January might not be everybody's favourite month, but Channel 4 has some festive comedy specials to brighten the long, dark days, including Taskmaster's New Year Treat. Unlike the normal format, this one will feature celebrities from different areas of showbiz (instead of comedians), battling it out to win the affections of the Taskmaster Greg Davies.
Cast of Taskmaster's New Year Treat 2025
The Taskmaster himself, Mr Greg Davies, will be back to rank this new batch of contestants efforts, alongside his assistant Little Alex Horne (who is also the creator of the show and the one that sets the challenges).
In previous contestants have included Claudia Winkleman, Mo Farah, broadcaster Zoe Ball, British naturalist and explorer Steve Backshall, Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas and Deborah Meaden from Dragon's Den.
This year, there's a real mix of celebrities, including an actor, television presenter, footballer, mathematician, and singer-songwriter, who will compete in fruitless tasks to win the grand prize: a golden bust of Greg Davies.
They are:
• Sue Johnston - At 80 years old, actor Sue Johnston is the oldest contestant in Taskmaster history. She is best known for the sitcom The Royle Family, soap opera Brookside and Celebrity Gogglebox (where she appears with her on-screen husband Ricky Tomlinson).
• Martin Lewis - The Money Saving Expert and host of ITV shows (including The Martin Lewis Money Show, Good Morning Britain and This Morning) is great at saving money, but will he be able to stack up enough points to win the episode?
• David James - Former Liverpool and England goalkeeper David James is flying solo in the Taskmaster's New Year Treat.
• Melanie Blatt - All Saints band member Melanie Blatt will be competing in tasks set by Little Alex Horne. The girl group's most popular songs include I Know Where It’s At, Never Ever and One Strike.
• Professor Hannah Fry—British academic and author Hannah Fry may be clever, but will she succeed in these silly tasks?
When is the Taskmaster New Year Special on?
Taskmaster's New Year Treat will air at 9 pm on Sunday 29th December. You will also be able to stream the episode at Channel 4.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and spending time with her pet dogs, tortoise and chickens.