By Joe Julians

Published: Friday, 04 February 2022 at 12:00 am


Somebody grab the keys to the tent because The Great British Bake Off is making a return to our screens for its annual celebrity-filled special.

Being as beloved as this show is, it has never had any issues getting big names to sign up and things are no different for Celebrity Bake Off 2022. We have a former Death in Paradise star, a Strictly judge and an actual Sir in the mix this year – it is once again a very strong line-up that, in a fun twist, includes one of the presenters.

So who will be taking part this year, and where do you know them all from?

Here is your full rundown of the Celebrity Bake Off 2022 contestants.

Alex Horne 

"alex-horne-bake-off"

Age 43

Job: Comedian and musician

Twitter: @AlexHorne

Alex Horne is a comedian who is popping up on our TV screens more than ever these days. He can often be seen on The Last Leg alongside his band, the brilliant Horne Section, and he has been a guest on many other shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

His most well-known work is as creator and collaborator on the hit show Taskmaster – a series that continues to go from strength to strength despite the channel change.

Annie Mac

"annie-mac-bake-off"

Age 43

Job: DJ

Instagram: @anniemacmanus

Twitter: @anniemacmanus

Annie Mac has been a staple of BBC Radio for some time now having worked on, amongst other things, BBC Radio 1, BBC Switch and Future Sounds.

Annie left the job in 2019 to spend more time with her family. She is also the writer of a Sunday Times bestseller with her book, Mother Mother.

Ben Miller

"ben-miller-bake-off"

Age 55

Job: Actor

Instagram: @actualbenmiller

Twitter: @actualbenmiller

Ben is an actor who is very well known on these shores and he was the first lead detective on the long-running Death in Paradise – he returned recently for a cameo from beyond the grave.

That is far from his only big role though and you may also have seen him in Bridgerton, Paddington 2- and many more. His next role is in the upcoming Channel 4 drama, Suspect.

Blake Harrison

"blake-harrison-bake-off"

Age 36

Job: Actor

Instagram: @blakeharrisonreal

Twitter: @blakeharrison23

Blake first became a household name as part of the core four of The Inbetweeners – and many will never get the image of what his character did at a water park in Australia out of their heads for the rest of time.

But Blake is far more than just a comedic legend, he is quite the actor in general and we have seen him pop in many things including Doctor Who, Prime Suspect 1973 and Kate & Koji.

Clara Amfo

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Age 37

Job: Presenter

Instagram: @claraamfo

Clara Amfo is an English television and radio presenter and voice-over artist who is a mainstay on the BBC in her presenting roles. She has been the host of The Official Chart, presented backstage at the BRIT Awards and was a contestant on the eighteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing – she was eliminated in Week 6.

Ed Gamble

"ed-gamble-bake-off"

Age 35

Job: Comedian

Instagram: @edgamblecomedy

Twitter: @EdGambleComedy

Comedian, Ed Gamble is perhaps best known by podcast listeners thanks to The Peacock and Gamble Podcast alongside Ray Peacock.

Outside of that, he has added his comedic skills to shows such as Mock the Week, Taskmaster The Podcast and he hosts a show on Radio X.

Ellie Goulding

"ellie-goulding-bake-off"

Age 35

Job: Singer-songwriter

Instagram: @elliegoulding

Twitter: @elliegoulding

Ellie’s star rose fast when she became the second artist to top the BBC’s annual Sound of… poll – and from there a win at The BRITs for the Critics Choice Award soon followed.

Ellie, who is also an advocate for environmental and social justice, has had a string of hits that include Love Me Like You Do and Anything Could Happen.

Emma Willis

"emma-willis-bake-off"

Age 45

Job: Presenter

Instagram: @emmawillisofficial

Twitter: @emmawillis

Emma is one of our most popular TV presenters and she has been at the helm of The Voice since season 3, as her role survived the move from the BBC to ITV.

Other than that, she was the host of Big Brother on Channel 5 and she presented the second and third seasons of The Circle.

Example

"example-bake-off"

Age 39

Job: Musician

Instagram: @example

Twitter: @example

If you search for Example’s music then you will be in for a treat as he had been behind some absolute banging tunes over the years – including Changed the Way You Kissed Me.

He is a musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer so he knows his way around music, but will he find his way around the kitchen?

Gareth Malone

"gareth-malone-bake-off"

Age 46

Job: Choirmaster and broadcaster

Instagram: @malonegareth

Twitter: @garethmalone

Gareth is a choirmaster and broadcaster and he is perhaps best known for his role on The Choir – a show designed to introduce new people to his brand of music.

