Who is Tom? Meet The Great British Bake Off 2026 contestant and hairdresser
The Great British Bake Off is back – and this hairdresser is dyeing to lift the sought-after cake stand.
Trading in their scissors for a sieve, Tom is hoping to have what it takes to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson.
But competition is fierce, with Paul Hollywood telling Radio Times and other press ahead of the series launch that he "saw a couple of bakers this year that could have been any five-star hotel or could have been in the middle of Feuchon in Paris".
He added: "You know, we set the bar so high that they're almost... you almost have to be professional just to get into the tent, and if it lacks in any department, we will find that shortfall."
Ahead of his debut in the tent, here's everything you need to know about Tom, including his baking super power.
Age: 25
Location: West Yorkshire
Job: Hairdresser
Tom is a 25-year-old hairdresser from west Yorkshire and is a self-proclaimed northern diva who loves nothing more than creating witty, pretty and delicious bakes.
When he was younger, Tom would go to his nan's to bake while his older brother was off at football, mastering the brandy snap before he was 10!
Tom now works in a busy hair salon, and his colleagues are gleeful taste-testings, particularly when he brings in his famous salted caramel brownies.
When he isn't baking, Tom loves to travel and he recently spent seven months exploring south east Asia with his boyfriend.
"I have dreamed about being on Bake Off for so long that I kind of knew one day I would get on," Tom said ahead of his appearance on the show. "I never imagined it would be the first year I applied that I would get on."
He continued: "I couldn’t believe it when I got the call. Throughout the whole application process whenever one step was completed, I just thought to myself right that will be the last one and they won’t be contacting me again but I couldn’t believe it when it kept on going.
"I think I just said, 'omg omg omg omg omg' over and over again, then I bought a bottle of prosecco on my way home to surprise my boyfriend with the news."
What is Tom's secret baking "super power"?
Tom's baking super power is remaining "chill", even if things might get a little stressful.
He explained: "I never really get worked up. My favourite thing about baking is that I can zone out and relax, just go with the flow. I tried to keep that mentality with me as much as possible in the tent."
Read more on The Great British Bake Off 2026 cast:
The Great British Bake Off returns on Tuesday 22 September at 8pm on Channel 4.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
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