Giorgio Locatelli is joining Celebrity MasterChef as its new judge and co-host, replacing John Torode and teaming up with restaurant critic Grace Dent for the next series on BBC One. It is a major reset for one of the BBC’s best-known food formats, which is not exactly entering its calmest era with a clean apron and no stains in sight.

Dent confirmed the new pairing on Instagram, writing: “Introducing my new sidekick for Celebrity MasterChef — Mr Giorgio Locatelli, coming to BBC One soon. Let the games begin.”

Who is joining Grace Dent on Celebrity MasterChef?

Locatelli is one of the most recognisable Italian chefs in Britain, best known for the Michelin-starred London restaurant Locanda Locatelli, which he opened with his wife, Plaxy Locatelli, in 2002. The restaurant became a landmark for Italian fine dining in the capital and earned its Michelin star a year after opening.

Its run ended in January 2025 after 23 years, but the Locatellis did not exactly vanish into quiet retirement. They later launched Locatelli and Bar Giorgio at the National Gallery in London, working with hospitality group Searcys.

Locatelli was born in Corgeno di Vergiate, near Lake Maggiore, and built much of his career in London after arriving in the city in the 1980s. He worked at the Savoy Hotel and later became closely associated with Zafferano and Locanda Locatelli, helping make Italian fine dining a serious fixture in London’s restaurant scene.

Why John Torode is no longer on the show

The change ends John Torode’s long association with the Celebrity MasterChef judging line-up. Torode had been tied to MasterChef since the BBC relaunched the format in 2005, making him one of the faces most viewers associated with the franchise.

His departure followed an independent investigation linked to wider allegations involving former co-host Gregg Wallace. In July 2025, the BBC said Torode’s contract would not be renewed after an allegation that “an extremely offensive racist term” had been used in the workplace was upheld.

Torode denied the allegation. He said he had “no recollection” of the alleged incident and did not believe it had happened.

How the wider MasterChef controversy reshaped the franchise

The presenter change is part of a broader attempt to move MasterChef beyond a bruising period. Banijay UK, the production company behind the programme, said a seven-month investigation into Wallace heard 83 allegations from 41 complainants. Of those, 45 were substantiated.

According to Banijay UK, most of the upheld allegations involved inappropriate sexual language and humour. The company said Wallace’s return to MasterChef had become “untenable.” The BBC, meanwhile, made clear that the programme itself would continue.

That context matters because Celebrity MasterChef is not simply swapping one presenter for another. The BBC is trying to preserve a durable television brand while distancing it from the behaviour and workplace allegations that have dominated recent coverage. In television terms, this is the awkward bit where the format remains popular but the old packaging has become a problem.

What Giorgio Locatelli brings to the BBC format

Locatelli arrives with both restaurant prestige and television experience, which is useful when the job involves judging risotto under studio lights while a celebrity attempts to look calm near a blender.

He is already familiar to MasterChef viewers in another market. In 2019, he joined MasterChef Italia as a judge alongside Bruno Barbieri, Antonino Cannavacciuolo and Joe Bastianich. Sky Italia described him at the time as a Michelin-starred chef with a strong international reputation and an ambassadorial role for Italian cuisine.

For the BBC version, his appointment gives the celebrity competition a professional chef with deep roots in British and Italian gastronomy. That balances Dent’s role as a restaurant critic known to MasterChef audiences from years of guest appearances before her move into a presenting role.

How Grace Dent fits into the new era

Grace Dent, a Guardian restaurant critic and long-standing MasterChef guest judge, has become central to the BBC’s refresh of the franchise. She replaced Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef and appeared alongside Torode in the 2025 celebrity series before moving into this next phase with Locatelli.

The new duo offers a clear contrast:

  • Dent brings the perspective of a critic, with a sharp eye for flavour, storytelling and whether a plate is trying too hard.
  • Locatelli brings decades of professional kitchen experience and the authority of a chef who has worked at the top end of London dining.
  • Together, they inherit a format built around celebrity contestants, timed cooking challenges and the personal food stories that keep the show from becoming only a sequence of stressed chopping.

Producers will likely hope the pairing feels different enough to signal change, but familiar enough not to alarm viewers who mainly came to watch famous people discover the limits of their knife skills.

When will the new series air?

The BBC has not yet announced a full broadcast date for the next series of Celebrity MasterChef. Dent’s Instagram post said only that the programme is coming to BBC One “soon.”

When it does return, the attention will not be limited to the celebrity contestants. Viewers will be watching to see whether Dent and Locatelli can establish their own rhythm after years in which the show was defined by its previous presenters.

For Locatelli, the role is a return to the wider MasterChef universe and a fresh chapter in British television. For Celebrity MasterChef, it is a deliberate turn toward culinary credibility, European polish and a public break from a messy recent past. The food will still matter, obviously. This time, so will the room around it.