The Great British Bake Off is back next week as 12 new amateur bakers enter the famous tent keen to impress Paul and Prue.
This year's group range in age from 19 to 70 and include an engineer, a retired NHS nurse and a Met Police detective.
Who will succeed Peter Sawkins and become the next Bake Off champion? Scroll on to meet the class of 2021!
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Lizzie
Age: 28
From: Liverpool
Occupation: Car production operative
Most important utensil: "My red can opener, I have had it since uni. It was the most sought after utensil in the practice tent with the other bakers always stealing it!"
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George
Age: 34
From: London
Occupation: Shared Lives co-ordinator
Strengths and weaknesses: "I think my creative flare is a strength, that and making biscuits. Weakness....making caramel!"
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Jurgen
Age: 56
From: Sussex
Occupation: IT professional
Lockdown baking: "My family was very cautious, we avoided shops where we could. As a result I baked every bread and cake we ate during lockdown. And my baking certainly improved as a result."
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Crystelle
Age: 26
From: London
Occupation: Client relationship manager
Why did she apply? "My baking experience was so limited, and I only applied after my sisters convinced me (with force) to do so, under the expectation that I would get rejected and try again next year. When I got the call, I was in so much disbelief that I actually had to call the producers back to double check that I hadn't misheard. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. Complete and utter madness."
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Jairzeno
Age: 51
From: London
Occupation: Head of finance
Lockdown baking: "During the lockdown I baked more and I baked lots of pastry. With every bake there is always room for improvement."
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Rochica
Age: 27
From: Birmingham
Occupation: Junior HR business partner
Strengths and weaknesses: "I would say my strengths are my flavours and my weaknesses are getting flustered and everything going wrong."
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Giuseppe
Age: 45
From: Bristol
Occupation: Chief engineer
Lockdown baking: "The lockdown has had a major impact on my baking: I had been working from home therefore I could suddenly dedicate much more time to baking. This meant that I had the chance to practice new things and extend my baking repertoire. Probably without this extra practice I would not have managed to make it to the tent."
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Tom
Age: 28
From: Kent
Occupation: Software developer
Favourite former Bake Off contestant: "I never would have started baking if I hadn't been introduced to it through Bake Off, so really I've taken inspiration from all of the previous Bake Off bakers. Overall though, I'd say I've learnt the most from Series 3 finalist James Morton. He's released books on the fundamentals of baking and how to create your own recipes, which inspired me to start experimenting with my own recipes at home and ultimately gave me the confidence to apply for Bake Off!"
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Maggie
Age: 70
From: Dorset
Occupation: Retired nurse and midwife
Essential utensil: "A spatula - you can do anything with a spatula - dig up roots, stir, mix, even kill flies!"
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Chigs
Age: 40
From: Leicestershire
Occupation: Sales manager
Strengths and weaknesses: "My strengths are baking with chocolate, my attention to detail and my organisational skills. There are areas for improvement but I believe I can learn and improve my skills and I am keen to continue to learn more."
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Amanda
Age: 56
From: London
Occupation: Met Police detective
Why did she apply? "I always dreamt that I would apply to enter the tent when I retired from the police. When my father passed away last year I realised that there was no time like the present. I was doubly delighted when the production team called me to say that I am one of the final 12! I have been on a euphoric high ever since."
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Freya
Age: 19
From: North Yorkshire
Occupation: Student
Strengths and weaknesses: "I am a massive perfectionist, so my strengths are definitely intricate details. I love the decorating side of baking, I think it gives everyone a chance to be creative and share their own personal skills. I'd say my weakness is probably the faffiness of pastry and bread. As a baker I think it's really important to accept things don't always go to plan and doing so is definitely not my strong point... but I am learning."
The Great British Bake Off starts on Tuesday, September 21 at 8pm on Channel 4.
Neil Wilkes
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