It's officially September, which means one thing: The Great British Bake Off is right around the corner.
The hit show's fans look forward to seeing a whole host of amateur bakers go head-to-head in the iconic Bake Off tent for a chance to win the coveted title of Star Baker each week.
Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood are set to return for more soggy bottoms, jaw-dropping showstoppers and intense technical challenges in the highly anticipated 13th series, which will start just five days after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Last year's series saw Italian star Giuseppe Dell'Anno crowned the GBBO winner and this year there'll be another strong lineup of new bakers, including a nuclear scientist, former charity director and music teacher.
Here's when the 2022 series will start, where you can watch it and who's in the lineup.
Great British Bake Off 2022 start date
The Great British Bake Off 2022 will start, as planned prior to the Queen's passing, on Tuesday, September 13 at 8pm.
Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood will return to screens to judge the contestants' bakes, while Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding will be back to their hilarious co-hosting duties.
For the past two years, Covid restrictions have meant that competitors had to form bubbles to complete the six weeks of filming for the series, which was recorded at Down Hall Hotel in Essex.
However, this year the Bake Off tent will be relocating as the show goes back to normal.
A show spokeswoman said: “We won’t be filming in a bubble this year, but protocols will be in place to keep everyone safe.”
A source added: “All the team, particularly Prue, found it really tough not being able to go home each week.
“They are delighted that this year it will go back to the way it was, when they filmed at weekends and could leave during the week.”
Where can I watch The Great British Bake Off?
Bake Off will air every Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4 and episodes will also be available to stream on All4.
Channel 4 announced that the start date for the show will go ahead as planned this week following the death of Her Majesty The Queen on September 8.
The return of Bake Off comes as many British channels including ITV and BBC One continue to alter their regular programming schedules during a period of mourning for the Queen.
On Friday, Channel 4 released the new series of Gogglebox as planned, with the broadcaster stating that it would bring a “valuable sense of continuity” for their viewers.
The broadcaster added that it had made “significant changes” to its schedule following the news of the Queen’s death but that its purpose was to offer an “alternative” for viewers which it feels is “particularly important at times like this”.
The hit baking competition started off as a BBC series in 2010 but in 2017 Channel 4 took over production of the show.
Last year it was confirmed that The Great British Bake Off had been renewed for three more years under Channel 4.
Ian Katz, chief content officer at Channel 4, said: "We are thrilled that Channel 4 will continue to serve up Bake Off’s unique combination of warmth, humour and soggy bottoms for years to come. Bake Off is all about optimism, celebrating eccentricity and bringing the nation together – precisely what a publicly owned Channel 4 is here to do."
The series has also become a hit in America, where it's known as the The Great British Baking Show. The good news for fans across the pond is that they'll also be able to watch the new 2022 series, which will be available on Netflix in the US.
Great British Bake Off 2022 lineup
The 2022 show will see 12 new bakers looking to win the judges over as they compete under the intense pressure in the Bake Off tent.
And this year's series is set to feature one of the most diverse lineups that the show has ever seen, with contestants ranging from the ages of 18 to 60 and from countries including the UK, Sweden, Libya, Angola, Malaysia and Poland.
Here's the Great British Bake Off 2022 lineup in full:
- Abdul — a 29-year-old electronic engineer from London
- Carole — a 59-year-old supermarket cashier from Dorset
- Dawn — a 60-year-old IT manager from Bedfordshire
- James — a 25-year-old nuclear scientist from Cumbria
- Janusz — a 34-year-old personal assistant to a head teacher from Lancashire
- Kevin — a 33-year-old music teacher from East Sussex
- Maisam — an 18-year-old student and sales assistant from Greater Manchester
- Maxy — a 29-year-old architectural assistant from London
- Rebs — a 23-year-old Masters student from County Atrim
- Sandro — a 30-year-old nanny from London
- Syabri — a 32-year-old cardiovascular research associate from London
- Will — a 45-year-old former charity director from London.
