It’s that time of year again – The Great British Bake Off tent is open for business, and the iconic series is back on Channel 4 for 2025.
For series 16, there are 12 amateur bakers vying to impress the judges as they face their Signature, Technical and Showstopper challenges – and hoping to avoid a soggy bottom.
In a bid to become Star Baker and avoid being asked to leave the tent, week one saw the 12 hopefuls challenged to produce their best Swiss roll for the Signature challenge, with the theme being Cake Week.
Next up was the first Technical of 2025, where the bakers were tasked with producing fondant fancies – once a favourite at 90s birthday parties everywhere.
For the Showstopper, the contestants created their best landscape cakes. However, it is a competition, and somebody had to leave. Read on to find out who was the first contestant heading home from the famous tent.
Who left The Great British Bake Off last night?
(Image credit: Channel 4)
Hassan became the first person to leave The Great British Bake Off season 16. The 30-year-old Chemistry graduate from South Yorkshire had hoped to share his love of all things sweet, inspired by his Pakistani heritage.
However, it wasn’t to be, with Alison Hammond being tasked with delivering the news that Hassan was the first to be eliminated after he failed to recover from a Swiss roll disaster.
While the judges agreed it tasted great, they couldn’t get past the look of his creation, with Paul Hollywood suggesting it looked “like it dropped out of a tree.”
Speaking about the judges’ decision to oust him from the competition, Hassan was very disappointed with himself. The wannabe baker said the Swiss roll failure “affected my baking after that”.
“Honestly, for my first ever bake in the tent to come out looking like that was appalling to say the least, for all the practice and work put into it. On the positive side, it tasted better than it looked, I guess?,” he said.
(Image credit: Channel 4)
Who won Star Baker?
(Image credit: Channel 4)
Nataliia became the first Star Baker of 2025. Hailing from the Ukraine but now living in East Yorkshire, Nataliia was taught how to bake by her grandmother, using traditional recipes handed down through generations of her family.
Taking the Star Baker crown, the judges were impressed with Nataliia’s homage to her home country during the Showstopper round. The Ukrainian landscape was an emotional tribute to her roots, with many social media users agreeing with the judges.
One person wrote on X (formerly Twitter,) “Nataliia’s landscape of Ukraine is absolutely beautiful and the taste to match? I’m buzzing for her.” Others called for her to be crowned the winner already.
What is next week’s Bake Off theme?
Next week is Biscuit Week, and the 11 remaining bakers will be intriguingly tasked with bringing out their best Hobnobs and time capsules.
The theme changes every week, and some appear consistently every year, while occasionally a surprise theme will be thrown in to mix things up a little.
Previous unusual themes have included Botanicals Week, Vegan Week, and Tudor Week. Halloween Week and Dessert Week are usually seen consistently, along with old favourites such as Cake, Biscuit, and Break Week.
A Channel 4 preview for the upcoming Biscuit Week teased, “Whose keepsake crunch will see them hobnobbing as star baker? And whose time has crumb to an end?” We can’t wait to find out.
