The Great British Bake Off - 2024 - 01:15 am Tuesday, December 23 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.

Alison Hammond (Presenter)

Born: February 05, 1975 in Birmingham

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.

Best Known For: Being a presenter on This Morning.

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.

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.

Chris Bisson (Contestant)

Natalie Cassidy (Contestant)

Born: May 13, 1983 in Islington, London

Best Known For: Playing Sonia in EastEnders

Early-life: Natalie Ann Cassidy was born on May 13, 1983, in Islington, London. She became interested in performing at an early age, despite none of her family having been involved in showbusiness, and claims she was inspired to tread the boards after watching Rainbow as a child. At the age of eight, she enrolled at The Anna Scher Theatre School and it soon became clear she had an impressive future ahead of her.

Career: At 10 she auditioned for a role in EastEnders and won the coveted part of Sonia, a member of the infamous Jackson clan. During her time in the soap her character had to deal with giving birth after not realising she was pregnant, the death of her fiance and a lesbian affair that almost wrecked her marriage. Cassidy won both British Soap and TV Quick Awards, and is one of EastEnders' most popular stars. She's also appeared on So Graham Norton, taken part in Celebrity Driving School, and reported for Holiday. She was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing. In 2012, she entered the Celebrity Big Brother house.

Quote: "I know that my face is well known because of TV, but I don't feel famous, I just feel like a really normal person."

Trivia: In 2007, Natalie released a fitness DVD.

Dean Gaffney (Contestant)

Shobna Gulati (Contestant)

Born: August 07, 1966 in Oldham

Best Known For: Coronation Street.

Early-life: Born August 7, 1966, in Oldham, Lancashire. Her father was a doctor. She has two older sisters and a younger brother. As a child, Shobna wanted to be a vet, but became hooked on acting and dancing (she's trained in a classic Indian style) thanks to appearances with amateur groups. Despite this, she studied Arabic and Middle Eastern politics at university. She can also speak six languages. While dancing in a show at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, she was spotted by an agent who urged her to become a professional actress.

Career: Gulati's first TV appearance was in a 1999 edition of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, playing the small role of a cafe assistant. Her big break came when she landed the part of simple-minded but sweet-natured canteen worker Anita, in Victoria Wood's sitcom dinnerladies. A short stint in EastEnders and a Bafta-winning short film, Shadowscan, followed before she was cast as Sunita in Coronation Street in 2001. A spell away from the soap saw her join the cast of Where the Heart Is. She's also appeared on Have I Got News For You, Call My Bluff and Soapstar Superstar, as well as in numerous stage productions.

Quote: "I'm not afraid of anything."

Trivia: Since 2013, Gulati has appeared as a regular panelist on Loose Women.

Sheree Murphy (Contestant)

Sophia Reid (Series producer)

Jenna Mansfield (Executive producer)

Kieran Smith (Executive producer)

The Great British Bake Off: 2024

01:15 am - 02:25 am, Tuesday, December 23 on Channel 4 +1 (15)

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2024
Season 1, Episode 1

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