The Great British Bake Off - The Great Christmas Bake Off 2022 - 01:15 am Monday, December 22 on Channel 4 +1

Noel Fielding (Presenter)

Born: May 21, 1973 in London

Best Known For: The Mighty Boosh.

Early-life: Born May 21, 1973, in Westminster to 18-year-old parents who, despite the fact he was shy and introverted as a child, encouraged him in his desire to be an entertainer. He has revealed that they 'had a lot of parties' but has not spoken much about his youth, except to say that although he wasn't keen on their lifestyle at the time, he now admits they inspired his unusual fashion sense. He was educated at Croydon Art College and Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (now Buckinghamshire New University) before embarking on a stand-up career.

Career: Fielding performed regularly as a stand-up comedian during the late 1990s, and appeared repeatedly on the TV stand-up showcase Lee Mack's Gas. He formed a short-lived but well-received comedy partnership with Russell Brand. His highly animated stand-up routine included surreal stories, physical comedy, characters, and songs, much like his later work alongside Julian Barratt in The Mighty Boosh, which became a monster hit when it moved to TV in 2004. He remains an active stand-up, has his own Channel 4 show (Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy) and is a popular team captain on never Mind the Buzzcocks. He's also still a keen artist and has shown his work in a number of exhibitions.

Quote: "When I'm 70 I might be a man in a park just wandering around, speaking in tongues with kids throwing bread at me."

Trivia: His brother, Michael, played Naboo in The Mighty Boosh; both his parents also appeared briefly in the show, and all three have featured in Luxury Comedy.

Matt Lucas (Presenter)

Born: March 05, 1974 in Paddington, London

Best Known For: Little Britain.

Early-life: Matthew Richard Lucas was born in London on March 5, 1974 to Diana and chauffeur John. Together with his older brother Howard, the family lived in Stanmore, Middlesex. Matt developed alopecia at a young age and lost his hair when he was just six. He attended the National Youth Theatre, where he met his long-time collaborator David Walliams. In 1992, he made his debut on the London comedy circuit with the character Sir Bernard Chumley, five weeks after he was talent-spotted by Bob Mortimer.

Career: In 1994, Lucas appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, returning a year later with Walliams. The pair enjoyed a sell-out tour in 1997. Lucas also worked with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer on The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Shooting Stars, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Vic and Bob in Catterick. He reunited with Walliams for the spoof documentary series Rock Profiles, before creating the radio show Little Britain, which moved to TV in 2003; they also created Come Fly With Me in 2010. Lucas has enjoyed success on the stage in a number of production and popped up in Casanova, The Wind in the Willows, Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Bridesmaids. He also fronts BBC One comedy show The Matt Lucas Awards.

Quote: "People do recognise me, but they usually think I am Mark Lamarr. Sometimes people tell me loudly in public that I was the Tango man, too."

Trivia: Matt signed up for a three-month stint in West End musical Les Miserables in 2011 following his role in its 25th anniversary show in October 2010.

Paul Hollywood (Judge)

Born: March 01, 1966 in Wallasey, Merseyside

Best Known For: The Great British Bake Off.

Early-life: Paul John Hollywood was born in Wallasey, Merseyside, on March 1, 1966. He studied sculpture at the Wallasey School of Art before quitting to work at his father's bakery.

Career: Hollywood went on to become head baker at a number of hotels, including The Dorchester, Chester Grosvenor and Spa and the Clivedon Hotel. He began making a number of guest appearances on TV shows such as The Generation Game, This Morning, and The Alan Titchmarsh Show. His big break came in 2010 when he started working alongside fellow judge Mary Berry on popular BBC Two baking show The Great British Bake Off. In May 2013, he began appearing on US TV as a judge on The American Baking Competition.

Quote: "The real Paul Hollywood is shy, likes nothing better than going home, putting on slippers and dressing gown, having a cup of tea and watching telly."

Trivia: Hollywood has written a number of books on baking, including 100 Great Breads, How to Bake, and American Baking Competition.

Prue Leith (Judge)

Born: February 18, 1940 in Cape Town, South Africa

Best Known For: Being a judge on The Great British Bake Off.

Early-life: Born Prudence Margaret Leith in South Africa in 1940. Her mother, Margaret Inglis, was a successful actress and, according to Prue, the 'worst cook in the world'. Prue had a very happy childhood, although she has said that if she could give her teenage self one piece of advice, it would be to be more sensitive to the inequalities of apartheid-era South Africa. She left school with no real idea of what she wanted to do _ she toyed with becoming an actress, architect or an artist. It was only while studying in Paris to improve her French that she discovered her love of cooking and realised she wanted a career in food.

Career: In 1960, Prue arrived in London to attend the Cordon Bleu Cookery School. She went on to launch her own catering business and restaurant, as well as a cookery school. She also became a successful food writer, with columns in many national papers, and penned novels as well as cook books. Prue didn't enjoy her first TV experience, which saw her hosting a personality magazine show, but in the personality she found success as a judge on BBC's Great British Menu. She left the show after 11 years, intending to retire, only to land her most high-profile TV job to date when she took over from her friend Mary Berry as a judge on The Great British Menu.

