The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer

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.

Alison Hammond (Presenter)

Born: February 05, 1975 in Birmingham

Best Known For: Being a presenter on This Morning.

Early-life: Alison was born in Birmingham on February 5, 1975. Her first claim to fame was a short appearance as a contestant on Big Brother in 2002 - she was the second housemate to be evicted.

Career: Since leaving the Big Brother house, Hammond has carved out a career as a TV presenter, notably on This Morning. She has also managed to fit in appearances on a number of other reality shows, including Celebrity Fit Club, Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes, Celebrity Ready Steady Cook, Celebrity MasterChef and I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! In 2014, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. Hammond had an acting role in two episodes of children's drama series The Dumping Ground in 2016. She also participated in the TV shows Sugar Free Farm and Let's Sing and Dance.

Quote: On working on This Morning: 'I love the fact that no two days are the same.'

Trivia: Hammond is the voice of one of the bingo callers on the Crown Bingo website.

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.

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.

Jodie Whittaker (Contestant)

Born: June 16, 1982 in Slekmanthorpe, West Yorkshire

Trivia: She auditioned for a 2007 production of The Seagull at the Royal Court, but lost out to Carey Mulligan. However, when Mulligan was struck down by appendicitis midway through the run, Whittaker filled in for her at just two hours' notice.

Best Known For: Being the first female Doctor Who

Early-life: Born in 1982 in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire. She admits to being a bit of an attention-seeker as a child, and says it was lucky that urge was channelled into acting. After leaving school she completed a BTEC in performing arts before winning a place at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she studied alongside future Captain America star Hayley Atwell and Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery. Her future husband, American actor Christian Contreras, was in the year below.

Career: Whittaker's first professional acting job was in The Storm at Shakespeare's Globe in 2005, but her big break came the following year when she made her film debut alongside Peter O'Toole in Venus, a role which saw her nominated for the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer. She went on to star in St Trinian's, One Day and the acclaimed British sci-fi movie Attack the Block. Whittaker also won plaudits for her TV work, most notably as bereaved mother Beth Latimer in Broadchurch and a nurse posing as a doctor in Trust Me. However, her profile received the biggest boost when it was announced she was taking over the Tardis as the 13th Doctor.

Quote: "You can never say I'm type cast - you don't get type cast as a Time Lord."

Paloma Faith (Contestant)

Born: July 21, 1985 in London

Best Known For: Her singing career.

Early-life: Paloma Faith Blomfield was born at the University College Hospital in London on July 21, 1985. She grew up predominantly in Stoke Newington following the divorce of her Spanish father and English mother. She gained a degree in contemporary dance at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and an MA in directing and theatre design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. During her studies she made ends meet as a sales assistant, a burlesque cabaret singer, a life model and a magician's assistant.

Career: While working in a bar, her manager asked her to front his band; she was spotted by a record company executive who asked her to audition for the head of a label. The performance didn't go well, but months later, she was asked to return and eventually signed a contract - it was apparently being memorable that sealed the deal. Faith became a chart star in 2009 thanks to several singles and her debut album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?

Quote: 'A lot of people write songs because they want to record them in a studio, they want to put their feelings out there. I don't write songs for that reason: I write songs so I can perform them.'

Trivia: Away from singing, she has acted in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Dread.

Munya Chawawa (Contestant)

Spencer Matthews (Contestant)

Born: August 06, 1989 in London

Best Known For: Made in Chelsea.

Early-life: Spencer was born in London on August 6, 1989. He was educated at Eton and went on to work as a PR manager for a number of London clubs, including Movida, Amika and Boujis. He eventually moved into the world of stocks and shares to work as a broker.

Career: Matthews became known to the wider general public in 2011 when he was among the cast members of E4 reality show Made in Chelsea. He also appeared with other main cast members in the spin-off show Made in Chelsea: NYC.

Quote: 'I think I have every intention of settling down, I'm just not in a rush like many men of my age.'

Trivia: Matthews loves to skydive and snowboard. His parents own the Eden Rock Hotel in St Barths.

Kate O'Brien (Series producer)

Richard McKerrow (Executive producer)

Jenna Mansfield (Executive producer)

Letty Kavanagh (Executive producer)

Kieran Smith (Executive producer)

Nick Berry (Director)

Born: April 16, 1963 in Woodford, Essex

Best Known For: Playing Simon 'Wicksy' Wicks in EastEnders

Early-life: Born in Woodford, Essex, on April 16, 1963, he dreamed of becoming an actor, and trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London before landing minor parts in The Box of Delights, where he appeared as a rat, and in Brit flick Party Party, which had the likes of Karl Howman, Clive Mantle, Caroline Quentin and fellow future EastEnder Perry Fenwick in the leading roles.

Career: Berry's big break came when he clinched the role of Simon Wicks in EastEnders in 1985. He played the ladiesman for five years. During that time he had a number one single with Every Loser Wins - a song originally sung by his character in the show. After leaving Walford, his next big role was PC Nick Rowan in rural drama Heartbeat. Set in the 1960s, it was a big success, and Berry had another chart success - this time reaching Number 2 with the show's theme tune. He departed after six years, before taking parts in Paparazzo, Harbour Lights, The Mystery of Men and In Deep. He now prefers to stay behind the camera, running the company Valentine Productions.

Quote: On returning to EastEnders: 'I haven't been asked. But I never say never because you never know what's going to happen around the corner'.

Trivia: He supports West Ham United FC.

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Sunday, June 21 on Channel 4 +1 (15)

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Season 7, Episode 1

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