Former Great British Bake Off star shares behind-the-scenes insights
An ex-Great British Bake Off contestant has lifted the lid on how difficult it can be to juggle commitments and conceal filming secrets from friends and family ahead of episodes airing.
On Tuesday (22 September), the class of 2026, including RuPaul’s Drag Race designer Gabe and musical theatre fanatic Molly, entered the beloved GBBO tent for the first time.
Ahead of the programming, Toby Littlewood, who reached the semi-final of The Great British Bake Off in 2025 and received a coveted Paul Hollywood handshake for his mini apple meringue pies, divulged behind-the-scenes secrets to the BBC.
The 30-year-old business development executive informed the publication that all contestants remain relatively tight-lipped about their participation before and after filming.
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“You'll have done all of the filming and then you have that period where you have to keep a secret," he said.
"Now it's a huge sense of relief because everyone knows you've been on, and the secrets that you have to keep become less and less every week."
The GBBO favourite also detailed how gruelling working a full-time job and filming the show can be.
He explained: “You're working Monday to Friday, then you go to the hotel on Friday night and you're filming all day Saturday.”
But despite the heavy schedule, Littlewood said he had a ‘great time’ during his stint on the show, confirming that he felt like a ‘celebrity’ when his castmates would get stuck into the washing up.
When asked if friends and family have been expecting baked goods upon meeting up with him post-show, he added: “People expect cake, yes.
“I love hosting people. If I know someone's coming round at the weekend, I spend my whole week planning the food. I want them to go away talking about how amazing the food was.”
Praise for Nigella Lawson Bake Off debut
Elsewhere in the interview, the reality TV lead gave his two cents on Nigella Lawson joining the tent.
The icon officially took over from Dame Prue Leith, who said in her farewell statement that she was ‘thrilled’ for the ‘sassy and fun’ Lawson to take the mantle as a Bake Off judge.
"I think she's going to be great," Littlewood gushed. "She's a big personality, she has so much experience and she's incredibly knowledgeable.
"I feel like she's perhaps slightly more outspoken, which is going to be great and bring a little bit of balance into the judging.”
Lawson has already proved a hit with critics; The Times hailed her as ‘the icing on the cake’ whilst The Guardian wrote that she was ‘wise, generous, and perfect’ for the show.
“Lawson is just as confident as Leith but a much quieter, more soothing presence that works perfectly with Alison Hammond's ebullience and Paul Hollywood's teacher-ish vibe,” the paper added.
Former Bake Off winner Giuseppe Dell'Anno told BBC Radio 4's Today that Lawson ‘did produce a step change’ to the show and was a ‘nice fit with the ethos of the programme’.
"She was doing her best by capturing the vibes of a cake, the feelings, what it makes you think of, which was very nicely balanced by Paul being very technical and scrutinising," he said.
"I think, however, that she will get better over time, because my gut feeling yesterday was that she was still in new territory."
Tune in to The Great British Bake Off every Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, UK Food
Ella Scott