The pressure cookers are out, the table has been laid and the trophy has been polished - MasterChef is back, opening its doors to a new batch of aspiring chefs all battling to become Britain's best amateur cook. Across twenty-five episodes spread over seven weeks on BBC One, the contestants face extraordinary culinary challenges, expert critique and the trusted MasterChef faces, as John Torode and Gregg Wallace return to the judging table on the hunt for the twelfth champion.

Five more amateurs try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2016 MasterChef champion.

The cookery competition continues with the first quarter-final of the series. The six heat winners have no time to rest on their laurels as they continue to fight for their place in the competition.

It's the second week of heats and five more hopefuls try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2016 MasterChef Champion.

It's the second week of heats and five more hopefuls try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2016 MasterChef Champion.

It's the quarter-final and the six talented heat winners have no time to rest on their laurels as they continue to fight for their place in the competition.

It's the third week of heats and five more hopefuls try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2016 MasterChef Champion.

Five more amateurs try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2016 MasterChef Champion.

It's the quarter-final and the six talented heat winners have no time to rest on their laurels as they continue to fight for their place in the competition.

It's the last week of the heats and the final group of amateurs battle for a place in the quarter final. Five more hopefuls try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2016 MasterChef Champion. Firstly they are asked to cook their Calling Card, a dish that represents who they are as a cook. After tasting all five dishes, John and Gregg each pick their favourite dish. If they both choose the same dish, then they will select their second preference. The two lucky cooks will sail straight through to the second test. The remaining three contestants are presented with two trays - one contains the ingredients for a sweet dish, the other has ingredients for a savoury dish. The contestants must decide whether to create a savoury dish using lamb rump as the main ingredient or a sweet dish using mango as the central ingredient. Once they've made their decision, they have one hour to create a dish that will impress the judges and earn them a place in the next round. The stakes are high as after this cook-off, one of the amateurs will be sent home. The four remaining cooks now have to cook two courses that will excite not just John and Gregg, but also some very special guests. Some of MasterChef's most inspiring winners and finalists return to judge the food of this year's new contenders. The contestants must attempt to impress 2014 finalist Luke Owen, 2014 finalist Angela Langford and 2014 champion Ping Coombes. John and Gregg will then decide which three contestants deserve to go through to Friday's quarter final.

It's the last quarter-final of the heats and the six talented heat winners have no time to rest on their laurels as they continue to fight for their place in the competition and a place in knockout week. The week's best amateurs are put through the mill with a daunting test set by one of Britain's toughest food critics, Jay Rayner. He challenges the amateur cooks to make an exceptional dish centred on one ingredient, duck breast. After cooking their dish based on the brief, the contestants must stand before Jay Rayner and John and Gregg, and hear what they think of their dish and how well they have kept to the brief. At the end of tonight's quarter-final, the best cooks will go through to knockout week, taking another step closer to being crowned MasterChef Champion 2016.

After four weeks of fierce competition only the 14 best cooks remain, and the battle is on as they come together for the first time and cook off against each other across two shows. The amateurs are split into two groups - the red team and the blue team - with seven cooks in each. Each set of contestants faces a daunting cook-off based on a brief given by John and Gregg. Their challenge is to create one dish inspired by a family favourite or food from their childhood. Once both groups have finished cooking, John and Gregg decide who is good enough to continue in the competition. The red team are the first to cook. In one hour and 30 mins, they must deliver just one dish that stands out from the crowd and proves to the judges that they have a future in the competition. However, they won't find out their fate just yet, as they'll have to wait until the blue team have cooked before John and Gregg will choose who stays and who goes. Who will crumble under the pressure and who will prove they have what it takes to take another precious step towards being crowned MasterChef Champion 2016?

Knockout Week continues, as the 14 best amateur chefs continue to battle it out in a high pressured cook-off. With the red team already having cooked, it is now the turn of the blue team to face the same daunting challenge set by John and Gregg. Their brief is to create one dish inspired by a family favourite or food from their childhood. In one hour and 30 mins, they must deliver just one dish that stands out from the crowd, and proves to the judges that they have a future in the competition. John and Gregg must now make a difficult decision as they choose who has what it takes to continue in the competition and whose MasterChef journey is about to end. Who will crumble under the pressure and who will prove they have what it takes to take another precious step towards being crowned MasterChef Champion 2016?

