What to expect from MasterChef: The Professionals 2026

MasterChef: The Professionals returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, marking the start of the show’s 18th series and the latest chapter in one of the hospitality industry’s most influential competitions.

Airing three times a week on BBC One, with weekly episode drops on BBC iPlayer, the new series brings together a refreshed judging line-up, a brand-new studio and a slate of challenges designed to test professional chefs at the highest level.

Over seven weeks, 32 chefs from across the UK will compete for one of the most coveted titles in the food world.

A new home in Birmingham

One of the most significant changes for 2026 is the show’s relocation to a state-of-the-art new studio in Birmingham. The move marks the first time MasterChef: The Professionals has been based in the city and introduces a new production environment for the competition.

The new studio allows for expanded outdoor cooking facilities and redesigned kitchen spaces, enabling challenges that more closely reflect modern professional kitchens and service conditions.

Marcus Wareing said the change has brought fresh energy to filming.

He said: “It feels like a new era in a way. A new studio, new location, new judge. Everyone being in a new city and studio, the energy reminded me of when we came back from lockdown and everyone was just buzzing to be there.”

A refreshed judging trio

Series 18 is the first to feature Matt Tebbutt as a judge, joining long-standing judges Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti.

Matt’s arrival, confirmed last autumn, represents the biggest shake-up to the MasterChef: The Professionals judging panel in over a decade, with the Saturday Kitchen host replacing Gregg Wallace as the third judge.

Before joining the programme, Matt trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine and worked under chefs including Marco Pierre White at the Oak Room and Bruce Poole at Chez Bruce. He later ran The Foxhunter in Monmouthshire, earning strong critical praise for modern British cooking.

Speaking about his first series on the show, Matt said: “I’m walking through the MasterChef doors for the first time myself and I cannot wait to see the cooking talent this year’s chefs are bringing into the kitchen. I want to be wowed from the off.”

For Monica and Marcus, the new judging dynamic has brought renewed momentum while maintaining the professional standards the series is known for.

Monica said: “We’re always so ready to see the new chefs walk through that door. And then there was a new face joining us – Matt. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Champions return to set the Skills Test

A major format change arrives at the very start of the competition. For the first time, the skills test will be set by former MasterChef: The Professionals champions and finalists.

Returning to the kitchen are 2016 champion Gary Maclean, who has gone on to become National Chef of Scotland, 2020 finalist and cookbook author Philli Armitage-Mattin, 2022 champion Nikita Pathakji, and 2018 finalist Matthew Ryle, who has since opened two French restaurants.

Marcus said the move raised standards immediately.

He said: “It’s a celebration of all the talent that’s come through MasterChef. Bringing those chefs back in, you can see the level of food has gone up another notch.”

Monica added that the returning chefs understood the pressure better than anyone. “They know the nerves, the stress and the intensity. That connection makes the skills test even tougher.”

Quarter-finals, knockout week and sustainability

As the competition progresses, chefs face increasingly demanding challenges both inside and outside the MasterChef kitchen.

In the quarter finals, leading critics, writers and restaurateurs return to judge the chefs’ food, including Jay Rayner, Tom Parker Bowles, Leyla Kazim, Jimi Famurewa, April Jackson, William Sitwell and Xanthe Clay.

Knockout week pushes contestants into a fast-paced pop-up service at Boxhall in central London, cooking for 25 diners from the pop-up and street food world. Speed, consistency and service discipline become just as important as flavour.

Marcus said: “Street food cookery really exposes people. Some chefs have never done service like that before and it’s tough. But wow, we ate well this year.”

Sustainability then takes centre stage in the semi-finals, where chefs must deliver a No Waste Dish, using every part of a chosen ingredient.

The remaining chefs also receive a masterclass from John Chantarasak of Michelin-starred AngloThai, before cooking Thai-style dishes using ingredients from the MasterChef larder, including access to a traditional Thai charcoal stove.

Later, contestants travel to the Scottish Highlands to cook as part of Mark Donald’s brigade at the two-Michelin-starred Glenturret Lalique restaurant, experiencing the pace and precision of a world-class kitchen.

Chef’s Table at The Goring

One of the most daunting stages of the competition, Chef’s Table, returns to The Goring Hotel’s Michelin-starred Dining Room in central London.

The remaining chefs must cook for 27 invited guests holding a combined 36 Michelin stars, including Sarah Hayward of The Hand and Flowers, Daniel Clifford of Midsummer House and Ahmet Dede of Dede. Every dish is judged to the highest possible standard.

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An Italian Grand Final

For the final three, the competition culminates in South Tyrol, Italy, where the chefs cook for Norbert Niederkofler at his three-Michelin-starred Atelier Moessmer.

Norbert’s Cook the Mountain philosophy, which prioritises hyper-local Alpine ingredients, challenges the finalists to absorb a radically different approach to fine dining. They join his brigade during service before returning for a grand final that demands the best three courses of their careers.

Monica said: “Very few people get access to a chef of his calibre. To see our chefs step up to that level is something special.”

Matt added: “The pressure was huge, but it was amazing to see what they achieved in that environment.”

Why the series still matters

Across its 17 series, MasterChef: The Professionals has launched and accelerated countless careers. Former winners and finalists have gone on to earn Michelin stars, open restaurants and lead some of the UK’s most respected kitchens, including Steven Edwards, Stu Deeley, Dan Lee, Claire Lara, Alex Webb and Craig Johnston.

Marcus summed it up: “Every now and again, you get a chef who brings something completely new. That’s what keeps this competition exciting.”

With a new studio, a refreshed judging trio and some of the most ambitious challenges yet, MasterChef: The Professionals 2026 looks set to be one of the series’ strongest runs.