MasterChef

Each week for five weeks, nine home cooks have their dreams and their skills put to the test by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

The first test is an audition round, where the best three cooks automatically win themselves a coveted MasterChef apron and their place in the next stage of the competition. To give them their best chance to succeed, the judges ask them to cook their Family Favourite dish and make it MasterChef worthy. The dish must show John and Gregg who they are as a cook and how good they could become.

After tasting all nine plates, John and Gregg pick their three favourite dishes, giving those cooks immunity from cooking in the next round. The remaining six contestants then get another chance to impress the judges and win themselves one of four remaining aprons.

Faced with an invention test, they must pull out all the stops to cook a dish – sweet or savoury – good enough to get them into the next round. The pressure is intense and the stakes are high as two contenders will be eliminated from the competition.

This week's seven remaining home cooks return to test their culinary wits and show judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2023.

Their next challenge is the most difficult so far - cooking a dish to a brief set by one of the country's toughest food critics, William Sitwell. William wants them to prepare a dish inspired by their favourite celebrity chef.

Then, one more challenge remains in which to earn a place in this week's quarter-final. With just four places up for grabs, the contenders must each cook a dish with layers. Who will handle the pressure and show they have what it takes to progress further in the competition?

It's the first quarter-final, and this week's four most talented cooks return to fight for a place in Knockout Week. They face just one intense challenge: cooking two courses that will excite not just John and Gregg but also some of MasterChef's most inspiring winners, finalists and contestants, all of whom have gone on to careers in the food industry.

Tonight, their fate is in the hands of last year's MasterChef finalists and champion: Eddie Scott, Pookie Tredell and Radha Kaushal-Bolland.

Only the best cooks can earn themselves a place in Knockout Week, so these amateurs need to show real flair and ambition to edge closer to the MasterChef 2023 trophy.

It's the second week of heats, and once more the judges have a set of challenges the passionate amateurs must complete in order to progress in the competition.

Nine home cooks arrive with both their dreams and ingredients ready for their first test, the Audition Round. This year's auditionees come from all over the UK, cooking a range of dishes that aim to challenge the palettes of the judges and make their taste buds dance. Cooking their Family Favourite Dish and making it MasterChef worthy, the hopefuls must show John and Gregg who they are as a cook and how good they could become.

John and Gregg don't witness them cook in the MasterChef kitchen. Instead, they taste each dish in the Tasting Room. Just like diners in a restaurant, they judge each contestant's food solely on the plate that is put in front of them. After tasting all nine plates, John and Gregg pick their three favourite dishes, giving those cooks a well-earned MasterChef apron and immunity from cooking in the next round.

However, for the remaining six contestants, the competition is not over. Faced with an invention test, they must pull out all the stops to cook a dish – sweet or savoury – good enough to get them into the competition, and this time, John and Gregg are in the kitchen witnessing their every move. The pressure is intense, and the stakes are high, as at the end, only four cooks can join the three already fast-tracked in the next round of challenges. For two - their MasterChef dream is over.

This week's seven best home cooks from the first rounds return to test their culinary wits and try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2023.

Tonight, the contestants face two more challenges designed to gauge both their creativity and culinary repertoire. The first is their most difficult test so far – cooking a dish to a brief set by one of the country's toughest food critics, Jay Rayner. Jay has asked them to put their finest plates forward, cooking a dish using a batter or a dough.

The pressure is on to impress, because at the end of this test only the best cooks will remain in the competition.

Then, the remaining cooks face one more challenge to earn a place in this week's quarter-final – by cooking a dish featuring chocolate. With just four places up for grabs, who can handle the pressure and show they have what it takes to progress further in the competition and take another step closer to being crowned MasterChef Champion 2023.

Tonight, it's the second quarter-final, and this week's four most talented cooks return to fight for a place in Knockout Week. Tonight, they face just one intense challenge. They must cook two courses that will excite not just John and Gregg but also some of MasterChef's most inspiring winners, finalists and contestants, who have all gone on to careers in the food industry.

Tonight, their fate is in the hands of three MasterChef champions – Thomasina Miers (2005), Kenny Tutt (2018) and Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed (2017).

