Happy Mondays star Bez takes on BBC Celebrity MasterChef

Bez, 58, went up against athlete Iwan Thomas, pop star Josh Cuthbert and opera superstar Lesley Garrett who all competed for the Celebrity MasterChef Golden whisk trophy.

His debut on the special festive edition of the show saw him wear a Christmas jumper with his face on the front.

“Me ego is that big I thought I’d wear my own self on me chest,” said Bez, who rose to fame with Manchester-based independent rock band Happy Mondays.

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Bez starred on MasterChef Christmas special (Image: BBC)

He had a big smile on his face as judges John Torode and Greg Wallace welcomed him and the other celebrities.

They were each given a secret Santa mystery box and inside were ingredients to make canapes.

“Oh no, I hope you got the receipt,” the star, whose real name is Mark Berry, joked.

Bez was given smoked salmon and avocado chilli rolls alongside smoked mackerel and beetroot crackers.

“Little bit fishy,” the star, who lives on the Welsh border near Pontrilas, said.

Bez starred on MasterChef Christmas special (Image: BBC)

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Contestants were also given the ingredients for their favourite cocktail.

Bez chose a mojito, which he said is American novelist Ernest Hemingway’s favourite. But he changed it to do a spiced rum with a ginger beer, to give it a twist.

It was an ode to his time at the Hemingway bar, in Old Havana, Cuba, which is why it became his favourite, he said.

He went on the programme in 2021 and Wallace described him as “really creative” and said he understand “great food”.

Torode said it was canapes that lost him his place in the competition last time and wondered how he was going to cope.

Bez said he liked to get involved in Christmas during the programme.

“Any excuse for a party in our house,” he said.

He also said he had a “fantastic” time on MasterChef last time.

“I did a lot better than I thought I would,” he said.

Bez started to panic as time was running out as he said they weren’t “as nice as they could be”.

Special judge and winner of the Christmas special 2021 Judy Love made an appearance.

“It looks like you made the spring rolls after you had a bucket of this (mojito),” said Torode.

Wallace joked his mojito “warmed his cockles”.

“When you cook it regularly tastes delicious,” said Torode.

His ultimate Christmas dinner of a festive turkey roulade in the next stage also went down a treat and was “very clever” and “tasted like Christmas”, said the judges.

Bez didn’t win this series.

“I didn’t expect to win,” he said.

“I wasn’t the brightest bauble in the room as they say, but yeah it’s a great time.”