SINGAPORE - The late switch from Mandarin to English was the right move for the upcoming MasterChef Singapore show, said the judges of the reality TV cooking competition due to air this weekend.

Ms Audra Morrice, one of the three judges, told The Straits Times in an interview ahead of the broadcast that the multicultural nature of Singaporean cuisine would be better represented when the programme is in English.

"If the show was in Mandarin and on a Mandarin channel, you might not get as much of the diversity in food," she said.

"You wouldn't get the sort of food that the Peranakans, the Indians and the Malays have brought to this show and made it so colourful. The show as it is now, is really a good representation of Singapore."

She added that since Mandarin is not spoken by everyone in Singapore, the show may potentially leave out those who do not understand the language.

The other two judges, home-grown chefs Bjorn Shen and Damian D'Silva, who were also at the interview, nodded in agreement.

When it was announced in February (2018) that Singapore would get its own edition of MasterChef, the news caused a stir as the show was to air in Mandarin on Channel 8.

Many Singaporeans felt this would turn away participants and viewers who do not speak Chinese, an outcome that was not right for multi-ethnic Singapore.

Following the kerfuffle, Motion Content Group, which acquired the rights to produce MasterChef Singapore, said the show would air in English on Channel 5 instead.

In explaining the change, the company said in a statement in April that "as English rights were originally not available, the show was set to air on Channel 8''.

But following further negotiations, the programme "will now air for Singapore viewers on Channel 5 in English and reach a more diverse audience," it added.

MasterChef Singapore premieres on Channel 5 on Sept 2 at 9.30pm, and will also be aired on Toggle's Video On Demand.