Overview
- Series 18 premiered on February 10 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with a one-off schedule change that moves the third episode to Sunday in the opening week.
- Matt Tebbutt joins Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti on the judging panel after Gregg Wallace’s exit, with production now based in a new Birmingham studio.
- Thirty-two professional chefs are competing over seven weeks in a refreshed format that includes skills tests and quarter-final services for leading critics.
- Former champions and finalists Gary Maclean, Philli Armitage-Mattin, Nikita Pathakji and Matthew Ryle set early challenges, including a No Waste Dish and Thai cooking.
- The relaunch follows an independent investigation that upheld multiple misconduct allegations against Gregg Wallace and a substantiated allegation that led to John Torode’s contract not being renewed.