Marcus Wareing becomes new judge of MasterChef: The Professionals
Marcus Wareing is to be the new judge and presenter of the BBC TV show MasterChef: The Professionals, taking over from Michel Roux Jr.
The chef, who holds two Michelin stars at his restaurant Marcus at the Berkeley hotel in London, has appeared regularly on several TV shows including Great British Menu and MasterChef: The Professionals itself.
He was widely tipped to take on the role following the departure of Michel Roux Jr, who announced he was leaving in March this year, having failed to reach an agreement with the BBC over his commercial interests.
Roux criticised the "frustrating process" of trying to negotiate with the corporation and questioned whether or not the BBC understood "the realities of today's commercial world".
Roux had been the host of the show for six years, as well as reviving the Food and Drink series.
Wareing will appear in the seventh series of the show alongside Roux's colleage Monica Galetti, sous chef at Le Gavroche, and Gregg Wallace, both of whom will continue to work on the programme.
The new series is set to be aired on BBC2 in the autumn.
MasterChef: The Professionals production company Shine Soho's creative director Karen Ross said: "Marcus has long been a friend of MasterChef, appearing on the amateur, celebrity and professional series numerous times both as guest judge, mentor and diner.
"His food links into the best of British heritage and produce in an extremely exciting way, though he still pays homage to his classical training."
Wareing said: "I have been watching MasterChef since I was a young kid at catering college and in more recent years I have enjoyed an established relationship with the programme. To now become part of the show is hugely exciting for me; to be asked is a true honour. Michel has left big shoes to fill and I am delighted to be working with Monica and Gregg on a new journey of discovery to find the next generation of Michelin-starred chefs."
Galetti added: "Marcus is an incredibly talented chef and I can think of no better person to follow in Michel's footsteps. I'm really looking forward to filming with him."
