The Great British Bake Off has confirmed its full cast for series 17, with Nigella Lawson making her judging debut alongside Paul Hollywood. The new season premieres on September 22 at 8pm on Channel 4, with Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding returning as hosts.
Lawson's appointment follows Dame Prue Leith's exit in January, marking a significant change for the long-running baking competition. The new judge will bring her expertise to the tent, offering critiques on the bakers' creations.
Meet the 2026 contestants
The fresh batch of bakers includes 12 contestants ranging in age from 21 to 67, hailing from across the UK. Among them are a drag king, a law student, a paediatric doctor, and a hairdresser, all vying for the Star Baker accolade.
Clara, 24, from Hertfordshire, is a marketing graduate originally from Portugal. She moved to the UK from Aveiro at 18 and started baking two years ago. Her specialities include Portuguese classics like Tarte de Nata, which she makes for her British fiancé, Kieran, and his family.
Connie, 63, from London, works as an NHS hospital discharge lead and has been baking for over 20 years. Known as 'the Cake Lady', she specialises in hearty carrot cakes with rum, wine, and cinnamon flavours. She has been married to music teacher Myke for 23 years.
From drag kings to doctors
Gabe, 32, from the West Midlands, is an artist and drag king who started baking after watching the first series at age 13. Declaring themselves the 'daddy of Birmingham drag', Gabe designs costumes and hosts dinner parties. Their drag persona, Blü Romantic, may make an appearance on the show.
Yannis, 28, from London, is a paediatric doctor working in a busy NICU. Born in Vienna, he moved to London at age 11 and credits watching Bake Off with helping him learn English. He aims to challenge the stigma that Bangladeshi men don't belong in the kitchen.
Moyin, 22, from Essex, is a political economy student who balances baking with athletics and a part-time job. He started baking with his mum at age five and mastered macaronage by 14. His bakes are often inspired by his Nigerian heritage, including grains of paradise and groundnuts.
Diverse backgrounds and baking styles
Mo, 21, from the West Midlands, is the youngest contestant and a law student. He describes himself as 'chaotic and random' and has progressed from boxed cake mixes to professional-looking bakes, often infusing Asian flavours with British classics.
Danni, 25, from Dorset, works as an HGV service centre administrator and forages for ingredients like magnolia, chestnut, and dandelion. They also enjoy anime doodling and soldering broken traces on their Commodore 64 motherboard.
Shannon, 29, from Gloucestershire, is a project planner who brings 'a little forest magic' to her bakes. She practises 'whimsical, quirky, rustic' baking, often using ingredients she grows herself, and lives with her fiancé, two Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and Tyrone the tortoise.
Season 17 premieres September 22
Other contestants include Gary, 67, a retired garment technologist from Nottinghamshire; Molly, 31, an accessibility coordinator from London; Nikki, 50, an advertising post-producer from London; and Tom, 25, a hairdresser from West Yorkshire known for his salted caramel brownies.
Gary discovered baking five years ago when he bought a cookbook in a gift shop. Molly turned to baking during a health struggle in 2020 and works for a disability charity reviewing transport accessibility. Nikki, a former podium dancer at Basingstoke's Ziggy's Night Club in the 90s, still loves hitting the clubs. Tom honed his skills with his nan while his brother was at football matches.
The Great British Bake Off series 17 airs on September 22 at 8pm on Channel 4, with all contestants hoping their bakes are more crème de la crème than cream of the flop.
