Meghan Sussex, Meghan Sussex

Meghan Signs On for Junior MasterChef Australia

Junior MasterChef Australia is coming back to Network 10 in 2027, with Poh Ling Yeow leading the kitchen and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as a special guest. The announcement came ahead of 10’s upfronts on Wednesday, and it will be the first new season of the junior competition in six years. The show features contestants aged eight to 12.

Meghan said coming back was “an easy yes” after working with the MasterChef team in April. She added that she loves cooking with her own kids.

Why 10 wanted her back

Her guest-judge episode of the main show was filmed during the Sussexes’ trip to Australia in April and aired on Sunday, 26 July. According to 10, it drew the program’s largest Sunday audience since 2023. Reports put the figure at about 1.6 million total TV viewers. Reaction was mixed. One viewer called her warm and gracious, while The Sunday Times dismissed the episode as a gush-fest. The Press Association understood she was not paid for that appearance.

What the role involves

10’s release calls her a special guest, but some outlets are describing her as one of the co-hosts, so the exact scope isn’t clear yet. Filming is due to start after Christmas in Melbourne, where she’ll be based while it’s shot.

Will Archie and Lilibet go too?

HELLO!’s headline says they will, but the article itself says no decision has been made yet, only that the length of her time away makes it likely. Another report says plans for Harry and the children haven’t been finalised. The family’s base has also changed: they moved from Montecito to the UK in August, and the children now attend school outside London.

Not everyone is sold

Trade publication Mediaweek called the booking a coup for 10, since a recognisable international name helps sell a returning format. It also pointed out the gap between the release’s lofty description of her and what is, in the end, a guest role on a kids’ spin-off. mediaweekmediaweek

The news also lands in a hard week for Meghan, with coverage of the allegations against her estranged father still going. 10’s announcement doesn’t mention any of that.

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