Celebrity MasterChef 2026: A new judge has been announced for the 21st series

Another year, another series of Celebrity MasterChef, packed full of cooking calamities, stressed faces and maybe even the odd surprise from some household names. While it may be slightly lighter-hearted than both regular MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, the format of Celebrity MasterChef is largely the same and equally as addictive.

Spread over five weeks, the series sees 15 celebrity contestants taking part in a variety of different challenges as they fight for the prestigious title, showcasing a mixture of different cooking abilities. But that's the best part of the show, in our opinion, with everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, particularly in the earlier stages of the series.

Past winners include Greg Rutherford, Kimberley Wyatt and last year's winner Ginger Johnson, who beat Alun Wyn Jones and Dawn O’Porter in the final. Although you might assume that the celebrities are just taking part for fun, the show has been the start of something bigger for many of the past winners. Series five winner Lisa Faulkner has now written multiple cookbooks and has also gone on to host a variety of different cookery shows.

Whilst information about the upcoming series is still fairly scant, we've rounded up everything you need to know about Celebrity MasterChef 2026, including who's going to be judging the competition's 21st series.

When does Celebrity MasterChef 2026 start?

The start date for Celebrity MasterChef 2026 is yet to be announced, but based on last year's scheduling, we can expect the show to start airing in November, with three episodes airing each week.

Where can I watch Celebrity MasterChef?

Celebrity MasterChef is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Who are the judges on Celebrity MasterChef 2026?

The Celebrity MasterChef judges are mixing things up again for 2026. Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli has been announced as the new judge on Celebrity MasterChef, joining Grace Dent for the upcoming series. Known for his Michelin-starred restaurant Locanda Locatelli, which closed back in 2025, and his latest venture, Locatelli at the National Gallery, the chef currently appears as a judge on the Italian version of the cooking show.

Restaurant critic and author Grace Dent replaced former judge Gregg Wallace back in 2025, after he was fired from the role following allegations of misconduct. Grace was joined by John Torode for season 20, though it was announced that he would not be returning for future series, after being sacked for using 'extremely' racist language. 

Locatelli is stepping up to the challenge, stating that it is 'a real honour' to be joining the show. He commented: 'I can't wait for you to see what our celebrity contestants bring to the kitchen, as we are really putting their culinary skills to the test in this series.'

Who won Celebrity MasterChef 2025?

The winner of Celebrity MasterChef 2025 was Ginger Johnson. After 15 amateur cooks battled it out over five weeks, the grand final saw three contestants go head to head to be crowned the winner, with Ginger up against Alun Wyn Jones and Dawn O’Porter.

Ginger Johnson was the 20th person to become a Celebrity MasterChef winner. 

Ginger's Winning Menu:

Starter - Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail: Prawns in a tomato, chilli, and vodka sauce, with diced cucumber, and Worcestershire sauce jelly cubes. Garnished with roasted prawn heads, lettuce, celery and an olive, with celery salted crisps and a lemon mayonnaise

Main - Duck a l'Orange: Duck leg and vegetable pie with an orange and red wine gravy served with smoked garlic hassleback potatoes, purple carrot, charred baby romanesco and kale.

Dessert - Flaming Baked Alaska: Swiss meringue covering a sponge base, caramelised pineapple ring, glace cherry, and a vanilla and chilli ice cream, all soaked in rum.

Who was in the final of Celebrity MasterChef 2025?

The contestants who took part in the final of Celebrity MasterChef 2025 were Ginger Johnson, Alun Wyn Jones, and Dawn O’Porter.

What are the Celebrity MasterChef challenges? 

While the challenges change a bit every series of Celebrity MasterChef, you can always expect favourites such as the market challenge where contestants have to devise a dish on the spot using only the provided produce, and the pairs challenge where contestants attempt to cook identical dishes with a wall in between them. As well as these, there are mass-catering tasks, challenges involving cooking for former Celebrity MasterChef winners, and the opportunity to cook in a professional kitchen.

Where is Celebrity MasterChef filmed?

Celebrity MasterChef has been filmed at 3 Mills Studios in East London since 2014. The film and television studio has also been used as a recording space for several other popular television programmes, such as Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live, Million Pound Drop Live and Stand Up To Cancer.

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