Great British Bake Off launches tonight – but you’d never know

The Great British Bake Off is just hours away from starting on Channel 4 but has been flying under the radar – so let us fill you in on 2024’s cohort of bakers.

The beloved baking show was a staple in the UK, famed for its naughty innuendos, soggy bottoms, and ridiculously difficult challenges.

However, this year, there is barely any chatter or buzz around the new series, unlike in the past when it was all everyone could talk about and an event that people would mark in their calendars.

There hasn’t been much promotion, either, with no splashy interview with judges Paul Hollywood andDame Prue Leith or presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond.

The result has left the Bake Off sidelined – stagnating a forgotten relic on the TV schedules – while the focus is drawn to huge dramas, like Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

But perhaps the show can save itself as a dozen new bakers enter the tent and battle to win the Bake Off cake stand and kudos for being a champion – as there’s no prize money involved.

Among the bakers for 2024 are a palliative care nurse, a student on her gap year and a dad who moved to Yorkshire in the 80s after growing up in the Bronx.

The line-up has already delighted fans – who are preparing to cancel all their autumn plans to support their favourite contestant in the famous white tent.

On X, @talha_27c declared: ‘Can’t wait to get attached to these bakers and shed a tear when they leave. #GBBO is so back.’

Echoing their sentiment, @ianapharri exclaimed: ‘Some of my very favourite TV.’

@Doramusicana also added: ‘Exciting! A great show.’

Without further ado, here is everything you need to know about the Great British Bake Off 2024 contestants.

Christiaan

33

London

Menswear designer

Born in Emmen, a small town in The Netherlands, close to the border with Germany, Christiaan studied fashion in Amsterdam and then moved to the UK seven years ago, arriving in London to work for a leading fashion brand.

His eye for fashion and design is definitely something he brings to his bakes, which are meticulously detailed and beautiful, as well as his love of gardening – floral scents and citrus notes are among his favourite flavours.

Bread is where he finds comfort – reminding him of the age-shaped bakes his mum would make for him and his siblings on their birthdays.

19

Lancashire

Dentistry student

Currently on her gap year and living with her parents and siblings, Sumayah is indulging her sweet tooth before going on to study Dentistry.

An entirely self-taught baker, Sumayah meticulously researches her creations, combining myriad techniques and recipes to create an eclectic and imaginative fusion of cultures and flavours.

The project that confirmed her love for baking was a macaron tower she made for her aunt’s mehndi wedding celebration – the result stood 1 metre tall, and included 240 macarons in four different flavours, and a cascade of flowers.

Andy

44

Essex

Car mechanic

Andy began baking as a child alongside his mum, first learning the much-loved family staples: apple crumble to follow a Sunday roast and Bakewell tarts made using pastry offcuts.

Now, he bakes for his partner, Nickie, and hopes to inspire his daughter, Maisie, to follow in his baking footsteps.

A massive football and fitness fan, Andy would love to make the Emirates Football Stadium and surrounding areas out of cake.

Dylan

20

Buckinghamshire

Retail temp

Dylan recently took a gap year travelling through Southeast Asia, exploring the food and meeting new people at every stop.

His fusion roots – his mother is Indian and his father Japanese–Belgian – influence Dylan’s cooking and he loves experimenting with sweetness and spice in his baking.

Dylan’s presentation style is influenced by the beautiful Japanese bakes he tried on his travels and through following the work of French pâtissérie chefs on social media.

Georgie

34

Carmarthenshire

Paediatric nurse

Georgie’s love of food, and particularly of baking, is firmly embedded in her Italian roots and in the days she spent cooking with her Nonna Rosa.

She is also a nature-loving forager, who takes inspiration from the food growing in the fields and hedgerows around her, as well as the abundance in her garden and the discoveries she has made on her travels.

Along with a husband and three children at home in their Welsh farmhouse, Georgie has 10 chickens, two ducks, two dogs and a cat.

Gill

53

Lancashire

Senior category manager

Gill can’t remember a time when she didn’t bake – growing up, baking was very much a family activity.

Since her father passed away in 2015, Gill has used baking as a source of comfort and has put her skills to good use, raising money for Alzheimer’s charities in his memory.

Pies, cakes and pastry, including her dad’s signature lemon meringue pie, were staples of her childhood, so her baking is very much traditional in style with a modern twist.

Hazel

71

Kent

Former nail technician

Married to her childhood sweetheart for 51 years, Hazel has four children, one of whom still lives at home while the other three, and her 10 grandchildren, all live close by.

Hazel is a particularly talented birthday cake maker – and has even made treats with working parts, including several ‘car’ cakes with remote-controlled wheels and working lights.

Her granddaughter’s seventh birthday cake was a carousel with 500 edible diamonds that took Hazel two weeks to make.

31

Norfolk

Birth trauma specialist midwife

Born in London as one of eight siblings, Illiyin grew up in Norfolk in a busy household in which she helped her mum to bake, soon becoming the go-to family member for birthday cakes.

Living in a community of myriad cultures and nationalities, Illiyin is inspired by the ingredients and flavours of many different cuisines.

For example, she loves using Middle Eastern ingredients, such as dried fruits, nuts, honey, rose and mint, in her cakes; while her savoury bakes are typically inspired by the flavours of the Caribbean.

Jeff

67

West Yorkshire

Former university lecturer

Originally from the Bronx, in New York, Jeff arrived in the UK in 1979, when he emigrated with his English girlfriend (now wife), who he met while she was hitchhiking her way across America and he was a sports coach for a summer camp.

Having been based in Yorkshire since 1987, Jeff began baking in earnest when his children were little, having learned the basics from his grandmother and Hungarian great-grandmother when he himself was a child.

He is particularly renowned for his New York cheesecake.

Mike

29

Wiltshire

Farm manager

Shortlisted for Young Farmer of the Year at the 2024 National Arable and Grassland Awards, and considered a friend to all, Mike is a fourth-generation farmer, working on his family farm alongside his parents and sister.

He is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community within farming and was an ambassador for the National Farmers Union in 2022.

Mike’s baking style is homely and wholesome – and is even making his own wedding cake for his upcoming nuptials to partner Matt.

Nelly

44

Dorset

Palliative care assistant

Alongside her busy job in night-time palliative care, Nelly is a devoted mum to two young boys, who, with her husband Chand, are the biggest fans of her bakes.

Nelly grew up with her dad in Slovakia, then moved to Austria to study nursing before moving to Dorset.

Completely self-taught, Nelly loves adding the flavours of Slovakian cuisine into her bakes, as well as spices representing her husband’s Pakistani heritage – apple and cinnamon are among her favourite ingredients.

John

37

West Midlands

Directorate support manager

Born and bred in the West Midlands, John has been a hairdresser and an estate agent, but he found his calling working in the NHS, keeping schedules and theatre bookings running like clockwork.

John learned to bake with his nan, making fairy cakes and pies, and now bakes to honour his nan’s memory and pass on the skills she taught him to his two young nephews.

He loves classic bakes with a twist – using herbs and other flavourings to give his bakes something different. His favourite bake, though, is a classic lemon tart.

This article was first published on September 17.