The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer press pack

The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer starts Tuesday 5th March at 8pm on Channel 4

A star-studded line-up from the worlds of acting, politics, comedy, sport and entertainment will compete in The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer in a bid to see who will be crowned Star Baker and be awarded the much sought-after Star Baker apron.

John Lithgow, Jeremy Paxman, Sally Lindsay, Michelle Keegan, Jon Richardson, Russell Brand, Russell Tovey, Greg Wise, Jess Phillips MP,  James Acaster, Big Narstie, Nicola Adams, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Caroline  Flack, Hannah Cockroft,  Joe Wilkinson, Johnny Vegas, Georgia Toffolo, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, and Rylan Clark-Neal, will be joining Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, plus hosts Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding for a bake off like no other.

The 5x60 series is commissioned by Sarah Lazenby, Channel 4 Head of Formats and Features, and produced by Love Productions, Executive Producers Richard McKerrow, Letty Kavanagh and Kieran Smith.

Sarah Lazenby, Channel 4 Head of Formats and Features commented: “Stand Up To Cancer has become a force to be reckoned with in the fight against cancer. As part of the fundraising campaign this year’s special celebrity editions of Bake Off managed to raise millions of pounds to fund ground breaking cancer trials. We hope to do the same again next year with our brilliant line up of famous bakers – all of whom bring their unique skills to the infamous tent. Expect some great bakes, a dollop of disasters, and lots and lots of laughs.”

Kieran Smith, Executive Producer, Love Productions commented: “All of us have been affected by cancer in some way or other and Love are proud to once again partner with Stand Up To Cancer. We hope the prospect of 20 famous bakers sweating it out in our famous white tent proves hugely entertaining, but most importantly helps raise vital funds for a very worthwhile cause.”

Launched in the UK in 2012, the joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 raises funds for translational research, accelerating new cancer treatments and tests to UK patients to save more lives, more quickly. More than £38million has been raised in the UK to date and 35 trials and projects have been funded, with around 8,000 cancer patients either participating, or due to participate. 

EPISODE ONE, Tuesday 5th March, 8pm, C4

The first four foolhardy celebrities being ushered into the Bake Off Tent by presenters Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding are Hollywood star John Lithgow, comedian Jon Richardson, Paralympian Hannah Cockroft and outrageous funnyman Russell Brand. They’re all donning their aprons and brandishing their wooden spoons to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. 

The celebrity bakers will take on three challenges set by judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. The first challenge is a bake sale classic – brownies. The technical challenge is a handful, and there’s a tough showstopper challenge – a 3-d biscuit scene of their best performance. The celebrity bakers are standing up to the challenges – and to cancer – and inspiring viewers to do the same.

EPISODE TWO, Tuesday 12th March, 8pm, C4

Four more celebrities battle it out in the tent on The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off. Presenters Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig are joined by quirky funnyman James Acaster, stage and screen actor Russell Tovey, TV presenter Rylan Clark-Neal and actress Michelle Keegan.

They’ll face three tough challenges set by judges Prue and Paul: topped flapjacks for the signature challenge, a tricky technical, and they’ll be making their happy places – out of meringue – for the showstopper challenge. 

So who will flap at the first hurdle and who will battle their way through to be crowned star baker? They’re all baking to inspire viewers to do the same, and to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer.