The Great British Bake Off

The 17th series of The Great British Bake Off will air on Channel 4, starting on Tuesday 22nd September 2026.  Known across the pond as The Great British Baking Show, it will feature a fresh set of amateur bakers taking on a series of Signature, Technical and Showstopper challenges.

New this year is Audience Choice Week, allowing viewers to submit their ideas for the challenges.  As the series doesn’t take place in real time and filming has already wrapped, the deadline for submitting your ideas was much earlier this year, but it’s worth keeping an eye on the Bake Off website in case they do it again for series 18.

Expect to see triumphs, disasters, soggy bottoms and the occasional surprisingly polished bake – which is exactly why it makes such good telly.

Paul Hollywood returns as a judge, but following Prue Leith’s retirement the show is getting its biggest shake up in years as he’s joined by the one and only Nigella Lawson.  Cue a Doctor Who homage where Prue regenerates into Nigella!

Returning to keep spirits high are hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, who once again provide the laughs, encouragement and gentle chaos that make Bake Off feel so comforting. Whether they are calming nerves, distracting contestants mid-meltdown or reacting to yet another collapsed Showstopper, they are a big part of what makes the series so entertaining.

Bake Off 2026 – Contestants

• Clara (24) – Marketing Graduate from Hertfordshire – eliminated week 6 after her pastry let her down.
• Connie (63) – NHS Hospital Discharge Lead from London – eliminated week 8 after failing to impress the judges with her caramel
• Danni (25) – HGV Service Centre Adminstrator from Dorset – eliminated week 2 due to “powdery” cookies in Biscuit Week
• Gabe (32) – Artist and Drag King from West Midlands
• Gary (67) – Retired Garment Technologist from Nottinghamshire – eliminated week 7, in a decision that some think was biased
• Molly (31) – Accessibility Coordinator from London – eliminated week 4 due to her bread bakes not impressing the judges
• Moyin (22) – Political Economy Student from Essex
• Mo (21) – Law Student from West Midlands
• Nikki (50) – Advertising Post-Producer from London – left week 4 due to the illness of a family member
• Shannon (29) – Project Planner and Scheduler from Gloucestershire – eliminated week 3 due to a disappointing showstopper in Audience Choice Week
• Tom (25) – Hairdresser from West Yorkshire
• Yannis (28) – Paediatric Doctor from London – eliminated week 5 after a series of poor performances

No-one was eliminated in week 1 because Shannon was ill and couldn’t compete in the showstopper challenge.

With two episodes left, Tom still looks like the firm favourite having won Star Baker three times, while Moyin finally won Star Baker this week.

How to Play Great British Bake Off Bingo

Instead of numbers, our Great British Bake Off Bingo cards contain moments, mishaps and classic Bake Off behaviour that might happen during the episode. All you need to do is mark them off as they happen. Here’s how to create your cards:

Step 1: Tap to start creating your grid of Bake Off bingo cards.
Step 2: Choose your card size, from 3×3 up to 5×5.
Step 3: Customise your card using the options beside the grid.
Step 4: Press Generate Bingo Cards to create your card.
Step 5: For printable cards, follow the print link and choose how many cards you want.
Step 6: Select how many cards you’d like per page.
Step 7: Print them, cut them out and get your pens ready.
Step 8: If you want to play online, enter your email and your friends’ email addresses so everyone gets a different card.

You can play however you like – first to complete a line, first to finish the full card, or even first to spot the inevitable icing disaster. However you do it, it is a fun way to make each episode even better.