MasterChef 2022 start date: Latest news about the show's return

The fan-favourite cooking show experienced a socially distanced 2021 series and the good news is, it will return in some form in 2022.

So when can we expect another 40 contestants to cook up a storm for judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace?

Here's everything you need to know.

MasterChef 2022 release date

The show traditionally airs at the beginning of the year, regularly premiering in either February or March.

We can therefore expect the next series to be released in February/March 2022 - as long as the TV industry isn't hit by any delays, of course.

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

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

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 in early 2022. Looking for something else to watch? Visit our TV Guide. Also visit our hub for more Entertainment news.