Banijay Group is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay Group is present in 16 territories.
Banijay Group is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay Group is present in 16 territories.

Tag Archive: Franc Roddam

  1. MasterChef Serves Up 500th Season

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    Banijay today announces that its hit format MasterChef has surpassed an incredible 500 series since its reboot in 2005, reaching this milestone with the first-ever MasterChef Tamil, which is currently on air.

     

    The multi-award winning, iconic cookery show created by Franc Roddam has been wowing audiences for more than thirty years. Crowned the Most Successful Cookery Television Format by Guinness World Records in 2017, there have been 64 local versions to-date and more than 10,000 episodes have aired around the world, in addition to the milestone 500 seasons. Last year alone, despite filming restrictions, there were 43 productions across 30 markets.

     

    Lucas Green, Global Head of Content Operations at Banijay says: “Reaching this milestone is a fantastic achievement for the MasterChef family. Whilst staying true to the core values of the format, each version is unique, adapting to celebrate the individual cultures and craft of their region. The amazing teams on all 500 productions have created life-changing opportunities for our contestants and delivered world-class entertainment and iconic moments for millions of viewers around the world.”

     

    The original series of Masterchef was first seen on the BBC in 1990 and ran for 11 years. In 2005 Franc Roddam, in partnership with Shine TV, reconceived the format for BBC Two, which then moved on to BBC One in 2009. In the same year, Australia became the first territory to adapt the format, with the season finale being the country’s most-watched television programme of the year. Over a decade on, the territory’s remake is still enjoying huge success, with it being named the Most In-Demand Reality Series of 2020 (Parrot Analytics).

     

    Franc Roddam, MasterChef Creator adds: “I am immensely proud of Masterchef, which has entertained millions and transformed the lives of thousands. I am so grateful to all those who have contributed to its global success and helped maintain its popularity and freshness over the years.”

     

    MasterChef is a versatile format, which continues to evolve year-on-year, with iterations to date including MasterChef Junior, MasterChef Professionals, MasterChef All Stars, Celebrity MasterChef, and most recently, MasterChef Senior proving incredibly popular. Additionally, its market-reach is ever-expanding, with new territories including a four-version commission in India being added to the map spanning Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.

     

    There is no doubt MasterChef is a life-changing show, with more than 100 ex-contestants now professional chefs. Notable alumni include UK series one winner, Thomasina Meirs, who went on to co-found the Wahaca restaurant group, award-winning legally blind chef Christine Ha, who won season 3 in the US and recently opened The Blind Goat restaurant in Houston, Texas, and Michelin Star-awarded chefs, Marko Gajski (MasterChef Croatia), Elizabeth Haigh (MasterChef UK) and Carlos Maldonado (Spain). The show has also played host to a number of well-known faces from the Dalai Lama, Michelle Obama, and The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, to some of the world’s best chefs including Massimo Bottura, Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Rick Stein and Nigella Lawson.

     

    Elsewhere, MasterChef productions around the world are leading the way for sustainability with over 75% donating leftover food to charity. In season 12 of MasterChef Australia, a total of 95% food waste was saved and over 39,000 pieces of paper. The most recent version in Germany built its set entirely from recycled and/or environmentally friendly materials, saving at least 3.7 tonnes of plastic.

     

    Finally, with more than 90 licensees around the world, the MasterChef brand also extends into a huge range of successful commercial activities. Millions of consumer products have sold globally, the extensive publishing range has proved lucrative, and audiences around the world can engage with MasterChef through live experiences from restaurants to cruises and tours.

  2. Banijay Brands Announces MasterChef Condiments Range

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    Banijay Brands today announces a partnership with premium brand and food manufacturer, Baxters, to develop a range of branded products for the world’s most successful cookery format, MasterChef.

     

    The deal which covers the UK & Eire, the Nordics, Benelux, Germany, Czech Republic and Middle East, will offer a broad selection of high-quality MasterChef food products, available at retail later this year. The range includes marinades, dressings and modern table sauces.

     

    Partnering with previous MasterChef UK champions, Ping Coombes, Thomas Frake and Saliha Mahmood Ahmed, the MasterChef condiments range will feature these champions on the packaging. They will vouch for their ‘Champions Choice’ of products, and create bespoke recipes and tips on how to best use these.

