TASTE TEST

Matt Tebbutt joins the MasterChef ranks as the show's 'new era' begins

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Taking over hosting duties on a primetime TV show is a colossal gamble, just ask short-lived Top Gear stars Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc.

However, presenter Matt Tebbutt has firsthand experience of taking the reins of a successful format and making it even better - after all, he followed James Martin on Saturday Kitchen Live in 2017, and nine years later the show is stronger than ever.

Now the 52-year-old is replacing Gregg Wallace on MasterChef: The Professionals alongside Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti, with whom he's developed a jokey rapport that stems from real friendship.

"It's really important that you click with the people that you work with," says Monica, 50, who reveals she shared a five-hour lunch with Matt after he got the gig. "We're having a good time."

Marcus agrees, thrilled that Matt's cheffing background adds more expertise to the show.

"Me and Monica are standing there in our whites, while Matt is taking the role of previous judge," says Marcus, 55.