BBC Celebrity MasterChef 2022: Who is Richard Blackwood, how to watch and full line-up

It’s that time of year again as Celebrity MasterChef returns to television screens up and down the country.

London-born actor Richard Blackwood is on the show this year and he’ll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Paralympic athlete Kadeena Cox, who was crowned champion in 2021.

With an average of 4.4 million viewers on the last series, Celebrity MasterChef is incredibly popular in the UK, and there’s a lot of anticipation for this year as 20 huge names take to the kitchen.

Here’s everything you need to know about Celebrity MasterChef 2022, including who Richard Blackwood is, what the full line-up is, and how to watch the show on TV.

What is Celebrity MasterChef?

Celebrity MasterChef is the celebrity version of the competitive cooking reality TV show MasterChef. The programme, which first aired in 2006, sets out to find the UK’s best celebrity cook.

Some of the UK’s most well-known personalities face one another in the kitchen as they hope to impress judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode with their dishes. From carbonara to chili con carne to tofu, it’s all about cooking up a storm.

Sometimes things don’t quite go to plan, but it all makes for great entertainment. Last year, Megan McKenna, Penny Lancaster, Melanie Sykes, Patrick Grant, and Nabil Abdulrashid all failed the simple task of making a pancake. It was hilarious.

Who is Richard Blackwood?

Richard Blackwood is a 50-year-old British actor, presenter and rapper from Clapham Town, London. He’s best known for playing Vincent Hubbard in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 2015 and 2018.

Blackwood first rose to fame in 1999 when he presented the UK version of Singled Out on Channel 5. He then presented his own series called The Richard Blackwood Show, as well as Top of the Pops and MTV Select.

In 2000 he released his one and only studio album You’ll Love to Hate This, which included the song Mama Who Da Man which peaked at number three on the UK charts. Since then he’s played a whole host of roles in television but has also stepped into the theatre industry on occasion.

Since 2020, Blackwood has played the role of Felix Westwood in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. He now joins up with 19 other famous faces on Celebrity MasterChef 2022.

What is the full lineup for Celebrity MasterChef 2022?

John Torode and Gregg Wallace will be judging the culinary capabilities of the following celebrities in Celebrity MasterChef 2022.

• Adam Pearson, actor & campaigner
• Chris Eubank, former boxing world champion
• Clarke Peters, actor
• Cliff Parisi, actor
• Danny Jones, musician in McFly
• Faye Winter, reality TV personality
• Gareth Malone OBE, choirmaster & broadcaster
• Jimmy Bullard, former professional footballer
• Kae Kurd, comedian
• Katya Jones, dancer & choreographer
• Kirsty Gallacher, presenter & model
• Kitty Scott-Claus, drag performer
• Lesley Joseph, actress
• Lisa Snowdon, presenter & fashion model
• Mel Blatt, singer in All Saints
• Nancy Dell’Olio, lawyer & media personality
• Paul Chuckle, actor & comedian
• Queen Mojo, social media personality & dancer
• Richard Blackwood, actor & rapper
• Ryan Thomas, actor & reality TV star

How to watch Celebrity MasterChef on TV

Celebrity Masterchef starts on Wednesday 10 August and will be aired throughout the week on BBC One, with times varying by day. It will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

The first episode of Series 17, which sees the first five celebrities (Faye Winter, Danny Jones, Kae Kurd, Nancy Dell’Olio & Paul Chuckle) take to the kitchen, starts on BBC One at 8pm.

The second episode will air on BBC One at 8pm on Thursday 11 August, whereas the third episode is scheduled for a different time – 9pm on Friday 12 August.

The next set of celebrities will begin their cooking challenges on the week commencing 15 August. All the details including the full schedule for Celebrity MasterChef can be found on the BBC website.