A total of 58 hopefuls will be be put through their paces — but there can only be one winner.

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What prize does the MasterChef winner get?

John Torode and Gregg Wallace are back as judges for the nation’s favourite cooking competition.

Fifty-eight passionate and talented hopefuls start the competition, before being whittled down to one winner.

The 2024 amateur chefs come from all walks of life including a veterinary surgeon, digital project director, butcher, children’s mental health services manager, musical director and farm owner.

There is no cash prize for the winner, but the champion gets to take home the coveted MasterChef trophy.

Recognition, prestige and exposure is the main appeal of winning the contest — rather than money.

Past finalists have gone to write critically acclaimed cookbooks, open their own restaurants — the show has launched numerous successful culinary careers.

The MasterChef trophy is the show’s logo — the letter ‘m’ surrounded by two circles.

It is made of polished aluminium and mounted on a tiered aluminium base.

Makers of the award, Gaudio, say on their website: “The MasterChef trophy is instantly recognisable and is treasured by winners.”

The trophy was redesigned in 2012.

Where are the past winners now?

• Series 1, 2005 – Thomasina Miers. Became the co-founder of Wahaca chain of Mexican Restaurants.
• Series 2, 2006 – Peter Bayless. Published My Father Could Only Boil Cornflakes and teaches at various cookery schools.
• Series 3, 2007 – Steve Wallis. Became the group head of culinery innovation at Two Sisters Food Group.
• Series 4, 2008 – James Nathan. Opened The Green Room restaurant in Cornwall and took over  St Enodoc Hotel in Rock.
• Series 5, 2009 – Mat Follas. Wrote two cookery books and opened Bramble Cafe and Deli in Dorset with his wife.
• Series 6, 2010 – Dhruv Baker. Wrote Spice: Layers of Flavour and children’s cookery book Spice Story, and became co-owner of Earlsfield Kitchen and The Jolly Gardeners in Wandsworth
• Series 7, 2011 – Tim Anderson. Opened Nanban Japanese restaurant in Shoreditch and  wrote Nanban: Japanese Soul Food.
• Series 8, 2012 – Shelina Permalloo. Wrote Sunshine On A Plate and opened Lakaz Maman restaurant in Southampton.
• Series 9, 2013 – Natalie Coleman. She has written her own cookbook and is Head Chef at The Winchmore pub in London.
• Series 10, 2014 – Ping Coombes. She published her first book in 2016 and is a culinary partner and executive chef.
• Series 11, 2015 – Simon Wood. Has opened his first restaurant, called Wood, in Manchester’s First Street.
• Series 12, 2016 – Jane Devonshire. Jane has written two acclaimed cookbooks, run pop-ups and raised money for cancer charities.
• Series 13, 2017 – Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed. Runs her own website where she hosts a seasoned cookery school.
• Series 14, 2018 – Kenny Tutt. He is opening a new two-floor restaurant in his home town – Worthing, which is expected to open in May.
• Series 15, 2019 – Irini Tzortzoglou. She has published her first book, Under the Olive Tree: Recipes from my Greek Kitchen.
• Series 1, 2020 – Thomas Frake. He took part in Fantastic Food Festivals for 2021.
• Series 17, 2021 – Tom Rhodes. He now has his own cookery website and is a food influencer on Instagram.
• Series 18, 2022 – Eddie Scott. He has worked at Michelin starred The Pipe and Glass in East Yorkshire, and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, as well as working on his debut cookbook, ‘Misarana’ due out in Spring 2024.
• Series 19, 2023 – Chariya Khattiyot. She has appeared on MasterChef Thailand as a guest chef and is opening her first restaurant near her home in Alton in 2024.

When is the MasterChef final?

The BBC are yet to reveal an exact air date for the MasterChef final.

But as the show is playing out over eight weeks the last episode should air towards the end of May or start of June 2024.

As soon as we know, we’ll report back here.

When is MasterChef on TV?

MasterChef 2024 kicked off on April 1 at 6.30pm on BBC One.

There are a whopping 24 episodes in the series — the show will play out over eight weeks, with three episodes a week.

Broadcast days vary week to week so make sure to check the BBC schedule to ensure you don’t miss out.