Taskmaster’s festive line-up is confirmed
Channel 4 has confirmed the five celebrities taking on Greg Davies and Alex Horne in the next Taskmaster’s New Year Treat, bringing together Bake Off presenter Alison Hammond, singer Chesney Hawkes, broadcaster Francis Bourgeois, BBC news presenter Maryam Moshiri and barrister-turned-presenter Rob Rinder. The announcement was made on 5–6 November 2026, and remains a useful guide for viewers planning their festive television viewing. The broadcaster has not yet announced an exact transmission date, so any specific date circulating without a fresh official listing should be treated cautiously.
Who are the five contestants?
Alison Hammond is particularly familiar to Channel 4 audiences through The Great British Bake Off. Her move from a baking tent to Taskmaster’s unpredictable challenges is an appealing crossover, but it does not tell us which tasks she will face or how well she will perform. The programme’s appeal lies precisely in seeing established television personalities respond to unusual instructions rather than repeat the skills for which they are known.
Chesney Hawkes, the singer associated with The One and Only, represents the music world. Francis Bourgeois brings a different kind of screen presence: his enthusiasm for railways made him a prominent online personality, and he has also been associated with Prime Video’s The Grand Tour. Neither background offers an obvious advantage in a competition designed to reward creativity, interpretation and occasionally sheer luck.
Maryam Moshiri, a BBC news presenter, adds another contrast to the panel. Rob Rinder, known for his legal career and television work, completes the five. The varied selection is deliberate in effect: a viewer may know one contestant from daytime television, another from music and another from factual broadcasting, but the tasks put them all into the same unfamiliar setting.
What has Channel 4 confirmed about the format?
The broadcaster says the festive return will offer a double helping of Taskmaster’s New Year Treat. Greg Davies remains the imposing Taskmaster, while Alex Horne assists with the challenges. The prize is the special trophy shaped like Greg’s golden eyebrows, rather than the usual main-series trophy. There is no announced winner, and it would be misleading to suggest that the line-up reveal contains results or footage from the completed contest.
The announcement also makes an important distinction between a confirmed programme and a confirmed schedule. Channel 4 has committed to the festive special and named its participants, but said transmission details would follow. That means viewers should look for an official Channel 4 listing before arranging a viewing night. References to the New Year Treat 2027 identify the festive edition, not a confirmed air date.
How does it fit into Taskmaster’s wider run?
Taskmaster has become a familiar fixture on Channel 4, with its regular series and one-off specials serving slightly different purposes. The main competition follows the same five performers across a longer run, allowing rivalries and running jokes to develop. New Year Treat instead introduces a fresh collection of recognisable guests for a shorter seasonal event, making it accessible even to people who have not watched every regular episode.
The British Comedy Guide’s episode listings identify this as the seventh New Year Treat and describe the 2027 edition as a two-part event. Its programme guide also records the previous special’s contestants, including Rose Ayling-Ellis, Big Zuu, Jill Scott, Sam Ryder and Susie Dent. Those details provide context for the format without predicting how the newly announced group will fare.
What should viewers watch for next?
The next genuinely useful update will be a confirmed broadcast date and time from Channel 4, followed by any official preview material. Until then, the key facts are straightforward: five named celebrities are competing, Davies and Horne are returning, and the festive edition will be presented in two parts. Channel 4’s streaming service carries Taskmaster for viewers who want to revisit earlier instalments while waiting.
The casting also gives viewers several reasons to tune in without inventing dramatic rivalries. Hammond’s Bake Off connection, Bourgeois’s distinctive broadcasting background and Moshiri’s news career are all interesting contrasts within the same panel. Whether any of them proves unexpectedly resourceful is a question the episodes themselves, not pre-broadcast speculation, will answer.
This guide draws on Channel 4’s official announcement, the British Comedy Guide’s programme listings and Digital Spy’s contemporary coverage. It will need a schedule update once Channel 4 supplies the missing transmission details.