Great British Menu 2024: when does new series start, who are judges, chefs and host - full episode guide

Great British Menu returns for 2024 and the theme is Summer Olympics, with the chefs competing for the chance to prepare a banquet for Team GB athletes ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

The first episode will see four chefs from the north east prepare canapés, starters and fish dishes inspired by the Olympics. One chef will be eliminated in the first heat whilst the remaining three will continue to the next episode where they must prepare main courses and desserts.

Another chef will be kicked out of the competition, leaving the best two to take part in the final heat, where they must cook their six course menu again - only the top performing chef will make it to the final week, where they will compete against seven other regional champions.

Andi Oliver returns to present the series - she is a chef and former singer, best known for TV projects including Food Glorious Food, The Kitchen Cabinet, and The Big Eat, and for her cookbook The Pepperpot Diaries.

Who are the judges on Great British Menu 2024?

The celebrity judging panel is the same as last year - Ed Gamble, Nisha Katona and Tom Kerridge will taste the banquets at the end of each heat and decide which chef will go on to the finals week.

Ed Gamble is a British comedian known for his stand-up shows, appearance on Channel 4 comedy game show Taskmaster, and his food podcast Off Menu with fellow comic James Acaster. Gamble also co-hosts The Traitors aftershow Uncloaked.

Nisha Katona is a British chef and TV presenter and founder of the Mowgli Street Food restaurant chain, which now has 21 sites across the country. She has appeared on several cooking shows including Sunday Brunch, The Kitchen Cabinet, Cooking with the Stars, and Masterchef.

Tom Kerridge is a former competitor on Great British Menu, taking part in seasons five and six. He opened his own gastropub, The Hand & Flowers, in Buckinghamshire - it became the first pub to be awarded two Michelin stars. 

Aktar Islam will also return as a veteran judge on the show, judging the first two heats of the week. Aktar competed on the show in 2011 and won the fish course - he became a veteran judge in 2022. 

Who are the Great British Menu 2024 chefs?

The chefs taking part in the first round of heats this year are Cal Byerley from Restaurant Pine in Northumberland, and Samira Effa, of EightyEight at Grantley Hall in North Yorkshire, both of whom have taken part in the show before.

Scott John-Hodgson, chef at Solstice in Newcastle and Adam Degg, from Horto restaurant in Harrogate, are newcomers this year. Chefs competing in later heats in this series will be confirmed soon.

When is Great British Menu 2024 on TV?

The new series of Great British Menu premieres on BBC Two on Tuesday January 23 at 8pm. Episodes will air at the same time on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays weekly. The first week will focus on heats in North East England, with episodes on starters and fish, mains and puddings, before a judging episode where finalists will be picked.

The format will be repeated for Central England next week followed by Northern Ireland, South West England, Scotland, London and the South East, Wales, and North West England over the remainder of the series. There will then be a week of finals, where the eight regional winners from each category will compete in episodes on starters, fish courses, main course, desserts, and a banquet special. The series is expected to run for 29 episodes and will end on Friday March 22.