Paul Hollywood

10 things you might not know about The Great British Bake Off

Each series sees twelve amateur bakers attempt to out-bake their opponents and impress judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, with encouragement (/harassment) from the presenters, now comedian Noel Fielding and queen of daytime Alison Hammond.

With one of the highest average audiences of any programme in the UK (in 2016, nine of the top ten most-watched programmes of the year were episodes of the show), Bake Off has become a Great British institution.

Alison Hammond confirmed as the new host of The Great British Bake Off

Alison Hammond with a cake decorated with the judges and hosts

Hammond (This Morning) was a fan favourite when competing on Celebrity Great British Bake Off 2020. She described herself to the judges as a “born baker and a born eater”, making her most likely also a born Bake Off host.

Hammond will be replacing host Matt Lucas who departed from the Bake Off Tent after joining the show in 2020, to dedicate more time to presenting Sky’s Fantasy Football League.

Host Noel Fielding will be joining her in the tent, alongside judges Dame Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.

Date set for the return of The Great British Bake Off

12 more amateur bakers will enter the tent under the beady eyes of judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, hoping to win them over and perhaps even receive the honour of a Hollywood handshake. Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding are also back to present and pester the contestants.

The usual schedule sees the field narrowed down to just three bakers by week 10, at which point the finalists will battle it out in the hopes of winning the glass cake stand.

Channel 4 commissions Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico

Credit: Channel 4

Mexico is well known as a gastronomical hub, with food being a key part of Mexican life and culture. 

A common misconception is that fajitas, nachos and burritos are Mexican, when they were actually invented in the USA, and Paul Hollywood is ready to discover the real food of Mexico.

Mexico is the country that invented chocolate, has the most dangerous fruit in the world and still uses recipes from thousands of years ago. 

They are also known for a particular style of baking known as pan dulce, which literally translates as sweet breads. 

Date set for the return of The Great British Bake Off

The first episode will air on Channel 4 on Tuesday 21 September at 8.00pm.

The announcement follows last week’s teaser video captioned “Loaf is in the air... The Great British Bake Off. Coming Soon.”

Dramatically scored, the short video shows the tent pitched once again in the grounds of Welford Park in Newbury, Berkshire.

Noel Fielding will return to host with Matt Lucas, who joined the team for the last edition.

Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith will also return to judge the bakes, meaning the bakers will be competing for that all important Hollywood handshake.

Bake Off host steps down

After three years and 51 showstoppers, Toksvig has decide to step down from The Great British Bake Off to spend more time on different projects, such as her upcoming Channel 4 series The Write Offs.

Toksvig described working on the show with Noel Fielding, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood as “one of the greatest pleasures of my life”, describing her friendship with them as one that will “continue beyond the confines of television.”