THE KNIVES ARE OUT!

John Torode and Gregg Wallace prepare to turn up the heat on a new set of contestants as Celebrity Master Chef returns

CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF BBC1, Wednesday to Friday, times vary

Birds Of A Feather star Lesley Joseph, socialite Nancy Dell’Olio, last year’s fiery-tempered Love Islander Faye Winter,

Strictly dancer Katya Jones and former world champion boxer Chris Eubank (below, left, with Lesley Joseph).

They’re all, in their very different ways, intimidatingly formidable personalities who are used to coming out on top. But now they must prepare to roll up their sleeves, brave the heat of the kitchen and brace themselves for possible disappointment as they take their place among a total of 20 contestants vying to win

Celebrity MasterChef.

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the next six weeks, we will witness this score of starry amateur cooks all striving to become the

17th champion, following on from the triumph of Paralympian Kadeena Cox in last year’s series. Plain-speaking

John Torode and affable Gregg Wallace (left) are once more the judges.

From the world of comedy come stand-up Richard Blackwood, Paul Chuckle of the Chuckle Brothers and rising star Kae Kurd. Nor will they want for singing power in the MasterChef kitchen, thanks to All Saints’ Mel Blatt, choirmaster Gareth Malone and Danny Jones of McFly.

Former Coronation Street and Neighbours star Ryan Thomas has tasted reality-show triumph before, winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, and alongside him are actors Clarke Peters and Cliff Parisi (best known as Minty in EastEnders and handyman Fred Buckle in Call The Midwife).

Look out, too, for TV presenters

Kirsty Gallacher and Lisa Snowdon, while reality star MoJo is already familiar to viewers of ITV2’s

Peckham’s Finest, as is former footballer Jimmy Bullard from Sky Sports’ Soccer AM. Completing the line-up are drag performer Kitty ScottClaus and presenter Adam Pearson.

Among the tasks awaiting them are making the most of a surprise ingredient hidden Under The Cloche, using little more than their instincts and sense of taste to recreate a foreign recipe in the Street Food Challenge, and making the dinner party dish they would serve up at home for the guest they would most want to impress – but taking no more than an hour from the start to bring it to the table.

But you can’t beat the Knowledge And Skills Test, when there’s no hiding place for each contestant as they face Torode and Wallace alone while trying to meet a fiendishly tricky technical challenge.

Sheer unbridled terror for the squirming stars – and delicious viewing for us at home.