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MasterChef reaches 500 series around the globe

Revived by the Brits, but reworked by the Aussies, MasterChef is king of cooking shows.

MasterChef has surpassed an incredible 500 series since its reboot in 2005.

The Banijay-owned format created by Franc Roddam has chalked up 64 local versions to-date and more than 10,000 episodes around the world. Last year alone, despite filming restrictions, there were 43 productions across 30 markets.

It was named the Most Successful Cookery Television Format by Guinness World Records in 2017.

The original series was first seen on the BBC in 1990 and ran for 11 years. In 2005 Franc Roddam, in partnership with Shine TV, reconceived the format for BBC Two, which then moved on to BBC One in 2009.

But it was the Australian series, reworked under the Fennessy Bros. at Fremantle Australia that expanded the format, now replicated in multiple markets around the globe.

Lucas Green, Global Head of Content Operations at Banijay says: “Reaching this milestone is a fantastic achievement for the MasterChef family. Whilst staying true to the core values of the format, each version is unique, adapting to celebrate the individual cultures and craft of their region. The amazing teams on all 500 productions have created life-changing opportunities for our contestants and delivered world-class entertainment and iconic moments for millions of viewers around the world.”

Franc Roddam, MasterChef Creator added: “I am immensely proud of MasterChef, which has entertained millions and transformed the lives of thousands. I am so grateful to all those who have contributed to its global success and helped maintain its popularity and freshness over the years.”

Adaptations have included MasterChef Junior, MasterChef Professionals, MasterChef All Stars, Celebrity MasterChef, and most recently, MasterChef Senior proving incredibly popular.

Additionally, new territories include a four-version commission in India being added to the map spanning Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.

A Celebrity version screens on 10 later this year.

3 Responses

  1. I was fortunate to be in the UK in January 2009 (gosh, travel, remember that?) and stumbled across the UK MasterChef buried on BBC2 and wondered what had Channel Ten let itself in for by picking up this format. The UK series didn’t look all that appealing and given that Ten was replacing Big Brother with this I thought it would be a dud. How foolish was I

  2. The original UK version that aired at the start is still the best..no fuss, no bad “reality”, just cooking.. ..then they changed the format to be more like Aus..bad decision I say

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