Alvin is originally from the Philippines and works as a nurse in Berkshire.

Alvin lives with his wife and their two children. He’s constantly jotting down everything from recipes to techniques so he can pass all his knowledge onto them both as they grow up.

A true perfectionist, Alvin once baked bread every day for three weeks until he believed he’d got it right.

Originally from the West Indies, Dorret grew up in Preston and works as an accountant.

A self-confessed foodie, Dorret has been baking for 40 years and enjoys tap dancing, ballet and salsa to counteract the calories she consumes.

Dorret and her husband regularly visit Michelin-starred restaurants for inspiration and ideas for their next culinary experiment. They also enjoy hosting dinner parties to impress their friends with their skills. Dorret’s dream is to go to the Cordon Bleu school in Paris.

Flora is an assistant at a contemporary art gallery while she waits to start her history of art degree.

She lives at home with her parents and two younger sisters in the Scottish countryside, 20 minutes from the nearest shop. Because of the distance, Flora always makes sure the larder and freezer is regularly stocked with ingredients so she can bake cakes and loaves for the rest of her family.

Ian is a travel photographer and has the honour of being the Dalai Lama’s personal snapper when he visits the UK.

In recent years Ian’s become more of a house husband and while his wife heads to work, he often spends his days making giant catapults and zip wires for his children to play with. He started baking six years ago because he wanted them to have fresh bread every day.

Marie's children claim at one point their mum couldn’t even boil an egg – so she's come a long way.

The turning point came in her thirties when Marie moved to Paris with her family and was inspired by all the French patisseries. She fell in love with baking, specialising in elaborate, showstopping decorations. But Marie also likes simple baking too and makes bread so her grandchildren can have “proper packed lunches”.

Londoner Mat began baking three years ago in between shifts as a firefighter.

Mat has now mastered not only simple cakes and biscuits but bread, pastries and pies. Preferring sweet over savoury baking, Mat calls himself a “competent amateur” who “learns every time he bakes”.

Mat lives with his wife and says his greatest ambition is to own a dishwasher.

Nadiya lives in Leeds with her husband and is a full-time mum to their three children.

After wondering why her father only served ice cream for dessert at his restaurant, as desserts aren’t a big feature of mealtimes in Bangladesh, Nadiya was encouraged by a school home economics teacher to develop her skills and now delivers beautiful masterpieces at family occasions.

Paul lives in Wales and has been a prison governor for eight years.

He sees being in The Great British Bake Off as “an opportunity to show that men like me, stereotyped by our jobs, do and can love baking and that it is a skill and talent to be proud of.”

He may have a demanding authoritative job, but Paul enjoys learning intricate skills like sugar-work to make his bakes beautiful. When not baking, Paul loves the outdoors and exploring the Welsh countryside with his wife and three sons.

Sandy says that she bakes to show her family, friends and colleagues that she cares about them.

She started baking as a child and likens her style to the way she’d describe herself: “it might not be glamorous but it’s tasty.”

In her job she helps young people with emotional issues. After work Sandy also volunteers at the school, running a cookery club where she teaches children from deprived backgrounds to bake on a budget.

Stu’s a professional musician and lives in Surrey with his wife and two children.

He has been baking from a young age; he used to watch his parents in the restaurant kitchen they owned and was always amazed by the magic of the oven and “how something liquid could go in and out would come this fluffed up awesomeness.”

He is confident with most genres of baking and is fascinated by the science of it all. He enjoys trialling different flavour combinations, especially Middle Eastern spices.

Tamal is a trainee anaesthetist working at a hospital in Manchester.

He grew up in Hertfordshire where his parents moved to from India in the 1960s. His older sister played a big part in bringing him up and taught him to bake. She gave Tamal the ultimate compliment when he was asked to bake her wedding cake.

Since then, he is regularly asked to bake family and friends' wedding cakes too – the largest one was five tiers.

While baking is her main hobby, Ugne is also a bodybuilder.

Originally from Lithuania, Ugne now lives in Essex with her partner, also a bodybuilder, and their two young children and works as a PA and administrator.

Ugne learnt to bake from her mother and grandmother who used Eastern European baking methods and utensils. She loves English baking and each day makes her family bread, pies and pastries, but also likes to incorporate traditional Lithuanian flavours into her bakes to remind her of home.