John Torode and Gregg Wallace are back with a new series of MasterChef and it looks like the hit BBC show is set for a shake up. 

The biggest cooking competition on TV is set to return to BBC One with its 18th series next week. 

Forty-five passionate cooks will start the competition, each vying for the 2022 MasterChef trophy and to be counted alongside the show's impressive alumni. 

Here's when MasterChef will be on TV and what you can expect from the new series. 

When does MasterChef return?

The popular cooking contest will return on Wednesday, March 23 at 8 pm.

It will be broadcast on BBC One and will be available on-demand on BBC iPlayer afterwards.

The 18th series will then continue on Friday, March 25 at 8 pm and 9 pm.

What is new to MasterChef this series?

The upcoming series will include talented hopefuls from all walks of life including an NHS Worker, Theatre Director, Beer Bike Tour Guide, Childcare Worker, Bank Manager and even a Retired Head Teacher.

The new batch of driven contestants will have to take on a new set of challenges introduced by the judges - will they be able to stand the heat?

For the first five weeks, we'll see nine home cooks make their MasterChef debut in the new Audition Round. 

They'll have to swallow their nerves to showcase their signature dish for John and Gregg like in previous seasons.

However, the judges will be sampling their dishes in the new Tasting Room but they won't know who cooked it just like any other diner in a regular restaurant.

They will assess the contestant’s food solely on the plate in front of them, where they will pick their three favourite dishes.

The top three will get immunity from cooking in the next round and a well-deserved MasterChef apron.

Meanwhile, the other six will need to cook again to earn their place with another signature dish (which must be sweet if they cooked savoury in the first round or vice versa).

The stakes are extremely high as there's only space for four more cooks, with two losing out on the coveted apron.

What will the MasterChef Semi-Final look like?

The remaining Semi-Finalists will cook for 20 returning MasterChef contestants who, after the series, have gone on to have careers in the food industry.

The popular cooking contest will mark the centenary of the Royal British Legion’s crucial work with the hopefuls delivering a prestigious lunch.

The cooks will prepare dishes for 20 war veterans and crucial fundraisers under the supervision of Glynn Purnell, Head Chef of Michelin-starred Purnell’s Restaurant (Birmingham).

The series will also be marking a very different kind of anniversary - 10 years since Buttery Biscuit Base reached the Top 40 in the UK charts.

The contestants will need to create a dish inspired by the song that brought the show musical fame and over 11 million views online.

                                                                                                           

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What will the MasterChef final look like? 

The Finalists will travel to Ireland to celebrate the legacy of one of the world’s most important and arguably overlooked chefs: Myrtle Allen at Ballymaloe House and Cookery School.

The Final Three will also take on Chef’s Table challenge, at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, which has held three Michelin stars for 21 years.

Gordon Ramsay and his Head Chef, Matt Abé will push the cooks to their limits as they attempt to perfect the restaurant’s classic dishes.

The Chef's Table will include some of Gordon Ramsay’s original team such as Clare Smyth and Paul Ainsworth, as well as his old mentor, former three-star Michelin legend Pierre Koffman.

MasterChef will return on Wednesday, March 23 at 8 pm on BBC One.