The Great British Bake Off 2022: Meet the 12 brand new contestants

This line-up is the shows most diverse and international yet
Dominique Hines2 September 2022
The Weekender

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The Great British Bake Off has unveiled its new contestants and the line-up - from a nuclear scientist to a nanny - is the shows most diverse to date.

The 12 amateur bakers, who, from September 13 will battle it out to be crowned winner of the show’s 13th series, hail from all over the globe, including Saudi Arabia, Poland, Libya and Sweden.

The group's specialities range from Malaysian style Cornish pasties to 'child friendly horror' cakes.

The youngest of the batch is an 18-year-old student who speaks five languages. The rest of the contestants are aged between 23 and 60.

Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith have returned to face the "heat" in the tent, with Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas as presenters.

In a brand new trailer, Fielding and Lucas have the new contestants in fits of laughter before chaos ensues.

"Oh flip", shouts baker Maxy, while Lucas reassures another: "It landed the right side up."

A montage of Hollywood's critiques are then shown along with the new class of 2022.

Joining Maxy are Abdul, Carol, Dawn, James, Janusz and Kevin, Maisam, Rebs, Sandro, Syabira, and Will.

On the show's official Twitter page earlier this week the foursome posed together with the snap captioned:"In knead of some good news? Here’s a little something… The Great British Bake Off is back on your screens on Tuesday 13th September at 8pm!"

The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 Tuesday, September 13

Bake Off new bakers line-up:

Carol, 59

Supermarket cashier Carol from Dorset is one of the amateur bakers hoping to win Paul’s handshake this year. She loves to garden, and even has her own gardening radio show, called Compost Carole where she shares her gardening tips with listeners.

Maisam, 18

Maisam is a student and sales assistant from Manchester. Originally from Libya, Maisam takes inspiration from her Mediterranean heritage for her culinary delights, and loves flavours like the tang of olives, sweetness of dates and the nuttiness of sesame seeds.

She already speaks five languages but actually wants to make that seven by the time she turns 20.

Maxy, 29

Maxy is an architectural assistant from London, and went on to achieve a Masters degree in Architecture, pausing her final qualifications to raise her two daughters. Born in Sweden, she uses her Scandinavian upbringing in her creations, with her bakes including lots of cinnamon and saffron.

Kevin, 33

Music teacher Kevin is from Lanarkshire, and not only teaches but also performs as a saxophonist, and can play the flute, piano and clarinet too.

Sandro, 30

Sandro from London is a 30-year-old nanny, who fled the Angolan war with his mum when he was two. He is also a keen boxer and has a background in ballet and breakdance too!

Syabira, 32

Syabira is a cardiovascular research associate from London, and has six brothers and sisters.The 32-year-old was born in Malaysia and loves to bake British classics with exotic twists, including chicken rendang Cornish pasties.

Dawn, 60

IT Manager Dawn is from Bedfordshire, and is a mother of three, step-mother of two, and gran/step-gran of four. She has a keen eye for detail, especially when it comes to decorating biscuits with lace patterns.

James, 25

James is a nuclear scientist from Cumbria who grew up in Glasgow. He creates 'child-friendly horror’ style cake decorations.

Janusz, 34

Janusz is a personal assistant from East Sussex. Born in Poland, the 34-year-old describes his baking as "colourful and camp". He loves adding his Polish heritage into British classics, using Polish ingredients to spice up his dishes.

Abdul, 29

Electronics engineer Abdul is from London and his interest in baking began when he and his graduate colleagues brought in baked goods for each other to brighten up their coffee bakes.

Will, 45

Will is a former charity director from London who loves the technical side of baking, and is a fan of using yeast for baking more than bread.

Rebs, 23

Rebs, who spent her childhood in the countryside in Northern Ireland is from County Antrim, and has recently started experimenting with Middle Eastern ingredients in a nod to her boyfriend’s Turkish heritage.

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