Episode 1

Deck the halls, stuff the turkey and break out the Christmas fizz as eight of the most memorable celebrities from past series return to compete in two festive-themed Celebrity MasterChef specials, hosted by Gregg Wallace and John Torode.

In the first special, Happy Mondays legend Bez, athletics world champion Iwan Thomas, pop star Josh Cuthbert and opera superstar Lesley Garrett compete against each other to see who can take home the title of Christmas champion and the Celebrity MasterChef Golden Whisk trophy.

The celebrities face two Christmas-themed tests, and it’s party time in the MasterChef kitchen as the first involves cocktails and canapes. The celebrities have to recreate and embellish two Christmas canape recipes from ingredients found in a Secret Santa present box. Alongside their canapes, they must present their favourite Christmas cocktail to the judges. But, because it’s a special occasion, they must present their cocktails and canapes not only to John and Gregg but also to a very special guest judge, 2021's Celebrity MasterChef Christmas champion Judi Love.

Then they are all challenged to cook their ultimate Christmas dinner, using well-known seasonal ingredients. The celebrities can be as creative as they like, so expect plenty of laughs, some great Christmas banter, a bit of a sing-song and some surprisingly good food.