The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2023 episode 1: A new batch of celebs enter the famous tent for SU2C. David Schwimmer, Jesy Nelson, Rose Matafeo and Tom Davis make their most epic fail in meringue. The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2023 returns for Stand Up to Cancer 2023. This year, 20 famous faces are competing for the title of a Star Baker while helping fund cancer research. The celebrity bakers will enter the hallowed canvas of the Bake Off tent, welcomed by hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas. As ever, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith will be on hand to judge the bakes.
The full cast list includes David Schwimmer ( Friends star), Tom Davis (Comedian and star of King Gary), Rose Matafeo (BAFTA winner and star of Starstruck), Jesy Nelson (Formr Little Mix popstar), Jay Blades MBE (The Repair Shop star), Judi Love (Comedian and Loose Women star), Mike Wozniak (Comedian and Taskmaster star), Deborah Meaden (Dragons’ Den) and more.
Celebrities join Matt Lucas in the tent aiming to impress judges Paul and Prue as they bake for Stand Up To Cancer. The bakers will take on one Signature, Technical and Showstopper challenge set by the show’s judges, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, and at the end of each episode, one person will be named star baker. Hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas will cheer them on (or console them) along the way, as they show off their baking skills in a bid to raise money for Stand Up to Cancer.
The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2023 episode 1
The fundraising variant of Bake Off always presents a fine balance for celebrities taking part: yes, it’s great fun and a good laugh, but it will stress you out. You don’t have to see much of Clara Amfo battling with choux pastry and melted chocolate to feel it has tipped towards the latter for her.Meanwhile, Taskmaster’s Alex Horne is (mostly) enjoying himself. We’re expecting the wizard behind any number of creative challenges to be a bit left-field and he doesn’t disappoint.
I’m not sure the tent of dreams has seen anything quite like his representation of a skate park via the medium of cold toad in the hole.Be warned: part-way through the programme there’s an insert reminding us what the fun is in aid of. We hear the story of a woman called Cassie with breast cancer and her nine-year-old son, Kye. Perhaps it’s the fact that the programme has put us in laughter mode, so it takes us by surprise, but it’s devastating.
Paul Hollywood
The elder statesman of Bake Off, Paul is the only member of the team who has been with the show since its very beginning, originally judging alongside Mary Berry until the move to Channel 4 in 2017. Paul also hosts the US version of the programme, The American Baking Competition and has served as head baker at a number of hotels in the UK and abroad, after first beginning his career at his father’s bakery when he was still in his teens.
Although it was Bake Off that really made Paul a household name, he had made some other TV appearances beforehand on shows including The Heaven and Earth Show and This Morning, while since making his name as a judge he has appeared on a number of programmes including his own show Paul Hollywood’s Pies and Puds.
Paul is known for his often harsh comments and for setting frequently challenging tasks in the signature challenge, while his coveted “Hollywood handshakes” reserved for the very best bakes have become a popular feature of the show.
Prue Leith
Prue Leith is a well-known British chef, restaurateur, and television personality. She was born on February 18, 1940, in South Africa and later moved to England in the 1960s. Leith first gained recognition for her cooking skills in the 1970s, when she opened her own restaurant, Leith’s, in London. Her success in the restaurant business led to a career in television, where she has been a judge on several popular cooking shows, including “The Great British Menu” and “The Great British Bake Off.”
Leith has also authored several cookbooks and novels, and she is a respected food writer and journalist. In addition to her culinary work, Leith is a prominent businesswoman and has served as the chair of the UK government’s School Food Trust. She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1989 for her services to the food industry, and in 2017 she was appointed as the Chancellor of Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.
