'The Greatest Snowman': line-up, release date, how it works, first looks and everything about the show

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Which celebrity can build 'The Greatest Snowman' in the Alps?

'The Greatest Snowman' is presented by Sue Perkins from the Alps. Will she be impressed with size or style?
'The Greatest Snowman' is presented by Sue Perkins from the Alps. Will she be impressed with size or style? (Image credit: Channel 4)

The Greatest Snowman is a Bake-Off-style challenge show for celebrities to show off their snowman-building skills and then be judged by experts (yes there are Snowman experts in this crazy world!). Hosted by comedian Sue Perkins, the Channel 4 one-off special heads to an Alpine resort in search of snow and ice so the building can commence! 

So here's all we know about The Greatest Snowman which is a Christmas TV highlight on Channel 4...

Sue Perkins presents 'The Greatest Snowman'.

It's like Bake-Off with snow for Sue Perkins. (Image credit: Alamy/Getty)

'The Greatest Snowman' air date

The Greatest Snowman airs on Christmas Eve Friday Dec. 24 at 8pm on Channel 4. The one-off show will then become available after its Channel 4 release date on C4's streaming service All4.

'The Greatest Snowman' line-up

Sue Perkins oversees the action as stars compete to become the King or Queen of Snowman creation! Celebrities taking part in The Greatest Snowman are as right here...

Johnny Vegas 
Having played Solana holidaymaker Geoff ‘The Oracle’ Maltby in ITV’s Benidorm, Johnny is used to sunning himself in Spain, not risking getting chilblains in the Austrian Alps. The stand-up comedian, from the PG Tips adverts fame, is also known for playing Eric Agnew in the BBC1 sitcom Still Open all Hours and for appearing on the likes of QI, The Last Leg, Taskmaster and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown as well as BBC comedy Ideal.

Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen
Known for his flamboyant outfits, Laurence is famous for being one of the designers on the long-running DIY show Changing Rooms and for regularly appearing on BBC1’s DIY SOS: The Big Build. But he admits he’s not a fan of mountains or snow! 

Dani Dyer
The daughter of EastEnders star Danny Dyer (aka Walford's Mick Carter) Dani found fame in her own right on the fourth series of ITV2’s Love Island in 2018. Since then she’s co-presented the MTV series True Love or True Lies with her famous dad and even popped up in EastEnders earlier this year as a taxi driver called Jeanette. But she’s also no stranger to mountains and cold weather, having reached the summit of Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, in 2019 in aid of Comic Relief.

Liam Charles
As a contestant on series eight of The Great British Bake Off, Liam (now a presenter on Bake Off: The Professionals definitely has a creative streak. But carving igloos and sculptures out of snow is going to be a very different experience to popping a cake in the oven! 

Cherry Healey
TV presenter Cherry hosted two series of the E4 spin-off The Jump: On the Piste, so she has a lot of experience of chilly Alpine ski resorts! She’s also known for 10 Years Younger in 10 Days, Celebrity MasterChef, Britain’s Favourite Supermarket Foods and Inside the Factory, which she co-presents with Gregg Wallace.

'The Greatest Snowman' celebrity line up.

'The Greatest Snowman' celebrity line-up. Who'll succeed in the snow? (Image credit: Channel 4)

'The Greatest Snowman' — how it works

The Greatest Snowman will see the celebrities challenged to carve snowy sculptures out of giant blocks of ice and great piles of snow. It ends with a winner-takes-all-test to create a wonderful snowman.

C4 has said: "Judged by experts, all will risk chilblains as they attempt to carve and construct incredible structures made from snow and ice. The competition will culminate in the ultimate snowy challenge where the famous faces will use all they have learned in each round to attempt to construct The Greatest Snowman!"

Be prepared for plenty of snowball fights, and some snowmen that could end up a collapsed mess. We also expect to hear a rendition of Walking in The Air by Aled Jones at some point as the famous animation The Snowman does seem pretty apt for this show! Thinking about it Aled would have been a perfect contestant for The Greatest Snowman but alas he's nowhere to be found for this! 

Cherry Healey carving up the ice in 'The Greatest Snowman'.

Cherry Healey carving up the ice in 'The Greatest Snowman'. (Image credit: Channel 4)

Will the celebs' snowmen be as good as him?

Will any celebs build a snowman be as good as him? (Image credit: Alamy)

Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen and Liam Charles reveals their hopes and tactics for 'The Greatest Snowman'

'The Greatest Snowman'.

Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen and Liam Charles working together with blocks of ice in 'The Greatest Snowman'. (Image credit: Channel 4)

Have you been to the Austrian Alps before? 
Laurence says: "Obviously, I know my way around the bright lights and bars of Vienna but I’ve never been trusted with a mountain top before! Apparently schnapps is Austrian for gin so I look forward to getting super schnappy just to keep out the cold!"
Liam says: "I’ve never been to the Austrian Alps but I know for a fact it’s soooo cold! I hope we get some down time – I can’t lie, I really do want to some snow boarding!"

Do you like the snow?
Liam says: "Yeah, I love throwing snowballs. I remember sometimes it would get so cold when it snowed that it would break the heating system at my secondary school so we couldn’t go in. I’d spend all day having snowball fights with my neighbours!"

If you could build an igloo with anyone in the world as your teammate who would you chose?
Laurence says: "An igloo builder!"
Liam says: "Iron Man, aka Tony Stark. Look how smart he is… our igloo would be the best!"

Are you seeing this as an artistic, physical, or technical challenge?
Laurence says: "All three! And a wonderful opportunity to thoroughly rock Cossack!"
Liam says: "I’d say it’s a bit of everything really. Sculpting is the artistic side, but using the tools is more physical, and when it comes to the technical side, it’s all about perspective and how you’re going to create an amazing 3D sculpture to scale. There’s me sounding like I’ve done this before, but I have no idea what I’m doing!"

How do you like to spend Christmas? Are you a fan of the cold or do you try to escape to sunnier climes?
Laurence says: "I’ve tried both and as long as there’s a full stocking and a lake of gin (or schnapps) I’m happy."
Liam says: "I like a bit of both. Too cold I can’t do anything, all I want to do is play PlayStation and go sleep. Although, if it’s too hot I still can’t do anything!"

Nicholas Cannon
Nicholas Cannon
TV Content Director on TV Times, What's On TV and TV & Satellite Week

I'm a huge fan of television so I really have found the perfect job, as I've been writing about TV shows, films and interviewing major television, film and sports stars for over 25 years. I'm currently TV Content Director on What's On TV, TV Times, TV and Satellite Week magazines plus Whattowatch.com. I previously worked on Woman and Woman's Own in the 1990s. Outside of work I swim every morning, support Charlton Athletic football club and get nostalgic about TV shows Cagney & Lacey, I Claudius, Dallas and Tenko. I'm totally on top of everything good coming up too.