Knockout Week continues, with the eleven remaining contestants facing a baptism of fire as they are split into two groups and tasked with running a professional lunchtime service on their own. In this episode, the first group heads to a London restaurant headed up by award-winning chef Stevie Parle. During a busy service, the five amateurs are responsible for serving up every dish on the menu to paying customers. Who will falter as they cook in a completely unfamiliar and demanding environment? Then it's back to MasterChef HQ for an Invention Test to show John and Gregg just what they have learnt. In a last-chance bid to stay in this year's competition, each contestant has to show they can invent an exceptional dish that is worthy of gracing the table of a professional restaurant. In an unexpected twist, the contestants discover that they not only have to present their food to John and Gregg, but also a guest judge who will be helping John and Gregg evaluate the five amateurs - the formidable Professional MasterChef judge, two Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing. After this, one of them will be going home. Who will crumble under the pressure and who will make it through to Friday's challenge - the gateway to this year's semi-finals?

Knockout Week continues, as the second group of amateurs get their first taste of professional cooking. They head to an award-winning modern Italian restaurant run by head chef Antonio Favuzzi. The contestants are responsible for serving up every dish on the menu for a busy lunch service. Afterwards, it's back to the MasterChef kitchen for an Invention Test to show John and Gregg just what they have learnt. In a last chance bid to stay in this year's competition, each amateur chef must demonstrate they can invent a dish from scratch that looks and tastes exceptional and is worthy of gracing the table of a professional restaurant. In an unexpected twist, the formidable Professional MasterChef judge, two Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing returns to help John and Gregg assess the six amateurs. After this, one of them will be going home. Who will crumble under the pressure and who will make it through to Friday's challenge - the gateway to this year's semi-finals?

Just nine amateur cooks remain as Knockout Week comes to a close, all of whom are desperate to reach the semi-finals. In this episode they have only one challenge: to cook one superb showstopper dish to wow the judges and secure their semi-final place. They have one and a half hours to create their masterpieces, and failure is not an option. Only the eight best amateurs will become semi-finalists, inching closer to being crowned MasterChef Champion 2016. For one more hopeful, the MasterChef dream will be over.

Forty amateur cooks have been whittled down to the most promising eight. It's the first of the semi-finals, and the eight best cooks come together to battle in a team challenge, the Relay Invention Test. Split into two teams of four, both groups must create two dishes between them; a main course based on lamb, and a dessert using pear as the main ingredient. Each team member has just 20 minutes to make their contribution to the dish, and they must do so without communicating with one another. It's vital the team leaves clues for each other, as each cook needs to decipher what the dish is supposed to be through the hints left behind. The first team member is responsible for designing and starting to cook the dish, the second and third cooks contributing towards the main body of the dish, and the fourth finishing and presenting it. Will the contestants be able to produce two courses that impress John and Gregg within the time limit set?

The MasterChef semi-finals continue with a spectacular challenge, as the eight remaining best cooks in the competition head to the biggest naval base in Western Europe to embark on a special mission to serve lunch to members of the Royal Navy on board one of its longest serving ships, anti-submarine frigate HMS Northumberland. The semi-finalists face the enormous challenge of running their own kitchens in two specially constructed catering tents. Split into two teams of four, each team have to create two main courses and a dessert to feed 110 members of the ships company. With less than four hours to deliver, organisation and teamwork is essential for success. It's vital the two teams perform at their absolute best and produce a lunch worthy of the occasion, because after judging their food, John and Gregg pick the weakest team to return to the MasterChef kitchen, where they must cook-off against each other in a special Invention Test. The contestants must create a stunning dish from the leftover produce from the previous challenge, which includes cod heads and trimmings, vegetables, fruit, bacon, pancetta and black pudding. With one more contestant going home after this, the battle is on to stay in the competition and take another step towards being crowned MasterChef Champion 2016.

The MasterChef semi-finals continue. Forty amateur cooks have been whittled down and now only the most promising seven remain in the competition, all fighting for a place in Finals Week. In this programme they have to pull out all the stops as they are tasked with the daunting challenge of cooking for some of the world's most celebrated restaurateurs. Travelling to London's fashionable Chelsea, the amateur chefs are thrown into service at the culinary landmark Bluebird where they take full control of its kitchens. John Torode oversees the kitchen, as the amateurs face a high pressured lunchtime service. The diners are all restaurateurs who are at the forefront of dining trends and have paved the way for culinary excellence, so their expectations are sky high. The contestants must each serve one dish of their own creation on the specially designed menu. Under the watchful eye of John Torode, the amateurs will be challenged like never before to deliver dishes of an exceptional level, because the two chefs who cook the most popular dishes will be exempt from the next cook-off. Back at the MasterChef kitchen, the remaining five chefs have to cook against each other in a bid to stay in the competition. It's high drama as the amateurs push themselves to the limit to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Who can impress enough to make it through to the final four and keep their dream alive of winning MasterChef 2016?