     

    Grown over 150 years and four generations, Baxters is an iconic brand that sits on shelves around the world. The collaboration with Banijay Brands has produced an exciting array of products that stay true to the ethos of MasterChef, giving home cooks the ingredients to transform their dishes from ordinary to extraordinary.

     

    Alice Bernardi, Director of International Brand Licensing at Banijay Brands, comments: “With food being such an integral element of MasterChef, it was extremely important for us to find the right partner; with the experience, retail presence, and most of all, passion, for the brand. We’ve found all of these elements in Baxters Food Group, and we are confident that together we will bring a product range to consumers that will surprise and delight everyone.”

     

    Matthew Bowler-Jones, European Sales Director at Baxters Food Group, adds: “We are delighted to be partnering with Banijay Brands to launch this innovative new range of condiments. Combining both companies’ passion and strength in food and flavour is sure to be a recipe for success.”

     

    Created by Franc Roddam, MasterChef is the world’s most successful cookery television format with 63 local adaptations, broadcast in over 200 countries and watched by more than 300 million people globally.MasterChef has a digital footprint of more than 34 million fans totalling in excess of 4 billion views across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

     

    The MasterChef brand extends into huge range of commercial activities across consumer products, experiential, publishing, and digital.

     

    The MasterChef format and finished programmes are represented internationally by Banijay Rights.

  3. Banijay Brands Announces ‘MasterChef Green’ Cookbook Ahead of Festival of Licensing 2020

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    Banijay Brands is today announcing MasterChef Green, a vegetarian cookbook consisting of 80 greener recipes, published by Bloomsbury Absolute, and authored by Adam O’Sheperd. The book will launch globally in Spring 2021.

     

    MasterChef Green will include a foreword from MasterChef creator, Franc Roddam, and offers a comprehensive selection of vegetarian recipes, including a large number which are suitable for vegans, and encourages a vegetable-led diet.

     

    In line with MasterChef’s brand values, the MasterChef Green cookbook will show the home cooks to cook more sustainably, waste less, go greener and have a lighter footprint on our environment.

     

    Jane Smith, Group Director, Brand Licensing of Banijay Brands comments; “We are thrilled to work with Bloomsbury once again on MasterChef, adding a brand-new book to our range.  As a world leader, MasterChef embraces the green theme and as more and more people turn to increasingly responsible diets and cooking, MasterChef offers its twist on this culinary journey. We know how much more people have been cooking and sharing food at home, and hope this collection of recipes will offer something different to our MasterChef audience.”

     

    With contributions from 10 MasterChef champions, fans of the biggest cookery show in the world will be able to explore recipes such as: summer rolls with smoked tofu and satay sauce; smashed broad bean and peas on sourdough with goat’s cheese, dukkah and mint; puy lentil salad with charred tenderstem broccoli and miso dressing; Sri Lankan potato and lentil curry with mint sambal; orecchiette with broccoli, lemon and chilli, plus many more.

     

    This announcement marks the fourth cookbook with Bloomsbury, having previously published MasterChef: Street Food of the World, MasterChef: The Masters at Home and MasterChef: The Finalists.

     

    MasterChef is the world’s most successful cookery television format with 63 local adaptations, broadcast in over 200 countries and watched by more than 300 million people globally. MasterChef has a digital footprint of more than 34 million fans totalling in excess of 4 billion views across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

     

    Produced by Shine TV, the latest series of MasterChef UK performed exceedingly well, attracting over 5 million viewers with its best audience figures since 2017. The series was also BBC One’s highest-rated non-scripted show of the year for 16-34 year olds.

     

    The MasterChef brand extends into a huge range of commercial activities across consumer products, experiential, publishing, and digital.

     

    MasterChef, the worldwide smash hit format that sets out on a nationwide quest to find the best amateur cook in the country, was created by Franc Roddam. The MasterChef format and finished programmes are represented internationally by Banijay Rights.

     

    Banijay Brands will launch at next month’s Festival of Licensing with senior executives available for meetings at the virtual conference.

     

    The Banijay Brands portfolio includes MasterChef, Temptation Island, Peaky Blinders, Survivor, Deal or No Deal, The Inbetweeners, Big Brother, Mister Maker, Operation Triunfo, Eat Well for Less?, Simon’s Cat, Mr Bean, Don’t!, Sunday Brunch, Tipping Point, The Biggest Loser, Ready Steady Cook, Black Mirror, Miss France, Maddie’s Do You Know?, Wipeout and Crystal Maze.