The Great British Bake Off has been running for 16 years now, but who are its most successful contestants?
A huge number of bakers have made their way into the famous tent to compete on the programme, creating many delicious treats in the process.
While winning an individual series can open doors to plenty of new opportunities, plenty of contestants who didn't manage that achievement have also gone on to further success.
Here are the most successful contestants to have been on The Great British Bake Off.
Most successful contestants ever on The Great British Bake Off
Nadiya Hussain
Nadiya Hussain won the sixth series in 2015 and has arguably become the show's biggest success story.
Since her victory, she has hosted several BBC programmes including Nadiya's British Food Adventure and Nadiya's Family Favourites, and has written multiple cookbooks.
She was also commissioned to bake a birthday cake for Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday, choosing an orange drizzle cake with orange curd and orange buttercream.
John Whaite
John Whaite, who won the third series in 2012, has enjoyed a varied career in television.
He has appeared as a resident chef on ITV’s Lorraine and has featured on a range of other shows including This Morning, What's Cooking?, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Steph's Packed Lunch and Sunday Brunch.
Whaite also took part in the 19th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, finishing as runner-up alongside dance partner Johannes Radebe.
He has published several cookbooks and now runs the Ruff Puff Bakehouse.
Liam Charles
Liam Charles finished fifth in the 2017 series but has since become a regular face on baking television.
He went on to co-present Bake Off: The Professionals with comedian Tom Allen in 2018 and has served as a judge on Junior Bake Off since 2019.
Charles also hosted his own short-lived Channel 4 show, Liam Bakes, and has published two cookbooks.
Get all of the latest Bake Off updates and news for the 2026 series in our guide here.
Ruby Tandoh
Ruby Tandoh was a runner-up on series four of The Great British Bake Off in 2013.
Like many former contestants, she has written a number of cookbooks, with her 2021 book 'Cook as You Are' being well-received.
Tandoh has also written about food and culture for a number of publications including Vittles, The New Yorker, The Baffler, Eater, Art Review, RA Magazine and The Guardian.
Kim-Joy Hewlett
Kim-Joy Hewlett was a runner-up in the 2018 series but has continued to achieve success.
She won The Great British Bake Off’s New Year special in 2022 and has released multiple books, including Baking with Kim-Joy: Cute and Creative Bakes to Make You Smile.
Hewlett is an avid board gamer, and in 2022 Skybound Games published Kim Joy's Magic Bakery, a cooperative card game in which players run a bakery in a magic forest.
Recommended reading:
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- Nigella Lawson 'frightened' by this Bake Off element ahead of Channel 4 series debut
- What does the winner of the Great British Bake Off get? Prize for top contestant
Where is The Great British Bake Off filmed?
The famous white tent is placed in Welford Park in Berkshire next to the Grade I listed Welford Park House.
Filming for the show usually starts in April and takes 10 weeks.
The show has been filmed at Welford Park since series 5 in 2014, with it being relocated for two years during the pandemic.
During Covid, the show was filmed at Down Hall Hotel in Bishop’s Stortford, with all of the contestants having to form a “self-contained biosphere”, with their families being able to join them.
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