P&O Britannia to Host Celebrity Cookery Show

Alex James from Blur and Keith Duffy from Boyzone are set to be the celebrities convening on the P&O Britannia for the new TV cookery competition, Battlechefs. Hosted by P&O Cruises’ own celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White, the show will pit the famous faces against one another as they cook for the ship’s captain and VIP guests.

The show is set to be screened early next year on UK channel, Watch, and will be filmed during two Mediterranean cruises aboard the Britannia. Each chef will be given their chance to impress the captain of the ship, ably assisted (or hindered) by their fellow celebrities. Each episode of the show will also explore the ports visited by the Britannia, taking in the local cuisine and food production.

P&O Cruises marketing director Christopher Edgington said: “We are very excited to be making Battlechefs on Britannia. Watch provides an ideal audience to encourage newcomers to cruising and will showcase our food ethos.

“Our cookery school on board provides the perfect backdrop for the show as the celebrities prepare speciality dishes from around the Med.”

P&O Cruises have put significant effort and resources into their dining options and food offerings – employing a selection of the world’s most-respected celebrity chefs and providing a unique mix of mouth-watering cuisine from every corner of the planet. The likes of Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry have lent their considerable talents to the ship’s offerings, providing on-board cookery classes for the passengers.

Food shows have proved to be a consistently rich source for viewer figures in the UK in recent years with the likes of the aforementioned Great British Bake Off and Masterchef proving to be amongst the nation’s favourite programmes.

UKTV Commissioning Editor Victoria Summer says: “Travel, food and healthy competition come together in Battlechefs. It’s an energetic show which centres on challenge and good-hearted rivalry, which sits perfectly alongside Watch viewer favourites such as the hugely popular Masterchef Australia.

“Seeing whether our celebs can pull off the menus they’re given against the clock is going to be very entertaining.”

We’ll certainly be tuning in to see if the celebs can whip up anything comparable to the stunning fare served in The Epicurean or The Glass House.

Images sourced via P&O Cruises Press Centre and Norwegian Cruise Line Press Centre