It's 18 years since Masterchef went large (and they haven't in fact used that tag for about 10). There are now 3 series a year - ordinary Joe, celeb and professional - as well as Christmas specials. It's no wonder that people are starting to get a bit tired of it. Since they never tell you the ratings these days I infer this fact, besides my own feelings, from the format tweaks this year and the fact it has been moved back down from 9pm to 8pm. Inexplicably, BBC producers seem to have got the idea that the way to revive their ageing cookery contests is to have irritating, unqualified people sticking their oar in. In Great British Menu it's the excruciating Andi Oliver, now in Masterchef you have one lot of contestants looking on and cheering another lot. Yay!
There's nothing much wrong with the show, and certainly not the presenters: they're the ones who have made it a massive success with spin-offs in Australia and the US. They're personable, and have the unusual but crucial skill of being able to describe a dish in a few words, in such a way that the viewer can imagine what it's like to eat. Much as I love Gordon Ramsay he, for example, cannot do that.
It's simply that too much has been asked of the show. In the BBC's dearth of new prime-time ideas, it has been promoted above its level. What is needed is not little faffy tweaks, but for us all to have a bit of a break from it. Failing that: at least go back to shorter episodes.
