Great British Bake Off 2019: What's in store for 2019?

The Great British Bake Off class of 2019

If you've been spending your summer holidays looking for something to watch on TV or doing lots of baking, then we've got good news for you.

The Great British Bake Off is back on our screens tonight!

The new series kicks off on Channel 4 at 8pm and is expected to run for 10 weeks. That means the final is likely to be in November.

But what else do we know about this year's show, and how different will it be to previous series?

Here's what we know so far.

Who are the bakers?

This year, there are a 'baker's dozen' - or 13 - contestants taking part this year, rather than 12.

This means that two bakers will be eliminated at some point during the series.

This line-up is also the youngest in the show's history, with seven people in their 20s. Normally a lot of the bakers are in their 60s and 70s.

It looks like there will be just as much variety as we've seen in past series, with a geography teacher, a vet and a fashion designer on the list.

Alice

Alice, 28

The geography teacher took up baking at the age of 15 when a back operation for scoliosis left her unable to do sport.

Clockwise from top left: Rosie, Michael, Priya and Helena

Rosie, 28

The Somerset-based veterinary surgeon likes to wind down from her stressful job by baking.

Michael, 26

He's from Stratford-upon-Avon, but is also inspired by the flavours of his Indian heritage.

Priya, 34

She's a marketing consultant from Leicester who is a self-professed perfectionist and lover of baking late into the night.

Helena, 40

She's from Leeds and likes using American flavours as well as those from her Spanish heritage in her baking.

Clockwise from top left: David, Michelle, Jamie and Amelia

David, 36

He lives in London but comes from Yorkshire and is fond of strong flavours and solid bakes, rather than fancy, colourful decorations.

Michelle, 35

She's from Tenby in Wales, bakes almost every other day, and enjoys experimenting with flavours.

Jamie, 20

A part-time waiter and sports science student, Jamie likes the challenge of technical bakes.

Amelia, 24

A sportswear designer from Halifax, she has been baking since the age of five, when she watched her mother and grandmother make beautiful cake decorations.

Clockwise from top left: Dan, Steph, Henry and Phil

Dan, 32

He comes from Rotherham and is largely self-taught in the kitchen. He even made his own wedding cake! Last year's winner, Rahul, was also from Rotherham - maybe Dan will be able to follow his success!

Steph, 28

The shop assistant from Chester enjoys creating healthy bakes with added fruits and vegetables.

Henry, 20

He's a English literature student at Durham University, who tests out his culinary skills and carefully combined flavours on his housemates. Lucky them!

Phil, 56

The lorry driver from London started taking baking seriously six years ago, and lives with his wife and two daughters.

We've got our fingers crossed they'll have all the warmth of Nadiya, the colourful-character of Candice, and the quiet-awesomeness of Rahul. Hopefully they'll all end up just as close friends as the bakers have in the past.

(The bakers from series four recently all reunited and baked for Martha Collinson's wedding!)

Will as many of Paul Hollywood's famous handshakes be dished out this series, as in 2018? We'll just have to wait and see how the contestants get on.

Who are the judges and presenters?

The judges and presenters will be the same as the previous series.

Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith are back for 2019.

Joining them are Noel Fielding and Sandy Toksvig - the same presenters are we've had for the past two years.

The team all appeared in this Mad Hatter themed trailer on the Channel 4 website, so hopefully it's a sign of exciting things to come.

What are the Bake Off challenges this year?

Over the last nines series, the bakers will be asked to make everything from pretzels and wagon wheels to pies, pavalova, and even, on one occasion, a pita bread cooked over a campfire.

But this year it sounds like the judges might be a bit less demanding.

In an interview, judge Paul Hollywood, said: "It's been interesting to come up with some unusual things. This year the challenges I think have been scaled back a little bit.

"I thought sometimes we've been running away with some of the challenges being too difficult."

Prue Leith also admitted that sometimes the most seasoned baker finds themselves stumped when making some of the show's most difficult technical challenges.

The series begins with Cake Week, in which bakers will make a fruit cake, a retro classic and a birthday cake.

Is there a Junior Bake Off?

Earlier this year we told you Junior Bake Off would be making a return to TV, and now we know some of the details.

The presenter will be comedian and author Harry Hill, who appeared in the Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off as one of the celebrity contestants.

On the judging panel, Prue Leith will be using all her expertise from GBBO to test the juniors' baking talents. The other judge will be Liam Charles, who appeared on GBBO series eight and currently hosts Bake Off: The Professionals.

But as we currently don't have a broadcast date for Junior Bake Off, it's unlikely to be on at the same time as the GBBO.

What would you like to see the bakers making? Let us know in the comments below!