According to Michel Roux Jr, The Great British Bake Off lacks the finesse of the French spin-off, Le Meilleur Patissier.

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“It’s the same format but the tests are a little bit more fancy – put it that way,” the Michelin-starred chef tells RadioTimes.com.

Roux also admires Top Chef, which is the French version of his own cookery contest, MasterChef: The Professionals. In particular, he’s impressed by the skill tests the French chefs are subjected to – including a taste test in which they eat raw animal innards in order to identify them.

So why doesn’t he have his MasterChef contestants do the same? “To be brutally honest, I do hope one day we get to that stage,” says Roux, adding that he and fellow judge Monica Galetti have been trying to persuade their producer – to no avail.

But he warns: “We will get there. Personally, I don’t find that shocking and I strongly believe that the British viewer is ready – that the British viewer would be quite happy to watch that and would be fascinated.”

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Michel Roux Jr’s favourite television programme at the moment is La Meilleure Boulangerie de France, which translates as France’s Best Bakery.

“You do want to lick the screen, I tell you. It’s just beautiful. Obviously in England we don’t have any – or as many – artisan bakers or proper boulangeries but one day when there are it’s going to be a programme that’s great to make.”

MasterChef: the Professionals starts on Monday 4 November at 8.30pm on BBC2


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