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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Scarlett O'Toole

Great British Bake Off 2022 contestants - from a nanny to a nuclear scientist

The Great British Bake Off is back on our screens in just a matter of days, with the new line-up now being unveiled.

This year's series will kick off on September 13 with a total of 12 contestants. After 10 weeks of putting their baking and pastry skills to the test, they will be whittled down to just three talented bakers who will battle it out in the final.

Fans of the Channel 4 show have been eagerly anticipating this year's contestants as teaser trailers began dropping on TV and social media last week.

The 2022 bakers come from far and wide, with family from Poland, Malaysia, Libya and Sweden. They have an array of different professions including a supermarket cashier, nanny and nuclear scientist.

Meet the bakers! L-R: (back) James, Abdul, Janusz, Carole, Kevin, William, Dawn (front) Maisam, Rebs, Sandro, Maxy, Syabira (Mark Bourdillon / Love Productions)

With specialities ranging from adding Malaysian twists to British classics to creating Matcha-infused bakes, The Great British Bake Off 2022 is set to be a fierce competition.

The youngest contestant on this year's show is 18-year-old Maisam who has been baking since she was 13 years old.

Originally from Libya, Maisam now lives in Greater Manchester and is a student and sales assistant. Her favourite flavours are inspired by her Mediterranean heritage and she loves the tang of olives and the sweetness of dates.

She currently speaks five different languages — English, Arabic, Amazigh, Spanish and Turkish — and hopes to turn that into an impressive seven by the time she turns 20.

Maisam is this year's youngest contestant (Channel 4)

60-year-old Dawn is this year's oldest contestant and describes herself as an artist both in and out of the kitchen.

Dawn, an IT manager from Bedfordshire, loves the challenge of an illusion cake and believes the more impossible-sounding, the better. She favours whacky designs which allow her to express her creative talents and prides herself on her steady hand.

Dawn's favourite flavours include lemon, salted caramel and anything nutty and her speciality is adding intricate detail to her bakes.

Swedish-born Maxy is another artist. She studied fine art and went on to achieve a Masters degree in Architecture.

Dawn is a self-professed artist (Channel 4)

The 29-year-old paused her final qualifications to raise her two daughters, Tyra and Talia. Maxy began baking five years ago, with the arrival of her first daughter, and uses her artistic skills to create beautiful celebration cakes.

Her favourite flavours come from her Scandinavian upbringing — the delicate spice of cardamom, saffron buns and cinnamon rolls.

Carole, 59, began her baking journey when she made a first birthday cake for her eldest granddaughter Maisie. She has since refined her skills, using YouTube to teach herself the finer techniques of decoration.

Maxy started baking five years ago (Channel 4)

Carole is a supermarket cashier who lives on a Dorset hillside with her husband and she even has her own segment on a local radio show called Compost Carole, where she shares her gardening know-how with listeners.

Her bakes are often inspired by her passion for horticulture, with her favourite flavours being all things fruity and punchy.

Also interested in fruity flavours is music teacher Kevin, who often enjoys performing. The 33-year-old from Lanarkshire is principally a saxophonist, but is accomplished at the flute, the piano and the clarinet too.

Kevin began baking when he was 17 and believes in using the best seasonal ingredients, combining herbs, nuts and spices.

James is a proud kilt-wearer (Channel 4)

Fellow Scot James, 25, grew up in Glasgow and moved to England after university.

He works as a nuclear scientist and is a self-proclaimed board game geek who loves horror films from the 70s and 80s. His favourite flavours are anything autumnal, such as mixed spice, apples and caramel.

James enjoys the technical side of baking but is in his element when he can get creative, with his signature style being "child-friendly horror".

34-year-old Janusz describes his baking style as "cartoon-like, colourful and camp" and loves combining Polish ingredients and British staples.

The heat is on! (Channel 4)

The personal assistant grew up in Poland and moved to the UK 10 years ago. He now lives on the southeast coast with his boyfriend, Simon, and their sausage dog, Nigel.

Janusz was inspired to bake by his mother, who always baked on a Saturday. He continued this tradition when he moved away from home to go to university.

Malaysian-born Syabira also pays tribute to her heritage within her bakes and is all for giving Malaysian twists to British classics. Her favourite is chicken rendang Cornish pasties.

The 32-year-old is a cardiovascular research associate. She moved to the UK in 2013 to study for her PhD and is now happily settled in London.

Will has been baking for four decades (Channel 4)

Syabira started baking just five years ago, the first thing she made being a red velvet cake.

On the other side of things, 45-year-old Will started baking when he was just two years old when his mum would give him pastry trimmings to turn into little jam tarts.

Intrigued by the technical side of baking, he is a particular fan of using yeast – and not just in bread!

Rebs, 23, also started baking when she was a tot. At just three years old she would help her mum in the kitchen and enjoyed eating her gran's lemon meringue pies.

Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith are back to judge (Channel 4)

Flavour is key for her and she has recently started to play around with Middle Eastern ingredients as a nod to her boyfriend's Turkish family heritage.

Rebs is a masters student who spent her childhood in the countryside in Northern Ireland and she loves everything to do with Irish culture.

30-year-old Sandro was born in Angola, but fled the Angolan war with his mum when he was two, settling in London.

When Sandro was 21 his father passed away and he turned to baking as a form of therapy. Now, he lives and breathes it and even runs virtual baking classes for children with autism.

Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas will return with their funny one-liners (Channel 4)

Sandro works as a nanny and is a keen boxer, with a background in ballet and breakdance.

He likes to infuse his bakes with flavours from his Angolan heritage – the spice of paprika paired with tangy cheese, or sweet bakes smothered in sticky dulce de leche.

29-year-old Abdul became interested in baking when he and his colleagues started baking for each other to brighten up their daily coffee breaks.

He is an electronics engineer who applies precision thinking to the chemistry of his bakes. The Londoner sites Matcha as among his favourite flavours.

*The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on September 13.

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