The Great British Bake Off 2025 Cast Revealed: Meet the Season 16 Bakers Stirring Up the Tent

Great British Bake Off is back with a theme the show has somehow never tried before: school. Yep, we’re talking flapjacks, those old-school traybake cakes that live in your memory next to the smell of gym mats, and a big, showy school fete finale. And yes, there’s a lot of custard. Paul is in his happy place.

"Paul got terribly excited, because his favourite thing in the whole world is cake and custard, and we had lots of cake and custard," Prue Leith said. "In fact, for one of the challenges, I think we actually required custard."

What the bakers are up against this week

The tent goes back to school with three challenges: flapjacks, nostalgic school cakes, and a showstopper worthy of a full-on school fete. It’s a new theme for the series, which is wild given this show has been powered by sugar and nostalgia since day one.

Bakers of 2025 - who’s still in, who’s out

• Aaron - 38, London - Senior systems architect. A patisserie nerd with a Caribbean streak, Aaron’s all about precision and bold flavors. Lately he’s been on a single-serve kick with Asian notes like miso and yuzu. When he’s not piping and glazing, he’s cycling around the city, teaching himself French, in the gym, or working toward a Master’s.
• Hassan - 30, South Yorkshire - Analytical R&D scientist - Eliminated in week 1. True to his day job, he researches techniques before he bakes. He leans into Pakistani-influenced flavors, especially pralines and nutty sweets. Outside the kitchen: gaming, the gym, and quiz nights.
• Iain - 29, Belfast - Software engineer. He merges live music fandom with sourdough, literally baking album cover art into his crusts. Flavor-wise, he plays classic with a twist, often using fermented fruit and veg. In his own words, he’s determined to change the Bake Off lore around the phrase 'Iain from Belfast' once and for all. If you know, you know.
• Jasmine - 23, London - Medical student. Baking is her creative outlet. She sticks to fresh, seasonal ingredients and time-tested combos. She learned bread and cakes from her mum and aunts, and she’s got childhood muscle memory for batch bakes at big family gatherings.
• Jessika - 32, London - Service designer. Gift-giving via patisserie is her thing. She’ll collect intel on a friend’s tastes for months, then drop the perfect birthday entremet. Expect fearless pairings like salted mango caramel with dark chocolate mousse. Off the bench, she’s skating, cycling, or performing as her Drag King persona.
• Leighton - 59, Surrey - Software delivery manager - Eliminated in week 2. He riffs on Welsh, British, and American comfort bakes: think Welsh cakes with peanut butter, or a Victoria sponge hiding a key lime pie filling. He’s a weekend baker for the people in his life and could not believe he actually made it into the tent.
• Lesley - 59, Kent - Hairdresser. She’s been cutting hair for 45 years, and her clients know the drill: a trim and a slice. She started baking at 10, taught by her grandmother and aunt, and never stopped.
• Nadia - 41, Liverpool - Hairdresser. With an Italian chef for a dad, she bakes with rustic warmth and big, soulful flavors. She found out she’d made the show while working at her salon and had to pretend everything was normal instead of screaming on the spot.
• Nataliia - 32, East Yorkshire - Office assistant. Her grandmother taught her the family recipes, and she still uses them, folding those traditions into British classics. Expect honey, poppy seeds, and cozy spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.
• Pui Man - 51, Essex - Bridal designer - Eliminated in week 3. Detail-obsessed by trade and by bake. She rediscovered baking in lockdown and went full throttle into bold, beautiful designs. When she takes a break, it’s knitting-with-a-pint time.
• Toby - 29, Warwickshire - Business development executive. He keeps it simple, lighter, and classic on purpose. Bread is his real passion, and he bakes a new loaf every day, so Bread Week shouldn’t scare him.
• Tom - 31, London - Creative entrepreneur. He learned scones and flapjacks from his mum and grandma. After stepping back from the ad agency he built, he reconnected with baking and brings a designer’s eye to his clean, elegant bakes.

When and where to watch

The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 on Tuesday 9 September at 8pm.