With just two Knockout Week places up for grabs, these amateurs need to show real flair and ambition to edge closer to the MasterChef 2023 trophy.

Nine home cooks arrive with both their dreams and ingredients ready for their first test, the Audition Round. This year's auditionees come from all over the UK - cooking a range of dishes that not only aim to challenge the palettes of the judges, but to make their tastebuds dance. Cooking their Family Favourite dish and making it MasterChef worthy, the hopefuls must show John and Gregg who they are as a cook and how good they could become. John and Gregg don't witness them cook in the MasterChef kitchen. Instead, they taste each dish in the Tasting Room. Just like diners in a restaurant, they judge each contestant's food solely on the plate that is put in front of them.

After tasting all nine plates, John and Gregg pick their three favourite dishes, giving those cooks a well-earned MasterChef apron and immunity from cooking in the next round. However, for the remaining six contestants, the competition is not over. Faced with an invention test, they must pull out all the stops to cook a dish – sweet or savoury – good enough to get them into the competition, and this time, John and Gregg are in the kitchen witnessing their every move. The pressure is intense, and the stakes are high, as at the end, only four cooks can join the three already fast-tracked in the next round of challenges. For two, their MasterChef dream is over.

This week's seven best home cooks from the first rounds return to test their culinary wits and try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2023.

Tonight, the contestants face two more challenges designed to gauge both their creativity and culinary repertoire. The first is their most difficult test so far – cooking a dish to a brief set by one of the country's toughest food critics, Leyla Kazim. Leyla has asked them to put their finest plates forward, cooking a dish that showcases sourness or bitterness.

The pressure is on to impress, because at the end of this test only the best cooks will remain in the competition.

Then, the remaining cooks face one more challenge to earn a place in this week's quarter-final – by cooking a dish celebrating stuffings and fillings. With just four places up for grabs, who can handle the pressure and show they have what it takes to progress further in the competition?

It's the third quarter-final, and this week's most talented four cooks return to fight for a place in Knockout Week. They face just one intense challenge. They must cook two courses that will excite not just John and Gregg, but also some of MasterChef's most inspiring winners, finalists and contestants, who have all gone on to careers in the food industry.

Their fate is in the hands of 2019's MasterChef champion Irini Tzortzoglou, Tom Rhodes, who won the trophy in 2021 and Nisha Parmar, who was a semi-finalist in 2018.

With just two Knockout Week places up for grabs, these amateurs need to show real flair and ambition to edge closer to the MasterChef 2023 trophy.

It's the fourth week of heats, and the judges are mixing it up once again. They have a set of challenges the contestants must complete in order to progress in the competition.

Nine home cooks arrive with both their dreams and ingredients ready for their first test, the Audition Round. This year's auditionees come from all over the UK - cooking a range of dishes that not only aim to challenge the palettes of the judges, but to make their tastebuds dance. Cooking their Family Favourite dish and making it MasterChef worthy, the hopefuls must show John and Gregg who they are as a cook and how good they could become. John and Gregg don't witness them cook in the MasterChef kitchen. Instead, they taste each dish in the Tasting Room. Just like diners in a restaurant, they judge each contestant's food solely on the plate that is put in front of them.

After tasting all nine plates, John and Gregg pick their three favourite dishes, giving those cooks a well-earned MasterChef apron and immunity from cooking in the next round. However, for the remaining six contestants, the competition is not over. Faced with an invention test, they must pull out all the stops to cook a dish – sweet or savoury – good enough to get them into the competition, and this time, John and Gregg are in the kitchen witnessing their every move. The pressure is intense, and the stakes are high, as at the end, only four cooks can join the three already fast-tracked in the next round of challenges. For two, their MasterChef dream is over.

This week's seven best home cooks from the first rounds return to test their culinary wits and try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2023.

Tonight, the contestants face two more challenges designed to gauge both their creativity and culinary repertoire. The first is their most difficult test so far – cooking a dish to a brief set by one of the country's toughest food critics, Jimi Famurewa. Jimi has asked them to put their finest plates forward, cooking a dish using leftovers or waste.

