Bake Off is back! After a nervous (yet very successful) switch from BBC to Channel 4 last year, it's time for Paul, Prue, Sandi and Noel to greet another group of amateur bakers who are hoping to clinch the title and become an instant national treasure.
The twelve new contestants come from all walks of life, but they have one thing in common – they absolutely love to bake. Get to know more about them before the series starts at 8pm on 28 August.
A retired air steward, Terry does a bit of everything – homebrewing and growing his own vegetables alongside baking some seriously impressive cakes. He learnt the craft from his grandmother at the age of ten, so has plenty of experience to fall back on.
Antony is a banker hoping to drop the ‘n’ from the word and prove his worth as a baker. Growing up in India and learning to bake with his father, he now lives in London and describes himself as the ‘Bollywood Baker’.
Bristolian Briony is a full-time parent, so no doubt has some very willing children happy to taste her creations and give feedback. She taught herself how to bake following baking tutorials.
With two young children at home, full-time parent Dan is a perfectionist who treats the appearance of a cake with the same amount of careful consideration as the flavour.
Northern Irish Imedla is a countryside recreation officer, but her passion for baking – which she inherited from her mother – is what gets her most excited. A country girl at heart, she always finds herself whipping up something delicious in the kitchen.
Jon is a blood courier, meaning he’s probably cool under pressure, and in his hometown of Newport in Wales he likes to experiment with unusual flavour combinations and new techniques.
Karen fell in love with patisserie during her time living in France, but has now moved to west Yorkshire, recreating the profiteroles and eclairs of the country in her own kitchen. She describes herself as flamboyant and free, which should hopefully come through in her bakes.
Kim-Joy is a mental health specialist who was born in Belgium but now lives in Leeds with her partner. Her family are not into baking at all, but Kim-Joy loves nothing more than creating fantastic loaves of bread or combining different flavours from all over the world.
Sheffield-based Luke has an interesting life when not baking – by day he’s a civil servant, but by night he is a DJ, playing house and techno tracks. He’s been baking since the age of ten, and creates at least one new cake or baked treat every weekend.
French national Manon now works in London as a software project manager, and Bake Off was one of the first things she watched with her flatmate in the UK. Falling in love with London’s multicultural and eclectic food scene, she hopes to bring some of that style of cooking into her bakes in the tent.
Research scientist Rahul is originally from Kolkata in India, but moved to the UK to attend university seven years ago. He now lives in Rotherham, and takes a scientific approach to cooking, with an unparalleled attention to detail.
Project manager Ruby got the baking bug at university, creating all sorts of delicious things for her seven flatmates. She now lives in London, baking any chance she can get, with all sorts of wacky creations.
