Celebrity Bake Off 2025: Full Cast, New Judge & Schedule

There’s something about seeing your favourite celebrities swap red carpets for aprons and a hot tent that makes charity telly feel genuinely worth watching. The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer 2025 is back, and this year the tent is busier than ever — with a brand new judge, twenty famous faces confirmed for the lineup, and some deeply personal stories running alongside the baking.

Series number: 8 ·
Network: Channel 4 ·
Charity: Stand Up To Cancer ·
Release date: Spring 2025 (16 March reported) ·
Confirmed celebrities: 20 ·
New judge: Caroline Waldegrave OBE

Twenty celebrities, four per episode, one big cause — here’s how the confirmed lineup breaks down.

The pattern: the key facts table below lays out the core details at a glance.

The implication: a major judging shakeup sits alongside a diverse, twenty-strong cast — and behind-the-scenes stories that give the tent an unusually personal feel this year.

Who’s on Celebrity Bake Off 2025?

Confirmed celebrities for the 2025 series

Stand Up To Cancer UK has published the official lineup of twenty celebrities joining the tent for the 2025 series. Here’s every name confirmed so far:

• Tommy Tiernan — comedian and actor (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Sarah Beeny — broadcaster, best-selling author, businesswoman (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Adam Buxton — comedian (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Amelia Dimoldenberg — broadcaster, creator of Chicken Shop Dates (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Scarlette and Stuart Douglas — sibling TV presenters and property experts (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Kate Garraway — TV presenter and broadcaster (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Ellie Goldstein — model, actor, author and change-maker (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor) — singer, songwriter and actress (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Meera Syal — actress and writer (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Phil Wang — comedian (Stand Up To Cancer)
• Sophie Willan — actress, writer and comedian (Stand Up To Cancer)

The twenty celebrities are split across episodes — four per show — with each winner crowned at the end of their episode. The full episode-by-episode breakdown hasn’t been published yet, but the charity has confirmed that hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding are back to present (Stand Up To Cancer).

The catch: the 2025 cast spans comedians, broadcasters, authors, musicians, and campaigners, giving Stand Up To Cancer a deliberately broad audience reach for fundraising.

When does Celebrity Bake Off 2025 start?

Release date and airing schedule

The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer traditionally airs in spring on Channel 4. Stand Up To Cancer’s official announcement states the series will broadcast in spring 2025 on Channel 4 (Stand Up To Cancer).

One specific report from Country & Town House suggests the premiere date is 16 March 2025 at 7.40pm on Channel 4 (Country & Town House). Channel 4 has yet to officially confirm the exact date and time, so viewers should treat the 16 March figure as a strong indicator rather than a locked commitment.

A total of twenty celebrities will compete across episodes, with each episode featuring four contestants in the signature, technical, and showstopper challenges (Evening Standard).

The catch: the Celebrity Bake Off is a separate series from the main Great British Bake Off, which returned for its regular run on 2 September 2025. Viewers waiting for celebrity episodes need to tune into the spring broadcast.

Who is replacing Prue Leith on Bake Off?

Caroline Waldegrave OBE’s new role

Prue Leith has been replaced on the judging panel — but not by Nigella Lawson. The new permanent judge for The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer 2025 is Caroline Waldegrave OBE, who joins Paul Hollywood in the tent (Country & Town House).

Waldegrave is a renowned cookery writer and food educator, and a longstanding figure in British culinary circles. Her appointment marks the first time the celebrity spin-off has had a dedicated judge separate from the main series panel. Prue Leith remains a judge on the flagship Great British Bake Off, which airs in autumn.

The change means the 2025 celebrity series has a distinct judging identity from the main show — Paul Hollywood’s gimlet-eyed handshake and Waldegrave’s food education credentials forming a new dynamic in the tent.

The implication: for celebrity contestants, losing Prue Leith’s famously blunt delivery means a different pressure — Waldegrave’s judging style is less televisual and more pedagogic.

Which Bake Off contestant passed away?

The tragic loss of Dawn Hollyoak

Dawn Hollyoak, a former contestant on The Great British Bake Off, has died. She appeared on the 2022 series of the main competition and was a beloved figure among fans for her warmth and determination in the tent.

Her death was announced in early 2025, though the exact date has not been publicly specified. Hollyoak’s family shared the news, and tributes poured in from former co-stars and Bake Off judges. The loss has added a sombre note to the build-up for the 2025 celebrity series, particularly given the charity’s focus on cancer fundraising.

Stand Up To Cancer, the charity partner for the celebrity series, works specifically on cancer research and early diagnosis — a mission that Hollyoak’s family has asked supporters to keep in mind when watching and donating this year.

The pattern: the series’ charity mission now carries a personal weight that extends beyond the tent.

What is Paul Hollywood’s diagnosis?

Paul Hollywood’s health issues

Paul Hollywood has spoken publicly about experiencing severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. The Great British Bake Off judge has described how the condition has affected his daily life and his work in the tent.

In interviews, Hollywood has said that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated his symptoms, and that he has sought treatment and management strategies for the condition. He has credited the support of co-stars and production staff with helping him continue his role on Bake Off and its spin-offs.

Hollywood has also made a striking claim about a past Great British Bake Off winner — though the details of that claim have not been verified by independent sources, and the specific winner referenced remains unconfirmed.

The implication: Hollywood’s openness about mental health shifts the tent’s public persona and could resonate with viewers managing similar conditions.

“I’m thrilled to be part of the 2025 series. It’s a brilliant cause and I can’t wait to get baking — though I’m warning everyone now, my showstopper might look more like a showstopper-than-not.”

— Tommy Tiernan, comedian, on his participation via Stand Up To Cancer

“We’re thrilled to welcome these brilliant celebrities to the Bake Off tent for Stand Up To Cancer. Every episode will raise vital funds for life-saving research.”

— Stand Up To Cancer UK, announcing the 2025 celebrity lineup (Stand Up To Cancer)

The 2025 Celebrity Bake Off carries more narrative weight than a typical series. Between a judge shakeup, a twenty-strong cast, and personal stories of loss and mental health emerging from the show’s inner circle, the series has the potential to drive significant donations to Stand Up To Cancer UK. For Channel 4, the gamble is whether audiences will embrace the new judging dynamic — or miss Prue Leith’s familiar verdict. For viewers, the decision is simpler: tune in for the baking, stay for the stories, and donate if the cause hits home.