Celebrity MasterChef 2023: line-up of season 18 contestants, start date on BBC One - and full episode guide

Celebrity MasterChef returns for season 18 this week, with veteran hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode back to test famous contestants' skills in the kitchen.

Wallace recently featured on an eyebrow-raising mockumentary about a new British ‘miracle meat’ made from humans. The channel 4 half-hour doc lampooned the government’s response to the cost of living crisis.

Now, the former greengrocer and Saturday Kitchen host is back on regular form as he deals exclusively with non-human meat, alongside restaurant owner and TV personality Torode.  

In the new season of Celebrity MasterChef, 20 celebrities will take part across a series of heats, but only one will emerge as the series winner in six weeks' time.

Each week will see the celebs take on new culinary challenges, from preparing street food dishes, to working the kitchen during a busy lunchtime service, and cooking up a faultless two-course meal for the esteemed hosts. 

How does Celebrity MasterChef work?

The series takes place over six weeks this summer - the first four weeks are heats, each featuring a different batch of five contestants, who compete against each other for a spot in the semi-finals.

Two contestants from each heat will make it to the semis, which come in week five. In the semi-finals, the remaining eight contestants will be whittled down to five finalists. Then it’s finals week, which will see one contestant crowned the Celebrity MasterChef 2023 champion.

Who are the contestants on Celebrity MasterChef 2023?

Week one contestants:

• Dani Dyer - Love Island season 4 winner
• James Buckley - The Inbetweeners star
• Marcus Brigstocke - Comedian
• Mica Ven - Gogglebox star
• Richie Anderson - TV personality

Week two contestants:

• Dave Benson Phillips - TV presenter
• Max George - The Wanted lead singer
• Remi Burgz - Radio host
• Shazia Mirza - Comedian
• Terry Christian - Broadcaster

Contestants in later weeks:

• Amy Walsh - Emmerdale actress
• APL.DE.AP - Black Eyed Peas rapper 
• Cheryl Hole - Drag artist
• Dianne Buswell - Professional dancer
• DJ Locksmith - Rudimental musician
• Jamelia - Singer-songwriter
• Luca Bush - Love Island season 8 contestant
• Michael Praed - Emmerdale actor
• Sam Fox - Singer
• Wynne Evans - Opera singer

When does Celebrity MasterChef 2023 start?

The new series will land on Wednesday 2 August on BBC One at 9pm, and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after it is first broadcast.

When is Celebrity MasterChef on TV?

MasterChef never seems to air consistently, as the timings of each episode’s broadcast changes between and within weeks, which can make the show difficult to keep on top of if you’re planning to watch it on TV. This is the most recent viewing guide for Celebrity MasterChef 2023 so far:

• Episode 1 - Wednesday 2 August, 9pm
• Episode 2 - Thursday 3 August, 8pm
• Episode 3 - Friday 4 August, 8.30pm
• Episode 4 - Wednesday 9 August, 9pm
• Episode 5 - Thursday 10 August, 8pm
• Episode 6 - Friday 11 August, 9pm
• Episode 7 - TBC
• Episode 8 - TBC
• Episode 9 - TBC
• Episode 10 - TBC
• Episode 11 - TBC
• Episode 12 - TBC
• Episode 13 - TBC
• Episode 14 - TBC
• Episode 15 - TBC
• Episode 16 - TBC
• Episode 17 - TBC
• Episode 18 - TBC

We will update timings for upcoming episodes here as they are announced.