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The Great British Baking Show is back with Season 9 on Netflix, and the world breathes a collective sigh of relief. During these troubled times, everyone needs a little bit of twee bakery to sink their teeth into, and the antics going down under the show’s big tent offer that up in spades. So who are Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith welcoming to the gingham altar this time around? Meet the new bakers on this season of The Great British Baking Show. 

Meet the new bakers

Paul Hollywood of The Great British Baking Show -- Paul wears a salmon button down and looks into the left middle distance.
Paul Hollywood of The Great British Baking Show | Mark Bourdillion via Getty Images

The Great British Baking Show always manages to find a whole slew of delightful individuals to fill the tent, typically hailing from a variety of professions, demographics, and locales. Season 9 of the show will be no different. Here’s what we know about the new bakers so far. 

  • Amanda: Amanda is 56, and hails from London, where she works as a detective with the Metropolitan Police. Her Greek-Cypriot roots inform her baking interests.
     
  • Chigs: This 40-year-old sales manager from Leicestershire is an active fellow — he enjoys skydiving, mountain climbing, and hiking. He started baking during the COVID-19 lockdown and is ready to bring his bakes to The Great British Baking Show.
  • Crystelle: Crystelle is a 26-year-old from London who calls herself a “bit of a stresser.” She enjoys experimenting with ideas stemming from her Portuguese-Goan-Kenyan heritage.
  • Freya: Freya is the youngest baker this season at 19 — she’s also a vegan and a psychology student hailing from North Yorkshire. Freya calls herself a “massive perfectionist.”
  • George: George is a shared-living coordinator from London. This 34-year-old says he has a “keen eye for detail” and creativity. Like Amanda, George celebrates his Greek-Cypriot roots.
  • Giuseppe: Born in Italy, Giuseppe now lives in Bristol. This 45-year-old learned how to bake from his father, who worked as a professional chef. Giuseppe, of course, enjoys Italian flavors in his creations, and calls himself a “food snob.”
  • Jairzeno: This 51-year-old head of finance and Great British Baking Show hopeful moved from Trinidad to London 15 years ago. He loves using Caribbean spices, and says that for him, “baking is like breathing.”
  • Jürgen: Jürgen originally hails from Germany, but moved to the UK 18 years ago. He now lives in Sussex, where he works as an IT professional. Jürgen’s interest in baking started when he couldn’t find his preferred German loaves.
  • Lizzie: Lizzie, 28, lives in Liverpool with her partner and their pet dog, Prudence. Lizzie is the type of baker who focuses on flavors over presentation. She enjoys dancing and studies criminology.
  • Maggie: Maggie is a 70-year-old retired nurse and midwife hailing from Dorset. Maggie is also this year’s oldest baker, and she enjoys the outdoors — especially canoeing, kayaking, and sailing.
  • Rochica: An injury left this 27-year-old HR business partner unable to dance, and so she turned to baking. She claims that her biggest weakness is “getting flustered” when things go awry.
  • Tom: Tom is a 28-year-old web developer based in Kent, who calls baking a “welcome escape” during his time in lockdown. Tom enjoys singing and dramatic arts.

When will new episodes of ‘The Great British Baking Show’ air?

Prue Leith returns to The Great British Baking Show Season 9 -- Prue is wearing a yellow jacket and a rainbow scarf and glasses frames.
Prue Leith of The Great British Baking Show | Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images
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The Great British Baking Show Season 12 will be airing on Netflix. The show will premiere new episodes every Friday. 

Paul Hollywood has claimed that this year’s bakers are a “strong” bunch, which has fans looking forward to some exciting bakes. 

“I feel [in] this series the standard of bakers is so strong, they really brought a lot of expertise to the tent this year, I was really shocked and excited to see how quick they were out of the box,” Paul Hollywood said, as reported by Marie Claire. 

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