Quick Answer: MasterChef is a competitive cooking show television format created by Franc Roddam, which originated with the British version in July 1990. The show aims to discover the culinary talent of chefs of varying skill levels, through a series of cooking challenges, watched over by various acclaimed food critics and chefs. Dave Ross commissioned the show for the BBC and gave it the name; he had already produced Masterteam, a quiz show hosted by Angela Rippon, and worked on the long-running Mastermind, and so the name was a continuation of that. The format was revived and updated for the BBC in February 2005 by executive producers Roddam and John Silver with series producer Karen Ross. The revived format is sold internationally by Banijay. Its first international adaptation was MasterChef Australia, which began in 2009. The show has since been adapted in several other countries.