The sweetest day of the year has arrived as The Great British Bake Off returns to our TV screens tonight (September 26).

Among the 12 contestants heading into the white tent this year for the first time will be new presenter Alison Hammond who will be joining Noel Fielding.

The 48-year-old who often entertains This Morning viewers alongside Dermot O’Leary will be replacing Matt Lucas who hosted the Channel 4 programme for three years.

It was Matt who took over from Sandy Toksvig back in 2020 but before that, Bake Off legends Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins held the presenting reigns.

From announcing Star Bakers to their comical innuendoes with judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, viewers looked forward to seeing them week after week.

When did Mel and Sue present Bake Off?

Mel and Sue have worked together on stage and television since they met at Cambridge University more than 30 years ago.

They left the Bake Off with Mary Berry in 2016 after first becoming hosts in 2010 when the show began.

The duo parted ways with the programme when it moved over to Channel 4 from BBC One – bought for a whopping £75 million.

Speaking about the new series of Bake Off when they announced their departure seven years ago, Sue told The Times: "I just think it would make me sad to watch it.

All the winners of Bake Off

"We gave it everything we had and we made a decision that was easy to make, but hard sometimes to reflect upon. You just wish it well."

"In the beginning, all I thought was, ‘mortgage, mortgage, mortgage’. I did it for the money. Neither Sue nor I thought it would work. A show about baking? What?!", added Mel.

Why did Mel and Sue leave Bake Off?

Commenting on their Bake Off exit, Sue explained to Radio Times: “We resigned, basically.

“Because it was not a kind show. They were pointing cameras in the bakers’ faces and making them cry and saying, ‘Tell us about your dead gran.’ So we had very stiff words about how we wanted to proceed. I think we can say that, now we’re out of it, can’t we?”

Who are the Bake Off contestants for 2023? – See full line-up

  • Tasha - Participation officer from Bristol
  • Saku - Intelligence analyst from Herefordshire
  • Rowan - English literature student from West Yorkshire
  • Nicky - Volunteer at a pet-therapy charity from the West Midlands
  • Matty - Science and PE teacher from Cambridgeshire
  • Keith - Chartered accountant from Hampshire
  • Josh - Post-doctoral research associate and chemist by trade from Leicestershire
  • Dana - Database administrator from Essex
  • Dan - Resource planner in civil engineering from Cheshire
  • Cristy - Personal assistant from east London
  • Amos - Manager of a deli from north London
  • Abbi - Delivery driver from Cumbria

What time is The Great British Bake Off on tonight?

Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on Tuesday, September 26 from 8pm.