The pressure is on to impress, because at the end of this test only the best cooks will remain in the competition.

Then, the remaining cooks face one more challenge to earn a place in this week's quarter-final – by cooking a dish celebrating citrus. With just four places up for grabs, who can handle the pressure and show they have what it takes to progress further in the competition?

It's the fourth quarter-final, and this week's most talented four cooks return to fight for a place in Knockout Week.

They face just one intense challenge. They must cook two courses that will excite not just John and Gregg, but also some of MasterChef's most inspiring winners, finalists and contestants, who have all gone on to careers in the food industry.

Their fate is in the hands of two MasterChef champions - from 2020, Thomas Frake, and from 2010, Dhruv Baker – and the finalist from 2021, Alexina Anatole.

With just two Knockout Week places up for grabs, these amateurs need to show real flair and ambition to edge closer to the MasterChef 2023 trophy.

It's the fifth and final week of the heats, and once more the judges have a set of challenges the passionate amateurs must complete in order to progress in the competition.

Nine home cooks arrive with both their dreams and ingredients ready for their first test, the Audition Round. This year's contestants come from all over the UK, cooking a range of dishes that not only aim to challenge the palettes of the judges but make their taste buds dance too. Cooking their Family Favourite Dish and making it MasterChef worthy, the hopefuls must show John and Gregg who they are as a cook and how good they could become.

John and Gregg don't witness them cook in the MasterChef kitchen. Instead, they taste each dish in the Tasting Room. Just like diners in a restaurant, they judge each contestant's food solely on the plate that is put in front of them. After tasting all nine plates, John and Gregg pick their three favourite dishes, giving those cooks a well-earned MasterChef apron and immunity from cooking in the next round.

However, for the remaining six contestants, the competition is not over. Faced with an invention test, they must pull out all the stops to cook a dish – sweet or savoury – good enough to help them advance in the competition, and this time John and Gregg are in the kitchen witnessing their every move. The pressure is intense, and the stakes are high, as at the end, only four cooks can join the three already fast-tracked in the next round of challenges. For two, their MasterChef dream is over.

This week's seven best home cooks from the first rounds return to test their culinary wits and try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2023.

The contestants face two more challenges designed to gauge both their creativity and culinary repertoire. The first is their most difficult test so far – cooking a dish to a brief set by one of the country's toughest food critics, Grace Dent. Grace has asked them to put their finest plates forward by cooking the ultimate pot luck supper dish.

The pressure is on to impress, because at the end of this test only the best cooks will remain in the competition.

Then, the remaining cooks face one more challenge to earn a place in this week's quarter-final – cooking a dish using spice. With just four places up for grabs, who can handle the pressure and show they have what it takes to progress further in the competition and take another step closer to being crowned MasterChef Champion 2023?

It's the last quarter-final, with this week's most talented four cooks returning to fight for a place in Knockout Week. They face a single intense challenge. They must cook two courses that will excite not just John and Gregg but also some of MasterChef's most inspiring winners, finalists and contestants, who have all gone on to careers in the food industry.

Their fate is in the hands of two MasterChef champions, 2014's Ping Coombes and 2015's Simon Wood, and one of the finalists from 2020, Claire Fyfe.

With just two Knockout Week places up for grabs, these amateurs need to show real flair and ambition to edge closer to the MasterChef 2023 trophy.

After five weeks of fierce competition in the heats, the amateur cooks have been whittled down to just 14 to kick off Knockout Week. All of them have just one goal – to lift the coveted MasterChef trophy. Only the best can become semi-finalists at the end of this week. Over the next two nights, the heat intensifies as the remaining 14 contestants are split into two groups.

The first group of seven returns to compete for the chance to experience the pressure of a professional kitchen for the first time. They must cook a dish that they would have on the menu of their own restaurant, pop-up or feature in their cookbook. Gregg is away, so guest judge Anna Haugh joins John in the MasterChef kitchen to decide which five contestants will go on to cook at a restaurant and which two will be going home.

The remaining five contestants then head to London's Kings Cross, where they will be working at Decimo under Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, a chef with two Michelin-starred sites in his home town of Bristol that specialise in a combination of Spanish and Mexican cuisine.

