GuideLEGO Masters UK: The Original Show and What Happened to It
Every LEGO Masters you've watched, whether it's the loud FOX version with Will Arnett or Hamish Blake's long-running Australian franchise, traces back to one small Channel 4 show in Britain. It only lasted two series. I still think about it more than the shows that outlived it.
Who hosted LEGO Masters UK
Series 1 and series 2 of LEGO Masters UK were hosted by broadcaster Melvin Odoom, who kept things light between builds while a judging panel scored the actual bricks. According to Channel 4's own press materials, series 1 was judged by LEGO designer Matthew Ashton alongside structural engineer Roma Agrawal, and series 2 brought in scientist and engineer Fran Scott in the judging seat. Bringing in real designers and engineers rather than celebrities set the tone for how other countries' versions would later handle the judging chair. When the show came back for one-off specials, the hosting job changed hands: a Christmas special that aired 24 December 2022 was hosted by Nish Kumar instead, and it was filmed on the set built for the Polish version of the show rather than a UK set.
The original format: no cash prize
This is the detail that surprises people who only know the US or Australian versions. LEGO Masters UK never handed out a cash prize. Winning teams got the title and the satisfaction of having their build put on display at a LEGOLAND park instead of a check. Compare that to the American version, which pays its winners $100,000, or the Australian version, which pays out $100,000 AUD, and you can see how much the format changed as it traveled.
The show also ran on a much smaller scale than what came later. Series 1 aired 24 August to 14 September 2017, and series 2 followed a year later, running 6 November to 4 December 2018. No regular series 3 was ever produced after that.
What happened after series 2
Channel 4 didn't formally cancel LEGO Masters UK, it just stopped commissioning new regular series. The show resurfaced twice more in one-off form: a Celebrity LEGO Masters special aired 11 December 2018, and the Nish Kumar-hosted Christmas special followed on 24 December 2022, four years after the last regular series ended. As of mid-2026 there's no evidence of a new regular UK series being in the works, and Channel 4 hasn't announced one.
Meanwhile the format LEGO Masters UK pioneered took off everywhere else. Australia launched its own version in 2019 and is now seven full seasons deep (with an eighth, Bricktacular, airing as a special event as of July 2026), hosted the whole way through by Hamish Blake with Ryan "The Brickman" McNaught as the sole recurring judge. The US version launched on FOX in 2020 with Will Arnett hosting through five seasons, and a sixth season has been announced with Nick Cannon taking over as host, though as of the FOX 2026 upfronts it's been pushed to a mid-season 2027 slot with no exact date confirmed yet.
Why the UK original still matters
It's easy to think of LEGO Masters as an American or Australian invention because those are the versions still airing new seasons. But the format, two-person teams, a shared brick supply, elimination challenges judged by real LEGO designers, started in Britain. The no-prize-money structure and the smaller, more intimate production style of the UK original gave every later adaptation something to build on and then deliberately depart from. The US version added the six-figure prize and the celebrity-scale production. Australia added its now-signature all-star and international crossover seasons. Both owe their bones to two short series that most casual fans have never seen.
LEGO Masters UK ran for just two series in 2017 and 2018 under host Melvin Odoom, with no cash prize on the line, before Channel 4 stopped commissioning new seasons. The format it created went on to become a global franchise, and as of mid-2026 the UK original itself hasn't returned.
Common questions
Who is the host of LEGO Masters UK?
Melvin Odoom hosted both regular series of LEGO Masters UK (2017 and 2018). A later Christmas special in December 2022 was hosted by Nish Kumar instead, filmed on the Polish version's set.
How many seasons of LEGO Masters UK are there?
Two regular series, one in 2017 and one in 2018, plus two one-off specials (a Celebrity special in December 2018 and a Christmas special in December 2022). No regular series 3 was produced.
Did LEGO Masters UK have a cash prize?
No. Unlike the US and Australian versions, which both pay out $100,000, the UK original offered no cash prize. Winning builds were displayed at LEGOLAND parks instead.
Is LEGO Masters UK coming back?
As of mid-2026, there's no announced new regular UK series. The format lives on primarily through the US (FOX) and Australian (Nine Network) versions, both of which are still producing new seasons.