Overview
- The Great British Bake Off will premiere at 8pm on Tuesday 22 September for its 17th series with Nigella Lawson and Paul Hollywood as judges and Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding returning as hosts.
- Channel 4 and Love Productions unveiled the full cast of 12, a group aged 21 to 67 that includes Gabe, a 32-year-old drag king, and Yannis, a 28-year-old paediatric doctor.
- Lawson attended the official launch at The HAC in London and promotional interviews showed the four presenters together as the broadcaster and stars sought to reject reports of a feud between Lawson and Hollywood.
- The series was filmed this summer at the Bake Off tent in Welford Park and insiders have told media the deal to sign Lawson was lucrative and intended to raise the show’s profile.
- Prue Leith stepped down earlier in the year and the return of a high-profile judge like Lawson is likely to shape viewing figures and social-media attention, so ratings and audience response in the weeks after launch will be closely watched.