Filming for Celebrity MasterChef can extend for 12 to 13 hours daily, with cameras rolling continuously, according to food critic Grace Dent. Dent, who joined chef Giorgio Locatelli as a judge for the 21st series, stated that contestants are unlikely to maintain a persona for such extended periods.

"They're filming continually and I don't have any control over how they cut me, so really you're just getting the real me," Dent said. The competition is filmed at Birmingham's Digbeth Loc Studios.

Dent has spent a year based in Birmingham and feels a connection to the city, noting its appealing shopping and friendly residents. "I never feel lonely in Birmingham, because there's always someone that wants to talk to me, and once you get talking, it goes on and on because people love a little gossip," she commented.

Five people - two women and three men - all wearing white aprons, stand in front of a brick wall.

The new judging partnership for the 21st series includes Locatelli and Dent. The production environment aims for authenticity, with the extensive filming hours ensuring that the on-screen personalities reflect the contestants' true selves. A woman with blonde hair tied up, wearing large earrings, a necklace chain, a bracelet and a dark blue long-sleeved top, with red nails is sat at a table with a man with grey hair, wearing a grey blazer and a black T-shirt. They are turning to talk to each other, with cutlery, napkins, glasses of water and two plates of food on the table in front of them. There are shelves with cooking equipment on a brick wall behind them.