The BBC has announced that food critic Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh will be the new hosts of MasterChef, replacing Gregg Wallace and John Torode after their 20-year run came to an end in July.
Wallace and Torode were dismissed after a report upheld allegations against them, though the broadcaster chose to air this year’s amateur MasterChef series which they had already filmed out of fairness to the contestants.
Dent, a journalist, author and podcaster, is a familiar face to MasterChef viewers, having made frequent guest appearances and competed in MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics in 2023. She said: “I’m over the moon to be coming back to the MasterChef kitchen and unearthing what culinary skills people have been cooking up behind closed doors. It’s a joy to be working with Anna, who brings all her incredible experience to the table. I am in for such a treat with this series, I can’t wait to get started.”
Dublin-born chef Anna Haugh, founder of the Myrtle restaurant in London, is also well known to audiences as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals. She replaced Wallace in episodes of the current amateur series when allegations against him emerged during filming in November.
Haugh said: “I’m delighted to be back on MasterChef and judging alongside the wonderful Grace Dent, whose writing and wit I’ve admired for years. MasterChef has long inspired and resonated with cooks in home kitchens and of course in my industry. I can’t wait to get into the studio for what will be a great competition.”
The BBC also confirmed that chef and television presenter Matt Tebbutt will join Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti on the judging panel of MasterChef: The Professionals, replacing Wallace.
The broadcaster has not yet announced its plans for the completed Celebrity MasterChef series, which Wallace and Torode filmed before their dismissal.