Famous faces cook up a storm for charity
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer
Channel 4, 8pm
FANS of The Great British Bake Off were recently hit by sad news – Sandi Toksvig has announced she’s leaving the tent after three series.
The presenter said: “When stepping down from a job it is quite common for people to say they are doing so in order to spend more time with their family. Unusually I am departing from the Great British Bake Off so I can spend more time with my other work. As my waistline will testify, Bake Off is an all-consuming show.”
Luckily, there was some good new thrown in. Anyone who enjoyed Sandi’s obvious rapport with cohost Noel Fielding and judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood will be relieved to hear that she intends to stay friends with them. And as Mel
Giedroyc, Sue Perkins and Mary Berry, who chose not to follow the show to Channel 4, could tell you, Bake Off is bigger than any one person.
Sandi herself acknowledges this, saying: “Bake Off is a wonderful programme which has already proved it can happily withstand a change of hosting personnel. The reason for that, of course, is that the true stars of the show are the bakers themselves.”
But perhaps the best news of all is that, before she goes, Sandi is presenting the five-part Stand Up to Cancer charity specials, which begin tonight.
As usual, Bake Off has been able to attract a better class of celebrity. As you’d expect for Stand Up to Cancer, there are a few comedians in the mix, including Rob Beckett, Mo Gilligan and Joel Dommett.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll also see TV presenters Carol Vorderman, Alison Hammond, Kelly Brooks and Alex Jones, Queer Eye’s resident fashionista Tan France, singersongwriter James Blunt, actress Caroline Quentin, TV judge Rob Rinder, one-time Goggleboxer
Scarlett Moffatt, former Eastender Patsy Palmer, Youtuber Joe Sugg and ex-inbetweener James Buckley showing off their baking prowess – or lack off it as the case may be. Perhaps most impressively of all, the run has even bagged an Oscarwinner in the form of Richard Dreyfuss, star of Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
However, the first famous faces to take up the challenge are basketball player and Love Island graduate Ovie Soko, broadcaster Louis Theroux and comedians Russell Howard and Jenny Eclair, who should probably be declared Star Baker on the strength of her name alone.
To make it fair for the other contestants though, the competition will instead be decided over three challenges set by the judges. First up, the celebs must make a giant biscuit, followed by a technical based on a classic bake.
Finally, for the showstopper, they have to create a choux sculpture depicting their perfect day – which at least gives Jenny a good excuse to potentially make an éclair.
But who will rise to the challenges? And will anyone prove as wonderfully inept as previous celebrity contestant Nick Hewer, who famously had a shocker with choux?
As it’s all in aid of a good cause, there will also be some poignant reminders of Stand Up to Cancer and advice on how viewers can do their bit to help.