Channel 4 Great British Bake Off shock as baker leaves before first show finishes

It's the time of the year Great British Bake Off fans have been waiting for as the hit show is back. And the new series of the hit Channel 4 competition will begin with a host of firsts.

In episode one of the 2024 series, which begins on Tuesday night (September 24), one baker gets the first 'Hollywood handshake' in the opening recipe while another baker leaves the tent after just a day feeling unwell.

The 15th series begins with a strong performance from the new dozen bakers and one even earns a handshake from judge Paul Hollywood inside the opening 30 minutes of the show in the signature challenge.

However, things don't go well for everyone and on day two of filming one baker is missing from the tent. It leaves co-host Alison Hammond revealing to the other bakers that one contestant is feeling unwell and they are missing for the rest of the episode.

It results in the other 11 bakers trying to avoid being voted off. A show source has told the Mirror: "The baker was gutted to miss out on second day but they weren't feeling up to it and so they had to sit it out."

The show then has another twist in store as bakers are also given cake to eat before the first ever 'taste and bake' challenge. Alison reveals: "Each week the bakers will face a gingham-clad secret second challenge but this time there's an extra surprise awaiting them."

Noel Fielding adds: "This is a taste and bake challenge. You have five minutes to inspect your cake and then you have to recreate it with no recipe." Bakers then get to measure and even eat the cake before trying to make their own. This challenge goes less well than the first and one calls their efforts a "disaster" whilst another says their bake is "horrific".