Polish your mixing bowls!
Dust down those counters, spruce up your kitchens, and polish your mixing bowls! It’s time for the return of The Great British Bake Off.
Channel 4’s baking competition will soon be airing its seventeenth series for 2026.
The show presents 12 talented home bakers, all competing to win the grand baking prize.
Each week, they test their skills on a specific theme, which can include bread, cakes, pastries, and chocolate.
The bakers must complete a signature bake, a technical challenge, and a difficult showstopper.
In each episode, one worthy contestant is crowned ‘Star Baker’, while at least one is eliminated from the baking tent.
The bakers in the 2026 series all belong to different backgrounds, and comprise varying ages and professions.
Two bakers in the new season have South Asian roots.
People from these backgrounds include Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, and Sri Lankan individuals.
The upcoming series of The Great British Bake Off stars two such bakers – Mo and Yannis.
Let’s find out more about them.
Mo
Born and raised in the West Midlands, Mo describes himself as “chaotic and random”.
Aged 21, Mo is the youngest baker in the 2026 series.
He lives with his family and three cats, and is currently studying Law at university.
Although he harbours ambitions of being a solicitor, his love for baking began when he was aged three.
When he came across a video about mug cakes at nine, there was no looking back for Mo.
He often looks to infuse Asian flavours with traditional British classics.
Away from the kitchen or his Law books, you’ll find Mo in the gym, working at weights or calisthenics.
Yannis
Hailing from London, 28-year-old Yannis is keen to challenge the stigma that Bangladeshi men aren’t suited for the kitchen.
Working in a busy NICU, he has impressed nurses and patients alike with his bakes.
Born in Vienna, Yannis moved to London aged 11.
His first memory of baking is making bhapa pitha with his grandmother.
Watching The Great British Bake Off helped him learn English.
Outside the kitchen, Yannis is a keen Bhangra dancer, known for his wedding shimmy!
Yannis believes that both baking and medicine are about caring for people.
DESIblitz wishes Mo and Yannis the very best of luck!
Apart from the new bakers, The Great British Bake Off 2026 will see another major change.
The upcoming series marks the first time Nigella Lawson will be judging the show, following Prue Leith’s decision to step down.
Along with Nigella, Paul Hollywood will also be judging the show.
Meanwhile Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond return as hosts.
The 2025 series of the show was won by Jasmine Mitchell.
The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on Tuesday, September 22, at 8 pm.
