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The Finals - Starter

The eight regional champions cook their starter courses in a bid to secure the first place on the menu at our banquet. Comedian and writer Steve Pemberton is guest judge.

It’s national finals week, where the winners from the regional heats compete to earn a place on the menu of a spectacular banquet celebrating 100 years of brilliant British broadcasting. Each episode will see the eight rivals compete over a different course, from starter through to dessert, where they will be marked out of ten by an expert judging panel, which features a different well-known guest judge each episode.

Bafta-winning writer, actor and comedian Steve Pemberton joins Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, restaurateur Nisha Katona and food podcast host and comedian Ed Gamble on the judging panel. They’re tasked with picking a winner from eight innovative starter courses, which are all inspired by British broadcasts from the chefs' local regions or nations. The rivals pull out all the stops to impress, with dishes that are as varied in their choice of inspiration as they are in their style of cooking.

It's the first time the chefs have shared a kitchen, so the atmosphere is tense and competitive. And as some of the chefs have taken the opportunity to improve - or in some cases completely reinvent their dishes since cooking them in the regional finals - there are some surprises.

7 months left to watch

59 minutes

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:16

    Bud Flanagan & The Band of the Coldstream Guards

    Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Hitler?

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Andrea Oliver
Executive Producer Sarah Eglin
Series Producer Avril Beaven
Series Producer Liz Rumbold
Director Francois Gandolfi
Series Editor Antonia Lloyd
Production Company Optomen Television Ltd

Broadcast

Series 19: Meet the Chefs

Series 19: Meet the Chefs

Find out more about the chefs competing to make it through to the 2024 banquet.