Great British Bake Off: Hampshire accountant among 2023 contestants, when does it start on Channel 4, time?

The Great British Bake Off, one of the UK’s most beloved shows, is set to return once again to Channel 4. Season 14 is set to be one of the most dramatic yet, following an intense final between Syabira, Sandro and Abdul last year.

Hampshire will be represented in this year’s competition. Keith, a 60-year-old chartered accountant, will be competing to be star baker and take the ultimate crown of being Britain’s best amateur baker.

Here is everything you need to know about the show and when it starts.

Who are the contestants?

Twelve bakers have been announced, including the show’s first ever deaf contestant. Participation officer Tasha, 27, who is deaf, said it was a “big moment” when presenter Noel Fielding introduced the latest host, Alison Hammond, and her British sign language interpreter (BSL), Daryl, to the show.

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Tasha, from Bristol, said: “Seeing Daryl up at the front and feeling fully part of the show was a really special moment. I couldn’t have done it without him and without the dedication from the show ensuring I had the same access as the other bakers.”

Ms Hammond, a presenter on ITV’s This Morning, has replaced Matt Lucas as a host on the show – after the comedian announced he stepped down in December. Tasha said when she found out she was going to be on the series, she and Daryl both cried.

She added: “We were a mess. I didn’t say anything that made sense because I was so unprepared to be told that, I never thought that it would be me going to the tent.” Other contestants include Sri Lankan-born intelligence analyst Saku, 50; vegetable grower and delivery driver Abbi, 27, from Cumbria; north London deli and grocery manager Amos, 43; east London PA Cristy, 33; and Nicky, 52, a retired cabin crew member from the West Midlands.

Saku, from Herefordshire, said she felt as though she was “going to explode” when she got the phone call for the show. Cristy, a mother of four, added: “Oh Alison and Noel were one of the best parts about the tent, they are both so lovely and funny. Also seeing them bounce off each other and having a laugh all the time. They are the perfect duo.”

Also competing is Dan, 42, a civil engineering resource planner from Cheshire, Dana, 25, a database administrator from Essex, Josh, 27, from Leicestershire; Matt, 28, a Cambridgeshire PE and science teacher, and student Rowan, 21.

Rowan, from West Yorkshire, said as the youngest baker in the tent this year she flaunts her youth and lets “everyone know that I was only eight when the first episode of Bake Off aired”.

She added: “After watching each series without fail, I knew that one of my life goals would be to bake in that tent.

“Getting the call to say I had achieved that dream, I did the only thing appropriate, I slid to the floor, screamed down the phone and ran to the shops for a bottle of prosecco, all before getting back to join the group wash-up in my uni house. Classy.”

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Josh, a post-doctoral research associate, said he was in the chemistry lab when he went into “complete shock” after being accepted.

He said: “So many emotions going through my head, excitement of the prospect of baking in the tent, buzzing as I couldn’t wait to tell my brother and parents the news, nervous that I was going to be baking for (judges) Paul (Hollywood) and Prue (Leith).

“And a sense of accomplishment that I had managed to make it through and do my nan proud, as she was a big inspiration for entering again this year.

“She passed away in June 2021 and I said I would try and enter the Bake Off again for her.”

When does the programme start and what channel is it on?

The Great British Bake Off will start at 8pm on Tuesday, September 26. It will be shown on Channel 4.

The show will also be available online on Channel 4's catch-up service, All 4.