Quote: "My very first book, Leigh's All-Party Cookbook, had the dedication, ‘For my mother, who can't cook for toffee, but gave marvellous parties anyway'. I wanted to make the point that food isn't the only thing that goes into a party - your friends have not come to judge you."

Trivia: In July 2017, she was installed as the Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

Claire Sweeney (Contestant)

Born: April 17, 1971 in Liverpool

Best Known For: Playing Lindsey Corkhill on Brookside.

Early-life: Born in Walton, Liverpool in 1971, Claire developed a love of music and drama at a young age. When she was 11, her mum sent to the Elliott-Clarke Stage School in Liverpool, mainly because she had bad memories of attending the local comprehensive, which strengthened Claire's ambition to be a performer. At 18, she won a place at the prestigious Italia Conti School in London, and in 1991 made a brief appearance as Lindsey on Brookside, before leaving to concentrate on her singing career.

Career: Claire spent four years singing on cruise ships, and when she got back to dry land in 1995, decided to get in touch with the Brookside producers to see if they would be interested in bringing her character back. As luck would have it, they were working on a storyline involving Lindsey, and she got the role. Claire stayed with the soap until 2003, but her profile received a further boost when she came second in the first series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2001. Since then, she has acted in the series Clocking Off and Merseybeat, released an album and performed extensively on stage in musicals including Chicago, Guys and Dolls, and Fosse. She's also competed in Strictly Come Dancing, and worked as a presenter on shows including Here Comes the Sun, Challenge of a Lifetime and 60 Minute Makeover.

Quote: "It's funny how it's all worked out. I just see myself as a working actress - I do shows, I do bits for the telly and I really don't analyse it."

Trivia: She co-wrote the comedy musical Sex and the Suburbs. It was staged in 2014.

Terry Christian (Contestant)

Miquita Oliver (Contestant)

Born: April 25, 1984 in London

Best Known For: Being a TV presenter.

Early-life: Miquita Billie Alexandra Oliver was born in London on April 25, 1984. Her mother is singer and TV presenter Andrea Oliver, and her father is an art teacher. In 2001, at that age of 16, Miquita began co-presenting Channel 4 music show Popworld with Simon Amstell. They left the show in 2006, but Miquita continued to present the T4 strand on Channel 4 until 2010.

Career: Oliver filed for bankruptcy in November 2011 over the non-payment of a tax bill. In December 2013, she presented a programme on BBC3 called Young, British and Broke: The Truth About Payday Loans. More recently, she took part in the BBC series 24 Hours in the Past.

Quote: "At 17 I was earning money I didn't know how to handle and before I knew it I owed thousands to the taxman."

Trivia: Oliver has also worked in radio, hosting shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Tony Robinson (Contestant)

Born: August 15, 1946 in London

Best Known For: Playing Baldrick in the Blackadder series and fronting Time Team.

Early-life: Tony Robinson was born in Hackney, London, on August 15, 1946, and brought up near Epping Forest. His father was a civil servant and his mother took part in amateur dramatics. He caught the acting bug at the age of 12 when he landed the role of the Artful Dodger in a West End production of Oliver! After leaving school with four O-levels, he studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career: Robinson's first TV appearance was on the children's show Play Away in 1971, and he made his film debut in 1975, with a small part in the John Wayne movie Brannigan. He featured in Channel 4 satire Who Dares Wins in 1983, but his big TV break came that same year when he played Baldrick in The Black Adder, which ran for six years. In 1989, he wrote and starred in Bafta award-winning children's series Maid Marian And Her Merry Men. Five years later, he began presenting Channel 4's archaeology series Time Team and has since hosted The Worst Jobs In History and documentaries about figures including Macbeth and Boudica. Away from TV, he has toured the country with his one-man show and is a prolific children's author.

Quote: "In the UK virtually all of our landscape has been continually worked and reworked by human beings for thousands of years. Our country is like a big trifle of history."

Gaby Roslin (Contestant)

Born: July 12, 1964 in Hendon

Best Known For: Co-hosting The Big Breakfast

Early-life: Born July 12, 1964, in Hendon. The oldest of two children, she had ambitions to become a TV presenter from the age of three. Her father Clive was a radio newsreader who used to sneak her into the office to watch the team at work. After getting an A-level in drama she went to stage school in Surrey.

Career: Within a month of leaving she landed a job presenting the kids' show Hippo. Gaby later fronted the series Motormouth. Her big break came in 1992 when she was picked out of 1,000 hopefuls to present The Big Breakfast. In 1996, she was savaged by the critics for her live Channel 4 series, The Gaby Roslin Show. Today, her career is back on track. She has worked on Whatever You Want, co-presented Children in Need, The Terry and Gaby Show, The Holiday Show, and appeared on Most Haunted. She also starred in West End hit Chicago.

Quote: "I'm definitely not your making jam and living in the country type."

Trivia: Roslin is a patron of children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

Sophia Reid (Series producer)

Letty Kavanagh (Executive producer)

Richard McKerrow (Executive producer)

Kieran Smith (Executive producer)

Jenna Mansfield (Executive producer)

Ivan Youlden (Director)

The Great British Bake Off: The Great Christmas Bake Off 2022

01:15 am - 02:25 am, Monday, December 22 on Channel 4 +1 (15)

About this Broadcast

The Great Christmas Bake Off 2022
Season 13, Episode 11

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