Get ready for all manner of slicing, dicing, whisking, and blitzing as a crop of brand-new celebrities get their aprons on and head into TV’s most famous kitchen for Celebrity MasterChef 2023.
In this week’s first heat, Inbetweeners actor James Buckley is joined by Love Island winner Dani Dyer, ex-Gogglebox star Mica Ven, comedian Marcus Brigstocke, and TV and radio personality Richie Anderson, as they take on a string of culinary challenges under the watchful eyes of resident judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
Over the next six weeks, all our famous faces will be hoping to showcase enough skill to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, presenter Lisa Snowdon, to become Celebrity MasterChef champion 2023. Here Gregg, 58, gives us the lowdown…
What do you most look forward to about judging Celebrity MasterChef?
Gregg Wallace: "It's really good fun. Because these people are used to the camera, for most of them, the TV studio isn't a scary place, so they're fairly chilled out but some cannot cook at all. So we get lots of undercooked dishes, strange concoctions… and lots of disasters!"
At the heats begin, the celebrities’ first challenge is Under The Cloche, where each star has to create a delicious dish based around one mystery ingredient…
"The absolute terror on the celebrities' faces when they realise that they're actually expected to cook. They come into the kitchen and go: “Oh, it's real?” And John and I are like: 'Yes, we want you to cook, so off you go!'"
There are two new challenges this series, namely Celebrity Food Truck and Hunter Gather Cook...
"You need to keep changing the format, so the contestants can’t predict what’s going to happen. For the hunter gatherer challenge we had the celebs out in a field, cooking on these massive barbecues and roasting things in clay pits. Proper rugged cookery, I love that!"
Are there any recurring ingredient trends or dishes this series?
"I like the move to more veg-based dishes and also the fusion of European cookery styles with Asian flavours. But I hate water baths! You usually just end up with undercooked meat without any colouring on the outside — but it's that caramelisation that gives meat its flavour. When I see someone use one, I quake in terror because they hardly ever get it right!"
What does it take for a celebrity to stand out? And what dish is guaranteed to win you over?
"You've got to hit every challenge and not just get through it but impress us doing it. I’m always appreciative of effort and old-fashioned cookery skill, rather than just the prettiness of a dish. I love either roast lamb or a lamb cutlet that’s brown on the outside, and pink and juicy in the middle. With mint sauce. Give me that and I’ll hand you the Celebrity MasterChef title there and then!"
There have been 17 celebrity winners — do you have a favourite?
"England rugby captain Phil Vickery, who won in 2011, because he was a hero of mine. Just seeing the dexterity in making such delicate foods in those great, big rugby hands, was just phenomenal. I shouldn't have been surprised because he was such a ferocious competitor."
Do you have a wish list of celebs that you'd like to see on MasterChef in future?
"Martin Johnson, who captained England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. I would also like to have seen Terry Wogan do MasterChef. Obviously he's no longer with us, sadly, but he was a legend of broadcasting, a big fan of the show and really into his food."
After the heats, the best celebrity cooks must then battle it out in the quarter and semi-finals. Are you surprised by how much they become emotionally invested in the competition?
"The MasterChef kitchen is actually a really comfortable place to be with me and John. We don’t try to make fun of the celebrities or criticise them; we critique, encourage, offer advice and guidance and gently push them in the right direction to get better, so that everybody — regardless of where they get in the competition — comes away learning something. And we want everybody to enjoy it. We’re not just judges, we're the hosts, the celebrities are the guests and that’s how we want them to feel."
Celebrity MasterChef returns on Wednesday, August 2 at 9 pm on BBC1.
