Is MasterChef 2026 on tonight? Here’s what days the BBC show is on as a new batch of contestants arrive in the kitchen
12 new contestants are about to face Grace Dent and Anna HaughMasterChef’s brand new series is now underway, but the schedule is enough to leave your eggs scrambled as you question whether it is even on tonight?
But fear not, we’ve got you covered.
The 22nd series of MasterChef kicked off last week with new judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh at the helm.
We already have our first three quarter finalists and another batch of contestants are waiting in the wings.
Here’s what days MasterChef is on and whether you can get your fix tonight!
Is MasterChef 2026 on tonight?
MasterChef kicked off last week with 12 contestants all hoping to win this year’s crown in the BBC cooking competition.
They faced challenges including Signature Dish and Classic Recipe, before the six best of the week took on Critic’s Brief with renowned critic and author Jay Rayner.
They were then whittled down to three. Sabina, Jhané and Jim will return later in the series for Knock Out Week.
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The great news is that MasterChef IS back on tonight and six new chefs will enter the kitchen. Among those is a dairy manufacturer, a medical writer and a maths student.
First, Grace and Anna will be challenging the contestants to make their Signature Dish. The two who impress the judges the most will sale through to the next round.
The four who are left will have to make a perfect, open fish finger sandwich. Talk about a British favourite! Yum.
Only one will make it through, while three others will be sent home.
MasterChef is on tonight (Tuesday April 28, 2026) at 9pm. It airs on both BBC One and BBC iPlayer. As usual, the show runs for an hour, with an end time of 10pm.
What days is MasterChef on?
This week’s run of episodes will play out across the next three consecutive nights. It means you can watch on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
It’s not too confusing either, as you only have to remember the 9pm start time. It is the same for all three nights!
Grace and Anna will welcome another six new contestants into the kitchen tomorrow (Wednesday). They will also be cut down to three before joining tonight’s three in Thursday’s quarter final.
This Thursday, the remaining six contestants will have to cook for William Sitwell. Grace describes the restaurant critic as “opinionated”, which fans of MasterChef will already know only too well!
Once again, only three will make it through to Knock Out Week.
They don’t make it easy for them, do they?!
