The BBC cooking show that tests the culinary skills of a group of amateur chefs is making a return to our screens.

MasterChef has built up a following of loyal fans since the first season of the revived show aired in 2005.

Season 18 will see another 45 budding cooks tested with various head to head cooking challenges.

When does MasterChef season 18 air on TV?

The first episode of MasterChef season 18 will air on 23 March at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Episode two and three will air on 25 March at 8pm and 9pm on BBC One.

What is the show’s format?

There are 45 home cooks from across the UK taking part in the new season of the show.

Episode one will see the first set of nine contestants cook a signature dish with the hope of showing off their skills in the kitchen.

The chefs’ signature dishes should give the judges an idea of who they are as cooks and of course they should taste pretty good too.

This season, the cooks won’t be watched as they make their signature dish, and it will be tasted in the brand new MasterChef tasting room.

Judges John and Gregg will pick their three favourite dishes and award three MasterChef aprons to the cooks, allowing them a place in the competition.

The six contestants who did not wow with their signature dish will cook another meal, this time under the watchful eye of the judges.

Four more contestants will make it through to the next round of the competition while two will be sent home early.

The remaining seven chefs will be whittled down over the next two episodes until two are left to go on to the semi-finalists.

This process will be repeated with four more sets of contestants over five weeks until all of the semi-finalists have been found.

Who are the MasterChef UK judges?

John Torode and Gregg Wallace are back to helm season 18 of the show, having become as much a part of the MasterChef furniture as the coveted aprons.

The pair replaced restaurateur and TV chef Gary Rhodes when the show was relaunched in 2005. They are also judges on Celebrity MasterChef.

Torode is an Australian-British celebrity chef who moved to the UK in the 1990s.

From 1996-2000 Torode cooked on This Morning and has presented several programmes for the Good Food Channel, including Korean Food Tour and John Torode’s Asia.

Wallace began his career selling vegetables at Covent Garden market before starting a successful greengrocers business.

MasterChef UK All Seasons
MasterChef UK Season 17
MasterChef UK Season 18

Episode 01 | Episode 02 | Episode 03 | Episode 04 | Episode 05 | Episode 06 | Episode 07 | Episode 08 | Episode 09 | Episode 10 | Episode 11 | Episode 12 | Episode 13 | Episode 14 | Episode 15 | Episode 16 | Episode 17 | Episode 18 | Episode 19 | Episode 20 | Episode 21 | Episode 22 | Episode 23 | Episode 24