful gaze and firm guidance, the competitors will be hard pushed to keep up with the frantic pace. The chefs return the next day to cook George's own signature dish, a garden salad that is so seasonal, the ingredients change daily. They have to prove they understand George's philosophy and showcase their palate and creativity by first selecting their own produce from the 500 on offer in the two-acre kitchen garden. Finally, the chefs cook a two-course menu for Marcus and Monica. Only the strongest two chefs will go through to finals week.

The remaining four chefs start the finals week with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cook at one of the most prestigious events in the culinary calendar, The Chef's Table. Descending on a London location are 28 heavyweights of modern gastronomy. This is a potentially career-changing moment for the finalists to showcase their own food for their idols. Each finalist is in charge of one of the menu's four courses - starter, fish, main and dessert. Over five tense hours, under the close scrutiny of Marcus and Monica, the chefs prepare every single element of their ambitious dishes. The pressure is immense, the chefs have to take their food to a whole new level by executing 30 plates in the most terrifying service they have ever faced. If the finalists want to show that they have the talent to be a culinary star of the future, they have to deliver faultless dishes to both excite and impress the most discerning diners in the country.

The penultimate episode sees the four remaining chefs battle for an all-important place in the final three, and the chance to go to Oslo to learn from the star of Nordic gastronomy and cook in the three-Michelin-star restaurant Maaemo. Chef Esben Holmboe Bang is a groundbreaking, innovative, young chef. This dynamic chef creates his 20-dish menus using the heart of traditional Norwegian food and produce. The three finalists have a rare opportunity to learn from Esben and his team. They must then show what they have learnt by creating a stunning dish to impress Esben himself. The chefs will have to draw inspiration from Esben's philosophy and the produce in front of them, mahogany clams, mackerel, fermented plants, ants and edible flowers.

One chef will be crowned the 2016 champion. The last and best three contenders cook for the last time, and just three courses stand between them and the life-changing title. The outstanding chefs, who have cooked some exceptional plates of food to reach the final, face one last challenge: to cook the best three courses of their lives for the MasterChef judges. In three hours they must bring together a starter, a main and a dessert. As the tension builds, they must use everything they have learnt, all the inspiration they have gathered and all their talent and tenacity, to deliver flawlessly executed food, with mind-blowing flavours and stunning presentation.