The Great British Bake Off 2016: what you need to know

With all the sporting prowess of the Olympics taking over our screens at the moment, towering cream cakes are one of the last things on our mind. But once it’s over and the closing ceremony has finished things off with a bang, The Great British Bake Off will return for its seventh series, bringing with it the highs and lows of perfect pastry, crummy crumbs and steely gazes from Paul and Mary. Read on to get the lowdown on what’s happening at this year’s competition.

The show normally begins earlier on in the month but this year has been delayed by the Olympics, so the seventh series starts on Wednesday 24 August at 8pm and will run for ten weeks. It’s still on BBC One – although as the ever-popular show’s contract ends at the end of this year, future series might be poached by other channels eager to draw the millions of loyal viewers. There are also going to be two Bake Off Christmas specials aired later on in the year, if you’re looking to really wow at the dinner table. Finally, if you still get misty eyed thinking about last year’s winner Nadiya Hussain, she’ll be presenting her own show about exploring her Bangladeshi roots and the food enjoyed there.

Judges Paul and Mary are back, as are Mel and Sue – can you imagine the uproar if they weren’t? The two innuendo-loving presenters even plan to open their own tea shop at the end of the series. We’re sure anyone eager for the cake and baking-related puns won’t be left disappointed, either (although they must be starting to run out of them, surely?).

The list of the twelve bakers taking part won’t be released until around a week beforehand, and the producers make everyone on set wear an apron to confuse any nosey photographers. But Mary Berry herself has said the standard this year is higher than it’s ever been (even if less people did apply than in previous series).

We’ll have the usual weekly tongue-in-cheek episode reviews from ex-GBBO contestant Howard Middleton, and will be sharing the recipes we’ve got for whatever’s being cooked in the marquee. The format remains the same, but expect a good smattering of unusual baked treats from all over the world with unpronounceable names – anyone for a few Danish Vaniljekranse? If you’re a keen home baker yourself and are planning to cook along with this year’s series, do tweet us your pics so we can share them with the rest of the Bake Off fan base!