| Young MasterChef | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality show |
| Created by | Franc Roddam |
| Judges | Poppy O'Toole Kerth Gumbs Big Has |
| Narrated by | Callie Cooke (2023) Aimée Kelly (2024) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Digbeth Loc Studios |
| Running time | 30 minutes (2023) 60 minutes (2024) |
| Production companies | Shine TV Ziji Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Three |
| Release | 2 January 2023 – 5 February 2024 |
| Related | |
Young MasterChef is a cooking competition broadcast between 2 January 2023 and 5 February 2024 on BBC Three. A derivative of the revived version of MasterChef (1990–2001, 2005–), the series was open for young adults between 18 and 25.[1]
The BBC announced the show in February 2022[1] and Poppy O'Toole and Kerth Gumbs as hosts in July 2022. O'Toole started uploading videos as Poppy Cooks on TikTok after losing her job to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, while Great British Menu finalist Kerth Gumbs was head chef of The Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street.[2][3] The show was co-produced by Banijay derivative Shine TV and by Ziji Productions.[4]
Series overview
[edit]Five chefs started each of three heats, with three advancing to the final.[5] Over the course of ten episodes, challenges included cooking a meal within a budget of £30,[6] cooking pizza,[7] and replicating a fine dining recipe by Great British Menu champion James Cochran.[6] Of the finalists, the Knebworth entrepreneur Jordan Pomerance was described by V-land UK as the first vegan chef to appear in a UK MasterChef final[8][9] and the Nottingham law student Keziah Whittaker won the series. Their final challenge was to cook a starter and a showstopper.[10] Gumbs left the show in August 2023 and was replaced by Big Has, another social media chef.[11][12]
Series two lasted for five episodes[13] and featured nine contestants[14] including TikToker Rima Aishah Begum. The third episode featured as guest judge Danny Malin of the YouTube channel Rate My Takeaway, who challenged the contestants to create fakeaways.[15] The final episode saw finalists recreate a recipe from Tom Booton, who had been head chef at The Grill at The Dorchester in London, and then cook a two-course meal for their families and the judges. The series was won by Famara Kurang, an intern from Brixton Hill.[16]
Transmissions
[edit]| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 January 2023 | 23 January 2023 | 10 |
| 2 | 8 January 2024 | 5 February 2024 | 5 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "'Young MasterChef' series coming to BBC Three - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ "'Young MasterChef' announces two new judges for BBC Three contest". Yahoo News. 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ "Young MasterChef judge on how the show will be 'inspirational' for young people". The Independent. 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ Yossman, K. J. (2022-02-11). "'Young MasterChef' Heads to BBC Three". Variety. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ Garrett, Lee (2023-01-02). "BBC Young MasterChef to feature Leicester cook". Leicestershire Live. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ a b "Nottingham Law School student wins Young MasterChef 2023". www.ntu.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ "Vegan food entrepreneur makes it through to another round of Young MasterChef". Welwyn Hatfield Times. 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
- ^ Sheldon, Liberty (2022-12-29). "Herts vegan chef to feature on BBC's new Young MasterChef show". Herts Live. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
- ^ "Jordan Pomerance on being the first vegan in a UK MasterChef final". V-Land. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
- ^ "First Young MasterChef winner crowned". Peterborough Matters. 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ Rodger, James (2023-08-15). "MasterChef judge leaves show due to 'other commitments'". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ Mensah, Katelyn. "Who is Big Has? Meet the new judge on Young MasterChef | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ "The great pottery throw down - 2 Jan 2024 - Heat Magazine - Readly". gb.readly.com. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ "Oldham TikTok star in new series of Young Masterchef". The Oldham Times. 2024-01-08. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ^ "Oldham Young MasterChef contestant reaches quarter-final". The Oldham Times. 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
- ^ Lee, Claudia (2024-02-06). "'If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have made it': Brixton chef dedicates Young MasterChef win to family". South London News. Retrieved 2025-12-02.