Masterchef glory for Edmonson

And the 56-year-old comic actor – who has starred in The Young Ones and Bottom – joked that he would be celebrating with beans on toast after weeks of perfecting his skills on complex dishes.

Edmondson beat fellow finallists Les Dennis and Janet Street-Porter by cooking a faultless three-course meal of venison and sea bass for judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Viewers have seen them battling through four weeks of heats and two weeks of semi-finals and finals. The finallists have been seen preparing afternoon tea at London’s One Aldwych, recreating a tough recipe devised by Torode and preparing a full meal for Michelin-starred chefs.

Edmondson said: “I’m very, very chuffed, I’ve spent most of my life being second, so to actually come top it feels very weird. But I’m very, very pleased indeed. It’s quite nice to be first.”

Torode said the winner’s dishes were “delicious and absolutely mind-blowing”. Fellow judge Gregg Wallace said: “What Ade has learnt along the way has just already enhanced the good cook that he was when he walked in here.”