Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off 2022: when are episodes on TV, contestants - and challenges

A festive edition of Celebrity MasterChef will air this month as eight famous faces will compete in the Christmas Cook Off. Four celebs will take part in each episode and will take on two seasonal culinary tasks.

MasterChef judges and professional chefs Gregg Wallace and John Torode will be on hand to offer advice and criticism. They will be joined by a special guest judge in each episode who will help choose the next Christmas Cook Off champion.

Who are the Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off contestants?

Episode one

• Bez - Percussionist and DJ best known as a member of rock bands Happy Mondays and Black Grape
• Iwan Thomas -  British sprinter, athletics world champion, and Olympics silver medalist in 4 x 400m
• Josh Cuthbert - Singer and member of pop group Union J who were in The X Factor season 9 live shows
• Lesley Garrett - Opera singer and media personality

Episode two

• AJ Pritchard - Strictly Come Dancing professional, I’m A Celebrity 2020 campmate and (briefly) Hollyoaks star
• Chizzy Akudolu - Holby City actress and Strictly Come Dancing season 15 contestant
• Kitty Scott-Claus - Drag queen and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season three runner-up
• Megan McKenna - TOWIE star and winner of The X Factor: Celebrity

What are the Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off 2022 challenges?

In week one the celebrities’ first task will be to recreate and improve upon two different Christmas canape recipes, using only the ingredients they have left in their secret santa box. To wash down the canapes, each celebrity must also mix their favourite festive cocktail. Gregg and John will taste test each creation, and the judges will be joined by special guest Judi Love, winner of last year’s Christmas Cook Off.

The second challenge is a much bigger job - each contestant must cook a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings using traditional ingredients. They will have more space for creativity in this task, as they don’t have to stick to a set recipe and each dinner will look a little different.

Week two, which airs after Christmas Day will see the celebrities take on Christmas leftovers. Each contestant will have a different leftover and will be charged with making it into a new tasty dish. The second week will also feature a special guest judge - this time it’s presenter and Celebrity MasterChef 2010 winner Lisa Faulkner.

Challenge number two will see each contestant whip up their idea of a perfect New Year’s Eve dinner. Like the Christmas dinner task in week one, this will be where the celebrities will be left to their own devices with little guidance from the judges. It will all come down to the taste.

When is Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off 2022 on TV?

The Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off will have two episodes. The first episode will air on Friday 23 December at 8pm on BBC One and the second episode will air at 9pm on Friday 30 December. Both episodes will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after they are first broadcast.