South Yorkshire comedy legend Paul Chuckle to take part in new series of Celebrity Masterchef

Joining them in the BBC One show is TV presenter Lisa Snowdon, former EastEnders star Cliff Parisi, Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones and star of The Choir Gareth Malone.

Broadcast over six weeks, the celebrities will tackle a series of cookery challenges to follow in the footsteps of reigning champion Kadeena Cox and win the coveted MasterChef title.

Katie Attwood, MasterChef series editor, said: "Celebrity MasterChef is a firm favourite in the television must-see calendar and this series is as funny, engaging and nail-biting as ever. John and Gregg are in for a treat, as are our viewers."

Paul – one half of comedy duo The Chuckle Brothers - is a keen amateur chef and is a huge fan of the BBC show.

During the Covid-19 pandemic he posted a number of videos on YouTube showing off his culinary talents.

He and his late brother Barry, who died in 2018, even had a show called Chucklevision: What’s Cooking where they ran a bakery.

Paul, aged 74, who was born in Masbrough and then lived in East Herringthorpe until his early twenties, said earlier this year: “I couldn't resist it. I have always been a keen cook and I like to experiment a bit so I just had to have a go at Celebrity Masterchef when there was a chance.

"It is an iconic TV show and great to be a part of it."

This year's crop of 20 celebrities, joined again by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace, also includes former boxing champion Chris Eubank, TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher, former pro-footballer Jimmy Bullard and actor Ryan Thomas.

Former EastEnders actor Richard Blackwood is also among the contestants, along with former All Saints band member Melanie Blatt, comedian Kae Kurd and RuPaul's drag race UK star Kitty Scott-Claus.

Hoping to impress with their culinary skills will also be reality star MoJo, media personality Nancy Dell'Olio and British actress Lesley Joseph - as well as actors Adam Pearson and Clarke Peters.

This year will see the return of challenges such as Under The Cloche, The Street Food Challenge and Dinner Party Dish in the four-week heat round before the top celebrities face the semi and final week stages.

Post-pandemic, the series will see also the finalists face challenges cooking for a large number of people - including a special centenary challenge to mark 100 years of the BBC.

Sarah Clay, commissioning editor for the BBC, added: "This line up will absolutely cement Celebrity MasterChef as one of the nation's most loved cookery programmes, with a lot of laughter alongside fierce competition guaranteed. The level of cooking is fantastic this year and you can really see how much it means to them all."

Celebrity MasterChef, produced by Shine TV, is set to return to BBC One this summer, but an official date has not yet been released.