MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode say the BBC show has revolutionised cooking in the UK as the competition returns for it's 20th series

MasterChef's Gregg Wallace and John Torode have spoke about the effect the long-running show has had on UK cooks ahead of the series returning for it's 20th series on Monday. Speaking ahead of the new series Gregg, 59, and John, 58, said they believed the show had helped revolutionise the UK food scene and introduced dishes that viewers would otherwise never have heard of. MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace, 59 and John Torode, 58 have spoke about the effect the long-running show has had on UK cooks ahead of the series returning for it's 20th series on Monday The duo, who have been hosting the show since it's 2005 relaunch, will soon welcome back a brand new batch of amateur cooks as they take on 'the most extraordinary tasks' yet Gregg, 59, and John, 58, said they believed the series had helped revolutionise the UK food scene and introduced dishes that viewers would otherwise never have heard of 'Those viewers are watching thing things like MasterChef, and they're taking ideas. I think even four years ago, what we thought was really impressive at the time, we're probably now cooking in our own homes' Meanwhile Gregg said that the show had not only opened viewers eyes but also his own and introduced him to different styles of cooking Gregg and John pictured on the show in 2009 Viewers can expect to see the contestants, who hail from Dorset and Sunderland to the Scottish Borders and North Wales, serve up their food and cultural heritage in the hopes of making it to the final. Fifty-eight passionate and talented hopefuls from all walks of life, such as a farmer, archaeologist and musical director, will show what they can do Up first, the amateurs must earn the right to wear a MasterChef apron in two new challenges: Basic to Brilliant, taking an everyday ingredient and turning it into something spectacular The culinary tasks include a Market Invention Test in the MasterChef kitchen; the opportunity to step inside a professional kitchen for the first time and deliver a lunch service at two of London's top restaurants – Nessa, led by Executive Chef Tom Cenci, and Joia, under Head Chef Jose Jara; and back in the MasterChef kitchen contestants will create nine identical portions of a canapé.