During a busy lunch service, the five amateurs will be entirely responsible for serving the restaurant's menu to paying customers. Who will buckle under the intense pressure as they cook in a demanding and totally new environment?

In a competition where only the food matters, these amateurs will need to stand out to survive – taking another precious step towards being crowned MasterChef Champion 2023.

Knockout Week continues, and last time, two more contestants left the competition. At the end of this week, only the best ten cooks will remain.

Tonight, the second group of seven amateurs return to compete for the chance to experience the pressure of a professional kitchen for the first time. They must cook a dish that they would have on the menu of their own restaurant, pop-up or feature in their cookbook. With Gregg away, guest judge Monica Galetti joins John in the MasterChef kitchen to decide which five contestants will go on to cook at a restaurant and which two will be going home.

The remaining five head to the Royal Opera House to work in their flagship restaurant Piazza, under the guidance of Michelin-trained executive chef Richard Robinson, which focuses on modern British cuisine.

Only the best cooks will make it through to the final challenge in Knockout Week and have the chance to become a semi-finalist.

It's the end of Knockout Week, and the competition has now been whittled down to ten extremely talented amateur cooks, all of whom are desperate to reach the MasterChef semi-finals.

Their challenge is to make a dish that the judges can eat with their hands.
The stakes are high, because at the end, two contestants will be sent home and their dream of raising the MasterChef 2023 trophy will be over. For the remaining eight who have become semi-finalists, they are about to embark on a culinary adventure like no other.

The competition reaches fever pitch as the remaining eight hopefuls enter the semi-finals. All of them have just one goal – to lift the coveted MasterChef trophy.

The semi-finals kick off with a journey to the Fire Service College in Gloucestershire, one of the world's leading fire-training facilities. Each year, it equips over 15,000 firefighters and emergency responders with the skills required to provide first-rate care. Many risk their lives in the line of duty, and today our semi-finalists will honour their work with a celebratory lunch.

Cooking in teams for the first time, they face the enormous challenge of combining mass catering with fine dining. Each team will have just three and a half hours to cook and serve a feast for 120 of the emergency responders and trainers.

Expert planning and delegation will be crucial if they are to have any chance of success, delivering sophisticated food on a scale they have never experienced. It's vital the two teams perform at their absolute best and produce a lunch worthy of the occasion. After tasting the offerings, John and Gregg will pick the weakest team, who will have to return to the MasterChef kitchen and cook off against each other in a special Invention Test.

To keep their place, the four contestants must use their creativity to turn tinned and jarred food into a spectacular MasterChef-worthy dish.

With one contestant going home, there's everything to play for as only seven will stay in the race for the 2023 title.

The MasterChef semi-finals continue with just seven outstanding amateurs vying for the title.

They will need to step outside their comfort zone as they take on a brand new brief – cooking a dish that is ‘so wrong that it's right'. A dish with ingredients that on paper shouldn't work, but that becomes an unlikely tasty treat. How far will they push themselves, and will their risks pay off? Those who deliver will earn the right to cook for a legendary chef. For two contestants, however, their MasterChef journey will be over.

There is no rest for the best, as five head off to the Francis Crick Institute in central London. Home to 2,000 scientists, the institute is Europe's largest biomedical laboratory. It carries out groundbreaking research with the aim of helping to treat, diagnose and prevent human disease, including cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the discovery of DNA, and the remaining five contenders are tasked with cooking a five-course celebratory lunch. They are working under the eye of acclaimed chef Jozef Youssef, who honed his craft in some of the world's greatest Michelin kitchens and who now works tirelessly with artists and scientists, devising dishes that create the ultimate multisensory experience in fine dining. The contestants embark on an experience like no other, as they are each tasked with recreating one of Josef's technically demanding recipes, pushing each of them to their limits.

There is no room for error as prestigious guests include knights of the realm and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, meaning the semi-finalists will need to be at the top of their game.

Semi-finals week reaches its crescendo as the remaining five cooks go head-to-head, with just one challenge to overcome to win them a place in the coveted MasterChef finals.