He fronted the short-lived Pitch Battle on BBC One and during lockdown came up with The Great British Home Chorus to keep us entertained while we were stuck indoors.

Katherine Kelly

"katherine-kelly-bake-off"

Age 42

Job: Actress

Instagram: @katherinekel

Twitter: @katherine_kelly

Katherine Kelly is an actress who is perhaps most fondly remembered for the stint in Coronation Street where she played Becky McDonald.

She has not looked back since leaving the cobbles though and she remains a regular fixture on the screen in shows such as Happy Valley, Class, The Night Manager, Criminal: UK and Liar.

Laura Whitmore

"laura-whitmore-bake-off"

Age 36

Job: Presenter

Instagram: @thewhitmore

Twitter: @thewhitmore

Presenter Laura first made a name for herself presenting the original sister show of I’m a Celebrity and she has come a long way since then. She is currently the host of ITV’s Love Island and she has also shown her acting skills by taking to the stage in Peter James’s Not Dead Enough.

Mawaan Rizwan

"mawaan-rizwan-bake-off"

Age 29

Job: Actor

Instagram: @mawaanr

Twitter: @MawaanR

Mawaan first made a name for himself on his successful YouTube channel and since then he has made the leap to acting – first appearing in the spoof show DNN: Definitely Not Newsround, and moving on to the likes of Murdered by My Father, Two Weeks to Live and Taskmaster.

He has worked on documentaries too including How Gay Is Pakistan?, and he also released his first two singles in 2019.

Sir Mo Farah

"sir-mo-bake-off"

Age 38

Job: Athlete

Instagram: @g0mofarah

Twitter: @mo_farah

Does the legend that is Sir Mo Farah need an introduction? Mo is of course one of our greatest athletes and his accomplishment list is a long one.

He has countless medals under his belt, won fans all over the world, and was a highlight of the 2020 series of I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!

Motsi Mabuse

"motsi-mabuse-bake-off"

Age 40

Job: Dancer

Instagram: @motsimabuse

Twitter: @MOTSI_MABUSE

Motsi was on our TV screens almost every weekend evening for the last part of 2021 when she returned to the judging panel on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

Prior to Strictly, she was already casting a beady eye over dancers on the German version of the show, Let’s Dance.

Ruby Wax

"ruby-wax-bake-off"

Age 68

Job: Actress and Comedian

Instagram: @rubywax

Twitter: @Rubywax

The hilarious and straight-talking Ruby Wax is sure to be a treat to watch in the Bake Off tent. She is well-known for her brilliant TV shows that include Ruby Wax Meets… and The Full Wax.

She has written two memoirs, How Do You Want Me? and Sane New World, and both of which reached number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list.

Sophie Morgan

"sophie-morgan-bake-off"

Age 36

Job: Presenter

Instagram: @sophlmorg

Twitter: @sophmorgtv

Sophie is a TV presenter and has been seen in numerous things, including Channel 4’s TV coverage of the Summer Paralympics in Tokyo last year.

She is also a Disability Advocate and she herself uses a wheelchair following a road traffic accident in 2003 that left her paralysed from the chest down.

Tracy-Ann Oberman

"tracy-ann-oberman-bake-off"

Age 55

Job: Actress

Twitter: @TracyAnnO

Tracy has been recently seen in Sandylands and on Ridley Road and she has popped up in many roles over the years – including a memorable one in Doctor Who for the series 2 finale.

For many though, Tracy will always be the devious Dirty Den-murdering Chrissie Watts – a character who must surely be due a return in the near future.

Yung Filly

"yung-filly-bake-off"

Age 26

Job: Comedian

Instagram: @yungfilly

Twitter: @yungfilly

Yung Filly is an internet comedian, singer, and social media personality who is seeing his star very much on the rise right now – it must be if he is among the celeb Bake Off elite!

He is best known for his comedy group known as The Wall of Comedy – and racking up millions of views on social media.

Matt Lucas 

"matt-lucas-bake-off"

Age 47

Job: Presenter and comedian

Instagram: @realmattlucas

Twitter: @realmattlucas

Seeing Matt’s name here may take you off guard but fear not, he is very much still in his presenting role with the exception of one episode. It turns out that Matt jumped in when one celeb was left unable to take part – for better or for worse…

“I was forced to bake by my bosses at the last minute when one of the bakers became unavailable. I can’t tell you how happy I was that my humiliation was caught on camera.” As for how Matt ended up donning an apron, it all came down to a coin-toss between him and Noel Fielding – congrats, Noel.

The Great Celebrity Bake-Off will air later this year on Channel 4. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.