Celebrity Masterchef
(BBC1, 9pm)

TWENTY famous (okay you probably won’t know all of them) faces are set to take the taste test this year and the line-up offers us a smattering from the soaps, including former EastEnders villain Alex ‘Trevor Morgan’ Ferns and Coronation Street nutcase Ken ‘Reg Holdsworth’ Morley.

Reality TV supplies Made in Chelsea’s Millie Mackintosh but there’s also I’m a Celebrity winner Christopher Biggins, as well as pop stars JB Gill from JLS and Kiki Dee, and actors Lesley Ash, Amanda Burton and Jason (son of Sean) Connery.

But do they know their asparagus from their endive? As the series producer Karen Ross says: “Each year we approach Celebrity MasterChef with a mixture of fear and hope – will any of them actually be able to cook? It is often a terrifyingly rocky road to get from the early disasters to the real hard core-cooking talent.

This year will not disappoint.”

The first batch of stars to take up the challenge are actress Sophie Thompson and her fellow EastEnders veteran Todd Carty, just don’t ask the poor guy to skate after his crashing display on Dancing on Ice. Joining them in the kitchen are model Jodie Kidd, journalist Susannah Constantine of Trinny and Susannah fame and astrologer Russell Grant.

A mystery box awaits and the celebs will have to use the contents to make the filling and dipping sauce for their own spring rolls – and with Gregg Wallace and John Torode expecting to be served in just 50 minutes, they won’t have long to figure out what everything is. After that, they will be split into two groups and packed off to experience the heat of a professional kitchen. Jodie and Russell head to Babbo, which specialises in traditional Italian cuisine, while Susannah, Sophie and Todd are sent to Aqua Shard. For some the pressure proves to be too much.

One last task is rustling up a twocourse meal of their own design – before finding out who won’t be making it to the next round. Earning a celebrity crust doesn’t get much tougher than this.

The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies
(Channel 5, 8pm)

IN spite of the North-East’s high rating for ill-treated dogs, there are still enough of us canine fans around to ensure that comedian Alan Davies doesn’t have to magic up an audience.

This week, inspector Becky Jeffries rescues an aggressive untrained German shepherd and takes it to the Bath Cats and Dogs Home’s specially-designed sensory garden.

In Birmingham, inspector Herchy Boal rescues Duke, an emaciated black Labrador in desperate need of veterinary attention. In Staffordshire, inspector Jayne Bashford is tending to a dog in an abandoned house, but getting to the bottom of the story of how it ended up there proves a little tricky.

Two unfortunately named shih-tzus are found in a house covered in empty dog food packets and dog mess.

Lineker in Brazil: The Beautiful Game
(BBC1, 10.35pm)

IF you added crisps to the agenda, Gary Lineker would be the perfect choice to host this documentary about the world’s fascination with Brazil and the beautiful game.

Lineker chats to Brazilian striker Ronaldo and presents revealing interviews with key figures such as World Cup-winning player Leonardo, and details the gifts and global appeal of Pele. Michael Palin, Rio Ferdinand, John Barnes and Michael Owen appear, as well as rarely seen archive footage of the defining, great moments in World Cup History.

TV presenter Fernanda Lima looks into the roots of Brazil and football.