Catch up TV

Series 20: Episode 1

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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nJudges 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 a 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?\n\nNext, it’s time for their taste buds to be examined 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. \n\nThe 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 of 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. \n\nAll five will live to fight another day, but a knock to their confidence is not what they need, as there’s only space for the best four in this week’s quarter-final.

Source: BBC 1