MasterChef is where the whole franchise started. The British original has been on air, in one form or another, since 1990, and the modern format that most viewers know began in 2005. Here is every winner from the revival’s first series to today, plus a quick look at the original 1990s run.
Quick Reference: Every Winner Since the 2005 Revival
| Series | Year | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | Thomasina Miers |
| 2 | 2006 | Peter Bayless |
| 3 | 2007 | Steven Wallis |
| 4 | 2008 | James Nathan |
| 5 | 2009 | Mat Follas |
| 6 | 2010 | Dhruv Baker |
| 7 | 2011 | Tim Anderson |
| 8 | 2012 | Shelina Permalloo |
| 9 | 2013 | Natalie Coleman |
| 10 | 2014 | Ping Coombes |
| 11 | 2015 | Simon Wood |
| 12 | 2016 | Jane Devonshire |
| 13 | 2017 | Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed |
| 14 | 2018 | Kenny Tutt |
| 15 | 2019 | Irini Tzortzoglou |
| 16 | 2020 | Thomas Frake |
| 17 | 2021 | Tom Rhodes |
| 18 | 2022 | Eddie Scott |
| 19 | 2023 | Chariya Khattiyot |
| 20 | 2024 | Brin Pirathapan |
| 21 | 2025 | Harry Maguire |
| 22 | 2026 | Jhané Gibson |
Prize Money
There is no cash prize. The winner receives the MasterChef trophy and the title, and contestants are not paid for taking part; they even buy their own ingredients for practice. The real reward is what comes afterward. Series 1 winner Thomasina Miers went on to co-found the Wahaca chain of Mexican restaurants, and 2018 winner Kenny Tutt has opened his own restaurant in Worthing. Other winners have written cookbooks or moved into TV cooking.
Judges, Presenters and Narrator
John Torode and Gregg Wallace judged every main series from 2005 through 2025, with India Fisher narrating. In July 2025, the BBC announced it would not renew either man’s contract, following upheld complaints of sexual harassment (Wallace) and use of an offensive racial term (Torode). The BBC still aired the 2025 series, which had been filmed the year before. On September 8, 2025, it announced Grace Dent and Anna Haugh as the new presenters. Haugh appeared alongside Torode in the last episodes of Series 21, and Dent and Haugh debuted together in 2026.
The production base has moved several times: City University halls (2005–2011), the Ram Brewery (2011–2014), 3 Mills Studios (2014–2025), and now Digbeth in Birmingham (2025 onward).
The Original Run (1990–2001)
Before the revival, MasterChef ran for eleven series. Loyd Grossman hosted from 1990 to 2000, joined by a guest chef and a celebrity judge each episode, and Gary Rhodes took over for the final 2001 series. The original winners were Joan Bunting (1990), Sue Lawrence (1991), Vanessa Binns (1992), Derek Johns (1993), Gerry Goldwyre (1994), Marion MacFarlane (1995), Neil Haidar (1996), Julie Friend (1997), Lloyd Burgess (1999), Marjorie Lang (2000), and Rosa Baden-Powell (2001). No series was made in 1998 because Grossman took a sabbatical.
Series Highlights (2005–2022)
Series 1–4 (2005–2008) aired as MasterChef Goes Large on BBC Two, with Thomasina Miers, Peter Bayless, Steven Wallis, and James Nathan taking the first four titles. The show reverted to the plain MasterChef name in 2008.
Series 5–8 (2009–2012) brought the show to BBC One from 2009. Mat Follas, Dhruv Baker, Tim Anderson, and Shelina Permalloo won. Series 7 (2011) used an X Factor-style audition format, drawing more than 20,000 applicants.
Series 9–12 (2013–2016) were won by Natalie Coleman, Ping Coombes, Simon Wood, and Jane Devonshire.
Series 13–15 (2017–2019) went to Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, Kenny Tutt, and Irini Tzortzoglou. Series 14 (2018) also produced a widely reported controversy when the judges criticised a rendang dish, prompting public comment from Malaysian political figures.
Series 16 (2020) was won by Thomas Frake, a banker from Dartford, whose final menu included ox cheek braised in black treacle, bone marrow, and porter. The final aired April 17, 2020.
Series 17 (2021) was won by Tom Rhodes. The final was postponed from April 9 because of the death of Prince Philip.
Series 18 (2022) aired from March 23 to May 5, 2022, with the number of contestants raised from 40 to 45. Eddie Scott, a marine pilot, won over Pookie Tredell and Radhu Rü.
Since Series 18
Series 19 (2023) was won by Chariya Khattiyot, a master coffee roaster. Series 20 (2024) went to Brin Pirathapan. Series 21 (2025), the last with Torode and Wallace, was won by fishmonger Harry Maguire. Series 22 aired April 21 to June 5, 2026, the first with the new presenting line-up, and was won by Jhané Gibson.
Related Versions
MasterChef UK also runs Celebrity MasterChef, whose recent winners include Wynne Evans (2023), Vito Coppola (2024), Ginger Johnson (2025), and Lauren Steadman (2026). Giorgio Locatelli joined Grace Dent as a Celebrity judge from the 2026 series, replacing Torode. MasterChef: The Professionals, now judged by Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti, and Matt Tebbutt, crowned Dan Merriman in 2024.
Final Thoughts
MasterChef UK is the show every other national edition traces back to, and its winners list shows why it has lasted: nobody wins money, yet the title has launched restaurateurs, authors, and broadcasters. The biggest change in its history came off screen in 2025, when both long-serving judges left, and the 2026 series with its new presenting team suggests the format is durable enough to carry on without them.