Imaginations run wild as the contestants' brief is to cook a dish that is both ‘theatrical and fantastical'. The hopefuls need to create a dish that pushes boundaries, playing with both mind and senses.

At the end, judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace are faced with their toughest decision so far. Who has what it takes to go through to finals week and be in with a shot of becoming MasterChef Champion 2023?

It's finals week. Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace have put 45 of the UK's most passionate and talented home cooks through their paces in the ultimate test of their culinary prowess as they search for one exceptional cook, worthy of being crowned MasterChef Champion 2023.

The final four talented amateur cooks have given their all to get to this point in the competition. This week marks the last opportunity for them to prove their worth, as they are forced outside their comfort zone, requiring every last ounce of energy and skill. Only one will take the title, and for them, life will never be the same again.

The finalists embark on the culinary adventure of a lifetime as they head to Istanbul, where they face three extraordinary challenges that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Their journey starts in a community garden in the historic village of Kuzguncuk. Split into teams of two, each pair will be tasked with cooking two well-known local dishes, rooted in centuries of tradition, for local people. To help the finalists make sense of this unique multicultural cuisine, they will be mentored by one of Turkey's best-known chefs, Refika Birgül.

Next, the finalists have the honour of working with chef Fatih Tutak at Turk, the only restaurant in Istanbul to have been awarded two Michelin stars.

The four contestants work a busy lunch service and are tasked with recreating a dish from Fatih's celebrated tasting menu. These dishes represent the future of Turkish fine dining, where classic cuisine is re-imagined in spectacular fashion. Cooking at this level will require precision and a steady nerve as the final four try to impress Fatih by proving they have what it takes to hit his two-Michelin-star standard.

The final four muster up some last reserves of energy as they head off to one of the city's most exclusive addresses, Pera House – home to the British Consulate General and the political centre of Turkish-British relations for over 200 years.

Here the finalists face the daunting challenge of creating an exceptional lunch, hosted by the British Consul General himself- Kenan Poleo. The finalists will need to pull out all the stops if they are to impress the esteemed guests which include not only their Turkish mentors Fatih Tuta and Refika Birgül but also the three judges of MasterChef Istanbul.

Inspired by their culinary adventure and showcasing the skills they have developed through their entire MasterChef journey, the finalists dishes must be truly exceptional for them to stand out and prove they have what it takes to be crowned MasterChef Champion 2023.

In the penultimate show of the series, the final four go head-to-head for the chance to take on one of the series' most iconic challenges – Chef's Table.

Standing between them and a place in the final three is just one task – their interpretation of a classic dish. It's their last chance to bring together everything they have learned, let their creativity fly and prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they are worthy of a place in the final. This high-pressure cook-off will be the end of the journey for one of the four finalists.

The remaining three need their wits about them as they depart for central London for the dream chance to work at a restaurant unlike any other, the three-Michelin-starred Core, run by one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, Clare Smyth MBE, who cut her teeth with pioneers Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse.

Clare opened Core in 2017, and within three years had achieved the ultimate culinary accolade by delivering the finest British gastronomy, using humble ingredients rooted in nostalgia and giving her food an unmistakeable personal touch but with exceptional flair and skill.

The three finalists have never faced anything like this before as they each take on one of Clare's most breathtaking creations for a special lunch for a select group of chefs who are all leaders in their field, including Sat Bains, Tom Kitchin, Jonny Lake and Nieves Barragán Mohacho.

Can our three amateurs hold their nerve and reach a three-Michelin-star standard, or will the pressure to deliver be too intense?

After eight gruelling weeks of intense competition, the final three return to the MasterChef kitchen for the very last time as the search for the country's best amateur cook reaches its climax.

Nothing short of exceptional will cut it. The finalists have one last chance to pull out all the stops, show everything they've learned along the way and in three hours demonstrate the kind of cook they have become. Tonight, they must produce the best three dishes of their lives, push their culinary boundaries and produce jaw-droppingly good food for the judges.

To stand out, they must push themselves to the absolute limit and showcase their very best in what will be the biggest cook-off of their lives.

It's now or never, as at the end only one will lift the trophy and become MasterChef Champion 2023.