By Basant El-Faramawy
Taskmaster's New Year Treat special has confirmed its lineup of five celebrity contestants who will compete for a trophy modeled after host Greg Davies's golden eyebrows. The one-off episode will see This Morning host Alison Hammond, singer Chesney Hawkes, social media personality Francis Bourgeois, BBC newsreader Maryam Moshiri, and criminal barrister turned TV personality Rob Rinder take on a series of challenges set by Davies and his assistant Alex Horne. A broadcast date has not yet been announced.
Contestant backgrounds
Hammond currently co-hosts The Great British Bake Off and presents This Morning on Fridays. Hawkes is best known for his 1991 number-one debut single "The One and Only." Bourgeois, whose real name is Luke Nicholson, recently joined the presenting team of Prime Video's The Grand Tour. Moshiri has been a BBC broadcaster since 2003. Rinder previously hosted the reality courtroom series Judge Rinder.
Live tour expands to UK and US
The special follows the announcement that Taskmaster will stage its first UK live show at Manchester's AO Arena on 26 May, followed by a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on 22 June. The production, titled Taskmaster Live On Stage, will feature special guest contestants with additional places offered to audience members. Davies said the live format had already proven successful in the United States, where tickets sold out in 13 minutes.
The television series, which premiered on Dave in 2015 before moving to Channel 4 in 2020, began its 22nd series in September 2026.
