Dame Mary Berry is set to make a special guest appearance on Celebrity MasterChef in September during the semi-finals stage of the cooking competition.

She will appear on an episode airing Thursday, September 8 in which the remaining contestants will be recreating one of Dame Mary’s “favourite and delicious signature classic recipes”.

They will have to “master unfamiliar ingredients and techniques” as part of this, to hopefully impress John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Dame Mary, 87, said: “I can’t wait to see these talented MasterChef semi-finalists bring my dishes to life and hopefully they are recipes they would enjoy making at home too.

“They need to remember though that I’ve got eyes in the back of my head. They may think I’m not watching but I will be…”

Bournemouth Echo: The contestants of the new series of Celebrity MasterChef (Shine TV Production/PA)The contestants of the new series of Celebrity MasterChef (Shine TV Production/PA)

The celebrities taking part in the programme this week include Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones, actor Adam Pearson, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Kitty Scott-Claus, radio and TV presenter Lisa Snowdon and soap star Ryan Thomas.

Speaking on taking part in the show, Jones said: “I’ve been a professional dancer for 30 years, I’ve been a teacher and I’m always in control of the situation.

“I’ve been learning my craft for so long that I thought to be on the other side, be the beginner, be the amateur and being judged for something that is so outside my comfort zone is going to make me a better person.

“I’ll learn a new life skill, meet new people, what is better than that? All whilst eating!”.

British actor and disability rights campaigner Pearson, 37, who has neurofibromatosis, said: “I wanted to do Celebrity MasterChef to learn a new skill. I’m coming into this with zero cooking expertise at all.

“As someone who has made a career of going out and telling other disabled people to live their lives, seize the day, carpe diem, at the risk of avoiding hypocrisy I thought I should be doing this. Also, ladies love a cook.”

Celebrity MasterChef begins airing at 9pm on Tuesday, August 30, with the semi-finals airing across September 6, 8 and 9.