Who is Matt Tebbutt: Meet the new MasterChef judges, what TV shows has he done before?
The judging and presenting team brought in to replace MasterChef’s disgraced line-up has been confirmed by the BBC.
Earlier this year, both Gregg Wallace and John Torode were sacked by the BBC for their respective conduct.
Wallace, 60, was sacked after allegations of inappropriate sexual misconduct, humour and one reported incident of “unwelcome physical contact”.
Meanwhile, 59-year-old Torode was let go for allegations of him using racist language, apparently in the workplace.
The most recent season of MasterChef was heavily edited to remove Wallace and Torode as much as possible, with fans even noticing the same shots being repeatedly used by editors.
Now, the BBC has found its team to replace the long-standing duo.
Matt Tebbutt will join Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti as a judge on the next series of MasterChef: The Professionals, airing on BBC One and iPlayer.
The judging trio will be joined in the early stages by guest judges, who will help run the skills ests and add an extra layer of challenge for chefs entering the competition.
Wareing said: “I’m really looking forward to working with Matt and his experience, both on screen and in the industry, speaks for itself.
This show is all about showcasing and celebrating the best up and coming talent emerging from our country’s professional kitchens and Matt, Monica and I will be expecting the highest standards from our chefs this year.
“I can’t wait for what will be a fantastic next series.”
Who is Matt Tebbutt?
For regular viewers of cooking shows on the BBC, Matt Tebbutt will be a familiar face. The 51-year-old is best known for his role in Saturday Kitchen, but has also done cooking shows for both Channel 4 and Good Food.
A professional chef by trade, he was born in Buckinhamshire and moved to south Wales as a youngster. Studying geography and anthropology at Oxford Brookes University, Tebbutt later got a diploma from the Leiths School of Food and Wine in London.
After that, he worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants in London, being tutored by legends such as Marco Pierre White and Alastair Little.
In south Wales, he owned and ran the Foxhunter restaurant in Nant-y-derry for 15 years, winning an abundance of awards in the process.
Speaking about his new appointment by the BBC, Tebbutt said: “It’s an absolute honour to be working alongside these two titans of the food world.
“Their knowledge and uncompromising attitude is now the stuff of legend and I look forward to them taking me under their wing and seeing the chefs get off to a flying start in the competition.”