Witness

In 1990, a cookery programme launched on BBC TV that would become a global phenomenon. Today, MasterChef airs in 70 countries around the world and has an estimated audience of one billion people.British film director Franc Roddam tells Vicky Farncombe how the idea for MasterChef came to him after he heard Hollywood bigwigs - including Mel Brooks - mocking British food. He wanted to prove that the UK was a nation of talented home cooks - like his mum who was feted for her stew and dumplings. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subwa