Celebrity MasterChef returns, welcoming 16 familiar hopefuls to battle for the title of Celebrity MasterChef Champion. Episode one sees the first batch of celebrities undertake two tough culinary challenges in a bid to prove themselves to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
Celebrity guests battle it out in the kitchen to earn the title of Celebrity MasterChef.
Celebrity MasterChef returns, welcoming 16 familiar hopefuls to battle for the title of Celebrity MasterChef Champion. Episode one sees the first batch of celebrities undertake two tough culinary challenges in a bid to prove themselves to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
Amongst the contestants are radio DJ and broadcaster Jamie Theakston and actress Anne Charleston, best known for playing Madge Bishop in Australian soap opera Neighbours. Joining them is singer Javine Hylton, who represented the United Kingdom in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest, and former Olympic swimmer Steve Parry.
The first challenge for the four hopefuls is a mystery box test; the infamous test of imagination and creativity in which the celebrities are presented with a range of ingredients. This episode's contents include rice, black cabbage, beetroot, apple and the key ingredient: a whole gurnard. With nerves running high and just 50 minutes to cook their dish, the celebrities must think on their feet to impress the judges.
London-born Greg is a produce connoisseur who started his career as a stall trader at London’s Covent Garden Market. He made his name in the fruit and veg world by founding Allan’s Greengrocers in 1989, a company that went on to celebrate a tidy £7.5 million annual turnover.
His entrepreneurial success and knowledge of greens earned him a seven year broadcasting contract with the BBC Radio 4 show Veg Talk, a year as host of the popular cooking TV show Saturday Kitchen and guest spots on such diverse shows as the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? and The Money Programme. However, since 2005, Greg is best known for being a MasterChef co-host and judge.
In 2014, Greg hit the dance floor as a celebrity contestant on the hit show Strictly Come Dancing. Sadly, his moves failed to wow and he was voted off in the second week of the competition.
Aside from his TV career, Greg is a contributing journalist for BBC Good Food and Olive magazines. He also published his autobiography – Life on a Plate – in 2012.
John Torode burst onto the British culinary scene after emigrating from his native Australia at the age of 25. He made his name cooking prime-cut meat dishes at Terrance Conran’s most revered London dining hotspots – Pont de la Tour, Quaglino's and Mezzo – before landing a broadcasting contract as a resident chef on the popular TV morning magazine show Richard and Judy.
In 2000, John established himself as a restaurateur in his own right by opening his New York style Smiths of Smithfield in a grand grade II listed building in the heart of Smithfield Market, London’s only working meat market. Guided by a mission “to serve simple food made from the finest ingredients”, it became an instant success and prompted him to open a second establishment called Luxe in 2009. Under his leadership, turnover of the two restaurants reached a reported £9.2 million.
John’s passion for locally farmed meat earned him presidency of the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 2008. He has also authored several bestselling books on cooking protein to perfection, including John Torode's Beef and John Torode's Chicken and Other Birds.
In addition to presenting and judging MasterChef since 2005, John’s broadcasting CV includes the recent John Torode's Australia. The ten-part series saw him return to his homeland to retrace the flavours of his childhood that ignited his passion for food, and was the most watched show on BBC Good Food in 2014.
Outside of the kitchen, John is fanatical about running, which he claims has helped him to manage his long battle with asthma.
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