Gregg Wallace thinks 'MasterChef' is "addictive".
Gregg Wallace and John Torode
The 56-year-old presenter believes the BBC cooking competition has been able to air for 17 series because its many spin-offs make the show so compelling to watch every year.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It works as a cluster of programmes and also every programme works on its own individually. That’s the absolute genius of it. You get hooked.
"Is Tracey from Durham going to get that steam pudding out? Is Kevin from Southampton going to manage the risotto on time? You just want to see the outcome. There are little outcomes, and then a big outcome. It is addictive."
His co-host, John Torode, explained how he believes people have tuned in to the programme to look for "inspiration" since the coronavirus pandemic has shut restaurants.
He added: "There’s this great ambition. It’s not just about winning a competition, it’s about a complete change of life. It’s not like 'Strictly' where you learn to dance and then you stop all over again. Restaurants aren’t open and I think people are looking for inspiration."
The 55-year-old chef is always impressed by the multicultural dishes that are produced on the show as he loves seeing the variety and different cultures in the industry.
He explained: "I love the fact that now we’ve got all these people coming to us who are really proud of their culture and how they’re fusing it with British food, and we’ve got this incredible sort of melange of stuff going on.
"We can have an Iranian dish, next to a dish from North America, next to a South American dish, next to a classic French dish. Our culinary world is so fantastic and so varied."
What's more, John hopes 'MasterChef' will stay on air for another 17 years and beyond as he wants to continue working until he is elderly.
He said: "Let’s hope so. Until such time as my teeth fall out then I suppose I can keep on going. They can wheel me in and whatever!"
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