Great British Bake Off: Meet The 12 Contestants Being Put Through Their Paces This Year

As ever, a seriously eclectic mix of amateur bakers feature in the new series of the Channel 4 show.
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Channel 4

Can you believe we’re just one week away from the long-awaited return of the Great British Bake Off to our screens?

Ahead of the new series launch, Channel 4 has unveiled the 12 amateur bakers we’ll be following the highs and lows of in the coming weeks.

Among them are a 70-year-old thrill-seeker, an accomplished trombonist from Germany and a car production operative who loves Salsa dancing and delving into the lives of serial killers.

So yes, you could probably say we’ve got another seriously eclectic line-up on our hands.

Get to know the 12 new bakers a lot better below... 

Amanda

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 56

Job: Met Police Detective

From: London

Baking speciality: Amanda leans into her Greek-Cypriot heritage when she bakes, and also loves painting directly onto cake to give it a “pretty, feminine aesthetic inspired by her two daughters”.

Anything else we should know: She’s a big fan of outdoor swimming all year round – “the colder, the better” apparently.

Chigs

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age:  40

Job: Sales Manager

From: Leicester

Baking speciality: “Really intricate chocolate work”.

Anything else we should know: Chigs is a definite-thrill seeker, who loves bouldering, skydiving and trekking. He’s already mastered the Three Peaks Challenge and is now hoping to take on Kilimanjaro.

Crystelle

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 26

Job: Client Relationship Manager

From: London

Baking speciality: Crystelle loves to travel, which has inspired her to fuse spices from places she’s visited into her baking.

Anything else we should know: She speaks four languages and is a member of an online choir.

Freya

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 19

Job: Student 

From: North Yorkshire

Baking speciality: Vegan baking and intricate designs

Anything else we should know: Freya has been dreaming of taking part in Bake Off since its first series (which aired when she was nine years old)

George

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 34

Job: Shared Lives Co-Ordinator

From: London

Baking speciality: George loves to include his home-grown herbs into his baking, and prefers a “shabby-chic, vintage vibe”.

Anything else we should know: A dad of three, George is an animal lover with a house full of pets.

Giuseppe

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 45

Job: Chief Engineer

From: Bristol

Baking speciality: Baking with Italian flavours, a nod to his own heritage.

Anything else we should know: His passions include design and architecture, having renovated his family home alongside his wife. 

Jairzeno

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 51

Job: Head of Finance

From: London

Baking speciality: Jairzeno’s biggest baking obsession is “flavour combinations”, using “lots of Caribbean spices”.

Anything else we should know: He’s also a keen runner, competing in half marathons around the continent and taking part in the London marathon back in 2012.

Jürgen

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 56

Job: IT professional

From: Sussex

Baking speciality: Jürgen began baking when he was unable to find traditional German bread after moving to the UK, so decided to start making his own.

Anything else we should know: He’s an accomplished trombonist, a skill which he’s keen to keep in the family by passing on to his son.

Lizzie

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 28

Job: Car Production Operative

From: Liverpool

Baking speciality: Lizzie’s ”baking comfort zone” is cake, but she loves experimenting with flavour and is generally prepared to give anything a go… as long as it doesn’t involve putting cheese in bread, which she thinks can only spell disaster.

Anything else we should know: Lizzie’s non-baking passions include investigating the lives of serial killers and Latin dancing.

Maggie

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 70

Job: Retired nurse and midwife

From: Dorset

Baking speciality: Bread

Anything else we should know: Another Bake Off thrill-seeker, her interests include canoeing, kayaking and sailing.

Rochica

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 27

Job: Junior HR Business Partner

From: Birmingham

Baking speciality: Rochica says she bakes “in a way that reflects her Caribbean heritage: with flavour, passion and love”.

Anything else we should know: She first started baking when she was unable to pursue her first love, dancing, due to an injury. Fortunately, she’s made a recovery and is now able to dance again.

Tom

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Tom
Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Age: 28 

Job: Kent

From: Software developer

Baking speciality: Tom enjoys making recipes his own, “creating bakes that are fun and often follow a theme”

Anything else we should know: Tom also enjoys amateur dramatics, singing and running.

Great British Bake Off returns on Tuesday 21 September at 8pm on Channel 4