Celebrity MasterChef: A Recipe for Success

In this episode, John and Gregg relive some of the best and worst food from the early rounds of the competition and look back at the celebrities’ first tastes of the MasterChef kitchen. They also revisit two of their favourite challenges, both of which involved taking the celebrities out of their comfort zone. First, it’s back to 2012 when finalists footballer Danny Mills, writer and comedian Emma Kennedy and TV presenter Michael Underwood were sent to cater for over 100 cast and crew on the set of BBC drama New Tricks, using just the basic facilities of a catering truck. Then they reminisce about Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon, actor Mark Moraghan and TV presenter Andi Peters cooking breakfast for 120 cadets in a basic army field kitchen at Sandhurst in 2008. Sharpen the knives, light the stoves – it’s 15 years of Celebrity MasterChef.

In this episode, John and Gregg recall the celebrity contestants’ first experience of a professional kitchen. From tackling mountains of prep, to facing unfamiliar and often frightening ingredients, to being overwhelmed with orders during a busy lunchtime service, the MasterChef judges look back at those who thrived and those who only just survived the intense pressure. John and Gregg also revisit a classic challenge from 2013 which saw the celebrities cook a high-end three-course meal for 150 people at Cambridge University. Broadcaster Janet Street Porter, boyband singer Shayne Lynch, comedian Les Dennis, rapper Speech Debelle and actors Brian Capron and Ade Edmondson took part in one of the most ambitious semi-final challenges ever set to a group of celebrities, pushing them above and beyond their culinary limits.

Over the years all sorts of personalities have been teamed up together. Some combinations really work, but when they don’t it can be complete chaos. From pairing up to prepare a dish in the MasterChef kitchen to cooking as a team for the mass catering challenges, John and Gregg look back at some of the successful and less than successful team dynamics. They also revisit a team challenge from 2015 that saw eight semi-finalists thrown together and taken back in time to a Victorian village, where they had to create a feast for 70 locals, using only ingredients that were widely available during that era. Actors Sherree Murphy and Scott Maslen, TV presenters Rylan Clarke-Neal and Sam Nixon, and singers Chesney Hawkes, Mica Paris, Kimberley Wyatt and Tom Parker took part in one of the most chaotic but entertaining team semi-final challenges in Celebrity MasterChef history. There’s no I in team – or is there?

John Torode and Gregg Wallace recall some of the best and the worst reviews of the celebrities’ creations. From members of the Women’s Institute to previous finalists and restaurant critics, the role of the external opinion is always a crucial one. John and Gregg also revisit a classic challenge from 2011 where the five semi-finalists were tasked with cooking much-loved recipes suggested by residents of a retirement village.

John Torode and Gregg Wallace look back at moments when their celebrity contestants were pushed to the limits of their culinary skills - from having to impress some of the best chefs in the country to mastering the precision of pastry and the most daunting challenge of them all, the Chefs' Table. The judges also reminisce about a classic challenge from 2017, in which a group of celebrities had to master the creations of world-renowned pastry chef Cherish Finden. And in 2012 Christine Hamilton, Dick Strawbridge and Lisa Faulkner faced a final-week challenge unlike any other. They had to prepare a fine dining lunch from a tiny kitchen on the Orient Express, keeping their culinary skills - and their balance - on track as the train steamed through the British countryside.

John Torode and Gregg Wallace choose some of the very best highlights from 15 years of Celebrity MasterChef, from the most amazing dishes and the most outstanding challenges to some of the most impressive individual success stories. They reflect on what it takes to be the best, recalling the moment in 2012 when the semi finalists took over the brasserie on a cross-channel ferry. They also revisit one of the final challenges from 2008, when three celebrities got to cook with Marcus Wareing, resulting in one of the most memorable moments in Celebrity MasterChef history.