Panic over, The Great British Bake Off is back!
After a year in which the culinary contest looked under threat due to coronavirus, Channel 4 came up with an innovative solution - forming one giant isolation bubble with the judges, the hosts, the contestants and the crew in order to film the series over seven weeks.
As a result the show is able to return next week, complete with 12 new contestants, new co-host Matt Lucas and the infamous Paul Hollywood (COVID-free) handshakes.
Scroll on for profiles of this year's budding bakers!
© Channel 4
Dave
Age: 30
From: Hampshire
Occupation: Armoured Guard
A relative newcomer to baking, Dave is a kitchen appliance nut and bakes at least once a week for his girlfriend in their first home together. He describes his baking style as "innovative and imaginative" and lists pretzels and brioche among his areas of expertise. Dave's other loves in life include punk rock, cars and pets.
© Channel 4
Hermine
Age: 39
From: London
Occupation: Accountant
Born and raised in West Africa, Hermine learned to bake from an early age by assisting her mother in the kitchen. As a result of her Benin heritage, she is skilled in French patisserie such as millefeuille and eclairs - and also has become an expert at making sourdough bread.
© Channel 4
Laura
Age: 31
From: Kent
Occupation: Digital manager
Perfectionist Laura is a specialist in decoration and wants her bakes to look "faultlessly pretty and gorgeously dainty". She loves putting a fresh twist on old classics and is a fan of including citrus flavours to her recipes. Away from the kitchen she is a musical arts performer and volunteer with the Samaritans.
© Channel 4
Linda
Age: 61
From: East Sussex
Occupation: Retirement living team leader
Growing up next to her aunt's farm, Linda helped milk the cows and carry the bucket straight to the kitchen for some cake-baking. She says that her strengths are classics and home-comfort food including her signature sausage rolls. In her free time Linda goes fishing and tends to her garden.
© Channel 4
Loriea
Age: 27
From: Durham
Occupation: Diagnostic radiographer
Born and bred in Jamaica, Loriea is hoping to bring a bit of Caribbean flair to the tent. She rarely follows recipes to the letter and loves to include coconut, chillies and cinnamon in her bakes, while her signature dish is Jamaican patties.
© Channel 4
Lottie
Age: 31
From: West Sussex
Occupation: Pantomime producer
Lottie has been fascinated with baking for as long as she can remember and as a child, became obsessed with watching cooking programmes and taking notes. Curiously, she says that she hopes her baking "retains an element of her dark sense of humour".
© Channel 4
Mak
Age: 51
From: Greater Manchester
Occupation: Accountant
A self-taught baker, Mak boasts that he has the ability to measure out ingredients just by sight. He lists his strength as puff pastry and names his three grown-up kids as his harshest critics. In his spare time Mak has recently become a beekeeper and harvests their honey for use in his dishes.
© Channel 4
Marc
Age: 51
From: Cornwall
Occupation: Bronze resin sculptor
Former climber Marc turned to baking after a horrific motorbike accident in 2016 led to him losing a leg. He says that spending time in the kitchen had a therapeutic effect and has now perfected the likes of palmiers, opera cakes and millefeuille.
© Channel 4
Mark
Age: 32
From: Liverpool
Occupation: Project manager
Hailing from Northern Ireland, Mark was inspired to start baking as a student in Edinburgh after falling in love with a mac 'n' cheese pie at a local pie shop. He is a bit of an experimental baker and looks closely at the science involved in his bakes, which have Irish, African and Asian influences.
© Channel 4
Peter
Age: 20
From: Edinburgh
Occupation: Accounting and finance student
Part of the new generation of bakers, Peter got inspired to bake by GBBO and has watched every episode of the show since he was a child. He tries to use Scottish ingredients such as berries, whiskies, oats and honey in his bakes wherever he can.
© Channel 4
Rowan
Age: 55
From: Worcestershire
Occupation: Music teacher
Another self-taught baker, Rowan describes his style in the kitchen as "ostentatious" and is obsessed with French patisserie. He also enjoys reinventing 18th-century recipes where he can and his signature calling card is to decorate his bakes with flowers wherever possible.
© Channel 4
Sura
Age: 31
From: London
Occupation: Pharmacy dispenser
Eternal improviser Sura has a myriad Middle Eastern and Asian influences in her heritage and this shows in her bakes. She loves to use fragrant and floral flavours, including cardamom, rose and orange blossom and never really sticks to recipes.
The Great British Bake Off begins Tuesday, September 22 at 8pm on Channel 4.
Neil Wilkes
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