Channel 4 Great British Bake Off announces show first for Christmas

Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith are back
-Credit: (Image: PA)


The Great British Bake Off will return for a Christmas special with a host of soap stars competing in the tent.

A number of actors from the likes of Emmerdale, Coronation Street and EastEnders will make a special appearance this festive season on the Channel 4 festive show. Paul Hollywood will be joined by Prue Leith as well as Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond on presenting duties, with one of the soap stars named Festive Star Baker.

The celebrities will have to face three Christmas challenges in the hope to win Star Baker. The first will see the bakers take part in a challenge to put their own spin on a traditional yule log whilst they will create delicate Christmas tree meringues for the technical.

The stars of the Christmas Bake Off special!
The stars of the Christmas Bake Off special! -Credit:Mark Bourdillon

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The showstopper will be soap themed, and the bakers will have to showcase one of their famous soap storylines in a biscuit form. Five stars will be taking on the challenge this year, including Emmerdale star Chris Bisson - who plays Jai Sharma - as well as EastEnders royalty Natalie Cassidy, who plays Sonia Fowler on the soap.

Dean Gaffney, best known for playing Robbie Jackson on EastEnders, will also feature alongside Coronation Street legend Shobna Gulati, who played Sunita Alahan, and Emmerdale's Sheree Murphy, who starred as Tricia Dingle.

Whilst plans are moving for Christmas' Bake Off, the main series is still under way. Earlier this week, Illiyin found herself booted from the tent, whilst Georgie was named the Star Baker of the episode.

Will one of the celebrities get the famous Hollywood handshake?
Will one of the celebrities get the famous Hollywood handshake? -Credit:Channel 4

They had to take on various challenges, heading back to the 1970s. The first was to create towering profiterole masterpieces out of choux pastry, whilst for the technical challenge, they made gateaux. For the showstopper, they had to create a cake decorated in the style of that era - but sadly it left Illiyin leaving the tent.

Speaking at the time, she said: "It's a funny thing I feel I can drop my shoulders a little bit, and at least you don’t have to go and practice patisserie! Even all these feelings of sadness underneath all of that I think there is an immense sense of pride, I am glad to have that. This is an exceptional competition with exceptional bakers and to have been part of it, that’s quite special."

*The Great Christmas Bake Off airs this festive season on Channel 4.