Celebrity MasterChef | Series 20 Preview (BBC One)

Celebrity MasterChef is set to return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn for its 20th series, recorded earlier in the year with new 2025 judge Grace Dent and John Torode.

Five weeks of extraordinary challenges await, where the judges will oversee culinary this competition that will push the 15 celebrities beyond the comfort of their showbiz jobs. Acting the part won’t cut the mustard and singing for your supper will not equal success. The only thing guaranteed is that just one of them will be left standing at the end, where their sparkling career will lead them to the shiny prize - the iconic Celebrity MasterChef trophy.

The celebrities aiming to follow professional dancer and choreographer Vito Coppola – last year’s winner – to victory are: national singing treasure Alfie Boe OBE; rugby legend Alun Wyn Jones OBE; pop star and actor Antony Costa; TV star Ashley Cain.

Plus TV personality Chris Hughes; author and broadcaster Dawn O’Porter; Paralympian and actor Gaz Choudhry MBE; drag artist Ginger Johnson; soul legend Jaki Graham; actor Jamie Lomas; Gladiator Jodie Ounsley; actor Katie McGlynn; pop star Michelle Heaton; comedian Noreen Khan and TV personality Uma Jammeh.

Celebrity MasterChef features three Heat weeks aimed at testing the celebrities’ abilities – with the cream of crop making it past the Quarter Finals at the end of the week, ready for the Semi Final stages, edging closer to Finals Week and in with a serious chance of claiming the gleaming 2025 trophy.

In the first episode, five celebrities are waiting in the wings, ready to take on the first of three weeks of heats. None of them will have any idea what to expect, but they will need to settle in pronto if they hope to make it to this week’s quarter-final. Set to unearth who could be style over substance, Celebrity MasterChef 2025 kicks off in dazzling style.

The five stars donning MasterChef aprons in the first week of the competition are pop star and actor Antony Costa, paralympian and actor Gaz Choudhry MBE, drag artist Ginger Johnson, actor Katie McGlynn and TV personality Uma Jammeh.

Judges Grace Dent and John Torode waste no time in setting the first task of the series, which sees the return of everyone’s favourite shiny cloches! Taking it in turns, the celebs will each reveal a secret ingredient that must form the centrepiece of their dish.

The surprise ingredients include sea bream, haggis and peanut butter, which should conjure up some genius ideas, especially once they have raided the stunning new larder for extra goodies. The judges will be praying for tasty food, and even a touch of finesse, but will the celebs manage to keep their nerves in check and perform?

Next, it’s time for their taste buds to be tested with some tantalising treats as the celebrities take on a palate test like no other. They will each need to identify cubes of either meat, fish, veg or fruit by touch and taste alone, as they will all be blindfolded throughout. Get the answer wrong, and they will be eliminated and lose their chance to win a game-changing extra ten minutes of cooking time in the next round.

That’s enough time to save someone’s bacon should they need it, so everyone will be hoping to out-taste their opponents, but whether their taste buds are up to it remains to be seen – or not seen in this case.

The fearless five will then all head into today's final round, where the Celebrity MasterChef street food market re-opens for business. The brief is simple: to cook a dish they would serve from their own food truck or stall. Think the most comforting food imaginable, with flavours to match. They will have just one hour to create their masterpiece, except for the lucky celeb who won the luxury of the extra ten minutes. Grace and John will give honest feedback, and now have some idea of which celebs have true potential.

All five will live to fight another day, but a knock to their confidence is not what they need up ahead, as there’s only space for the best four in this week’s quarter-final.

Celebrity MasterChef returns Monday 17th November at 9pm on BBC One.