It's the last of the semi-finals and it's do or die for the best six amateurs as they cook-off to win a coveted place in the prestigious MasterChef Finals. The contestants have just one challenge to win a place in the final five; to cook an outstanding dish to win over four of the country's most feared restaurant critics - Charles Campion, Tracey MacLeod, Jay Rayner and William Sitwell. Serving food to these masters of the dining room is a daunting task for the most adept chefs, and these talented home cooks now have to put their skills and palates on the line. Any mistake could cost them the competition, so with the pressure firmly on, it is a tense and thrilling battle. At the end judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace face a difficult decision - who to take through to MasterChef Finals week?

It's the final week of MasterChef 2016. All the amateur cooks have just one goal: to lift the coveted MasterChef champion trophy. Tonight the final five become the final four. In this episode the final five travel to The Bristol Old Vic where they have the immense task of cooking for five leading actresses of the stage and screen. The dinner is overseen by rising British star, Michael O'Hare. His trailblazing restaurant, The Man Behind the Curtain, was awarded a Michelin star within a year of opening and is famed for its highly original dishes. Michael has devised a five-course menu for the guests and with just four hours to replicate his complex dishes, the amateurs will be challenged like never before. Can the MasterChef final five impress these distinguished guests with some amazing food worthy of the occasion? Back at the MasterChef kitchen, the finalists are challenged to demonstrate everything they've learnt and create a dish inspired by something personal in their lives that shows imagination, flair and creativity. It's high drama as the amateurs push themselves to the limit to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace and stay in the competition. Who can make it through to the final four and keep their dream alive of winning MasterChef 2016?

It's the final week of MasterChef 2016. All the amateur cooks have just one goal: to lift the coveted MasterChef champion trophy. The final four talented amateur cooks embark on a culinary odyssey to Mexico, where they face a series of challenges they will remember for the rest of their lives. Mexico is home to a cuisine that has remained fundamentally unchanged for thousands of years, and the finalists' journey begins in the country's capital, Mexico City, known for its extraordinary markets, exotic produce and vibrant street food. Here, they face three extraordinary challenges, guided by acclaimed chef Enrique Olvera. Over the last 15 years, Enrique Olvera has led a revolution in Mexican cuisine, inspired by the street food of the country, and his restaurant Pujol is ranked in the world's top 20. The amateurs are about to experience a baptism of fire as their first task is to set up a food stall in the heart of the market, using ingredients, cooking methods and equipment that are entirely alien to them. Next, the amateurs have the honour of taking over lunch service at Pujol, a restaurant renowned as the best in the country and famed as an international dining destination. The guests are all respected figures of Mexico's culinary world. There's no room for error as Enrique's expectations are sky high. Finally, the finalists have the daunting challenge of creating an exceptional dinner at the British Embassy for some of the leading figures in Mexico's cultural and food communities. Inspired by their Mexican culinary adventure, and showcasing the skills they've developed through their entire MasterChef journey, the amateurs' dishes must be truly exceptional for them to stand out and prove they have what it takes to be crowned MasterChef Champion 2016.

It's the final week of MasterChef 2016. All the amateur cooks have just one goal: to lift the coveted MasterChef champion trophy. The final amateur cooks face their most iconic and terrifying challenge yet - the Chef's Table. It's the contestants' last chance to prove they have got what it takes, because the final challenge is just around the corner. Only three of the remaining four amateurs will get the chance to take part. For one, their MasterChef dream is about to come to an end. To fight for their place, John and Gregg challenge the amateurs to cook a classic dish with their stamp on it. Failure to impress will cost them because, after judging their dishes, John and Gregg will send one more amateur chef home. The final three contestants now face the ultimate challenge. Culinary talent Daniel Humm has designed an exquisite three-course menu for today's lunch, and each contestant will be responsible for one of his signature dishes. The dishes require complex techniques, precise cooking and an impeccable palate. To add to the pressure, the guests are a table of the country's finest chefs - Marcus Wareing, Sat Baines, Ashley Palmer-Watts, Clare Smyth and Nuno Mendes - a set of diners to strike fear into the heart of any professional chef, let alone our three amateurs. Emotions run high as no one wants to let Daniel or the table of esteemed chefs down. For the final three, it's their last chance before the final to prove they have what it takes to lift the MasterChef trophy.

It's the MasterChef final. After a formidable seven-week competition, the search for the country's best amateur cook reaches its climax. The finalists must push themselves to the limit one last time before John Torode and Gregg Wallace crowns one of the three highly talented cooks as the champion. In this final challenge, the finalists must pull out all the stops, show everything they have learned, and demonstrate what sort of cook they have become. They have three hours to produce three exceptional courses, push the culinary boundaries and give the judges an awe-inspiring tasting like never before. At the end of the challenge, one of the finalists will lift the trophy and become the 12th MasterChef champion.