It's been around six months since MasterChef: The Professionals concluded, so we wouldn't blame you if you were starting to long for a new season!

Luckily, a brand-new series of regular MasterChef will be on the way soon. After Gregg Wallace stepped aside following allegations of sexual misconduct, John Torode will be joined by another early rounds judge. Guardian restaurant critic Grace Dent was confirmed as the judge for the next series of Celebrity MasterChef, but it has not been confirmed whether she will join Torode for this series of the standard programme.

A regular fixture in previous series, Dent has featured as a guest on the show and participated in MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics in 2023. 

Last year marked a huge milestone of twenty series for MasterChef. The show pulled out all the stops in 2024, with an all-star list of past winners and finalists returning throughout the series, a legendary London restaurant hosting the revered Chef's Table round, and an incredible trip to Singapore for the finalists.

As we wait for series 21 to drop, we'll be regularly updating this page, so make sure to keep checking back.

The BBC are yet to confirm when the new series will air, but last year MasterChef began in April, so we're expecting an announcement any day now. Three episodes air each week for a total of eight weeks.

Series 21 of MasterChef will air on BBC One.

Although the official date of the MasterChef 2025 final is yet to be confirmed, based on previous years, we'd expect it to air eight weeks after the new season starts, so likely late July.

Returning for series 21, John Torode will be judging the amateur chefs as normal. However, following allegations of sexual misconduct, Gregg Wallace will not be returning. While Grace Dent has been confirmed as judge for Celebrity MasterChef, it has not been confirmed whether she will join Torode for this series of the standard programme.

Last year, commenting on the milestone series, judge John Torode said to the BBC, 'I can hardly believe that we are into the 20th series of this unbelievably brilliant show. It’s such a point of pride and celebration. I believe food brings people together and every year we’re fortunate enough to be able to help incredibly talented, hard-working people realise their dream and indulge themselves in the joy that is MasterChef.'

We'll be updating this list of the contestants taking part as it's announced each week, along with who progresses each week, so avoid reading the results if you don't want any spoilers!

Last year saw both old favourites and new challenges mark series twenty of MasterChef.

As ever, the judges ask contestants to undertake tasks set by the UK's toughest critics, such as the infamous Invention Test, the Signature Dish Challenge and the Mass-Catering Challenge.

Sometimes the finalists then have the chance to travel to a restaurant somewhere around the world, which in the past has ranged from Spain to Singapore for a final series of challenges, before cooking at the famous Chef's Table.