Stars from the likes of The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing have been announced for the new series of Celebrity Mastermind, as the full list of names taking on Clive Myrie's questioning has been unveiled. A year on from his debut on the infamous Traitors train, Alexander Dragonetti will sit in the famous black chair, with Strictly pro Nikita Kuzmin also on the bill.
Taskmaster favourites Desiree Burch and Lucy Beaumont, Emmerdale's Bradley Riches and Drag Race UK icon Tia Kofi are also among those set to appear across fourteen new episodes when the new run begins next week.
Big Brother host Will Best, Radio 2's Richie Anderson and Gladiators' Montell Douglas, aka Fire, are on the bill, too; with specialist subjects including the Bridget Jones films, the history of Marvel comics, The Vicar of Dibley, Christopher Eccleston's era of Doctor Who, and Danny Dyer.
Host Myrie said: "I want to support the contestants so that the entertainment value isn’t necessarily in seeing someone fall off the tightrope, but for the achievement of being on Mastermind and making it through the rounds. You’re willing people on to keep going. It’s a celebration of their ability.
"If someone is struggling and I can see it in their eyes that the atmosphere is all consuming and suffocating, I’m willing them on to do well! And when they do, it’s the most wonderful feeling for me and I’m sure it is for the viewers as well.
Related: Strictly Come Dancing pro reveals show gaffe that still follows him around
What to Read Next
"So, it's a celebration of knowledge and it’s about the joy in people being the best that they can be."
In the first episode, to air on Monday 22 December, Maryam Moshiri, Chesney Hawkes, Desiree Burch and Danny Robins will step up to the plate; and they'll be followed on Tuesday 23 December, by Sally Ann Matthews, Yinka Bokinni, Felicity Ward and Michael Bradley.
Gareth Malone, Gamba Cole, Yewande Biala and Lucy Beaumont take their turn on Wednesday 24 December; and on Boxing Day it's Will Best, Laura Smyth, Nikita Kuzmin and Jayne Wisener's turns.
Sunday 28 December will see Montell Douglas, Matt Edmondson, Sonnaz Nooranvary and Lewis Goodall appear; with Dean Franklin, Chloe Petts, Ashley John-Baptiste and Robyn Cowen to follow on Monday 29 December.
Related: Masked Singer host Joel Dommett told off by show bosses after spoiling name of Christmas celeb
Episodes will air every night that week, with the line-up including Iwan Thomas, Sophie Aldred, Mobeen Azhar and Ashley James on Tuesday 30 December; Tia Kofi, Lauren Patel, Josh Jones and Izzie Balmer on Wednesday 31 December; Charlotte Hawkins, Stephen Bailey, Ekow Quartey and Belles Berry on Thursday 1 January, and Colson Smith, Nadia Jae, Grace Campbell and Joel Mawhinney on Friday 2 January 2026.
Episodes will then air weekly on Mondays after that, with Alexander Dragonetti, Janine Harouni, Dame Laura Davies and Greg McHugh set for Monday 5 January; and JB Gill, Susie McCabe, Lucy Shepherd and Richie Anderson for Monday 12 January.
Finally, James Cracknell, Jen Brister, Craig Rowe and Bradley Riches are on-air on Monday 19 January; and Stuart Pearce, Gemma Cairney, Axel Blake and Phil Dunning will finish things off on Monday 26 January.
Celebrity Mastermind begins on Monday, 23 December at 7:30pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.
Love TV? Get your Christmas viewing sorted with the Good Housekeeping Christmas TV Guide, featuring 14 days of Christmas TV listings, plus everything you need for the ultimate festive viewing experience! Just £4.75 – available now at Morrisons, TG Jones and all other good magazine retailers.
Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.
