Episode Three - Kate Garraway, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Phil Wang, Sophie Willan

The third collective of stars entering the tent are TV presenter and broadcaster Kate Garraway, Actor, writer and director Gbemisola Ikumelo, Comedian Phil Wang, plus Actress, writer and comedian Sophie Willan.

They will be taking on mini loaf cakes in the Signature and things get spicy in the Technical. In the Showstopper the celebrities reveal their hidden talent in choux. This series continues Sunday 30 March, 19:40 on Channel 4, and on catch-up at Channel4.com. 

Kate Garraway

Can you bake?
No! Or at least I have no idea because I’ve never really done it. I love cooking and have always been the cook at home. My mum says I am a great instinctive cook and always seem to know how to combine ingredients to make something delicious - I rarely if ever use a recipe. But that’s different isn’t it because you can taste it as you go - popping a pinch of something in here and a splash of something else in there. Baking is a different ball game entirely. It’s like magic. You take egg and flour and butter, that taste and look like one thing on their own, then put them together and they create something completely different. If you roast a chicken, it looks like a roasted chicken, it’s not that different to when it went in the oven. Baking is alchemy! So, I don’t think I’ve come out proving myself a Merlin, but I’m hoping not to be the wicked witch of the west.

Would you describe yourself as a foodie?

I’m a foodie in the sense that I love food. And love trying new things. But I am not a foodie in the sense of an expert or that it needs to be posh. I’m just as delighted with a doner kebab as a luxury meal, sometimes more delighted - so I think it depends what mood I am in.

Do you have any culinary triumphs or disasters in your past?
Oh yes lots! People say that I’m a great rustler up. Look in the fridge, what have we got, let’s make something delicious. I’ve had many, many notable disasters though, usually due to a little bit too much of a spirit of adventure. Or a practical malfunction. A few years back I was cooking for my entire family for Christmas Day, and it was the first time I’d done Christmas lunch for the family. And on the morning, I put the turkey in, and after a while I thought “I really can’t smell much.” And the oven had broken. So, I had to go next door, and beg the neighbours to use theirs, but of course they had their turkey in the oven. So, it ended up being a Christmas lunch at supper time, and for lunch we had cheese and biscuits. By the time we ate, they were hungry and slightly drunk. Which arguably is the best state to be if you are eating a meal I’ve cooked. 

Describe your baking style in one word.
Enthusiastic.

What’s your favourite baked good to eat?
You can’t really go wrong with a Victoria Sponge with a fresh cream middle. I love cake. But I also love savoury bakes, the sausage rolls and so on. It’s all delicious. 

What are the strengths and weaknesses you’re taking with you into the tent?
Well, my weakness is my lack of skill, and a lack of time to practice. And my strength is that I have already made peace with failure! Once you know there is every chance you are going to make a total fool of yourself and accepted it, then the whole experience becomes this brilliant adventure of learning. I can’t wait. 

Are you a fan of Bake Off?
I love it. And my daughter, Darcey, particularly, is obsessed with it. It is her favourite show, bar none. It even beats Love Island. So when I said I was going on it, you’d have thought she’d be really happy. But she went “Oh no mum - not another show you are going to shame us on!! Just don’t embarrass us so much that it puts me off watching the show ever again.” At least it’s all in a great cause and hopefully it will give viewers a good laugh if nothing else. 

You could tell her it could have been worse, shame-wise. You could have gone in for Love Island.
[Laughs] That is true! I think she’d have taken away my passport. 

What’s it like, walking into that iconic tent for the first time?
It’s so lovely, because you walk in, and on one level, you just feel so at home, it’s so pretty, and familiar and everything you have seen on the TV is there. And then your next thought is “Oh my God! I’m not just here to visit, I’ve actually got to bake in here and be judged by that famous panel. So your second emotion is just one of terror, really. None of us feel like we deserve to be here. I definitely don’t deserve to be here. But am just loving making the most of the experience. It also helps that Alison Hammond is a mate and we can laugh at my ridiculousness together.

You’ve interviewed Nadiya Hussain for Life Stories. Did you think about calling her up for a few tips?
Well, the only two cakes that I’ve made in my life is a Christmas cake, and a cake I made and decorated for Nadiya, when I interviewed her on Life Stories. And I want to know what you think this means. When she tasted it, she looked at me and she said: “I can totally tell this has been made with love.” That basically means it’s dreadful, doesn’t it? It sounds like Bruce Forsyth’s “You’re my favourite” on Strictly - a kind consolation prize! I probably should’ve called her up and asked for advice, but I’m just too much of a rule-keeper. We were told not to tell anyone we were on this show. I could’ve got myself some handy tips though, couldn’t I?

Is it an intimidating moment when you look up and see Caroline or Paul studying you?
Oh, it’s so nerve wracking! They’re just watching you, and they don’t really say anything and you can’t read their expressions. It makes me drop everything and get even more clumsy and just panic. And they look at you, and they look at each other, and you think: “Oh, what are they thinking?” So yes, it is very intimidating.

Are you competitive? How badly do you want to win?
You start off by thinking “This is so much fun; I’m loving just having the chance to take part.” And then without realising it you get swept up and really want to blow Paul and Caroline away or at least get their approval. But I think if I just get it cooked and don’t poison anyone that will be a win for me!

Gbemisola Ikumelo

Can you bake?
No… Well… I think it’s a spectrum. I can follow recipes, but I think, under the pressure of baking for others, I’m not great. On my own, less pressure, great, but baking for other people, who are judging me? That’s a different matter.

Describe your baking style in one word.
Chaotic. No, inventive.

What’s your favourite baked good?
Oooh, I love a chiffon cake, with lots of cream in it. That’s always a winner.

Would you describe yourself as a foodie?
I don’t even know what foodie really means. If it means a person who loves food, then absolutely. If it’s a person who likes to talk about how food should taste and whatnot, no. I just consume it and enjoy it, or not enjoy it. I don’t know if that puts me in the foodie camp. 

Do you cook much in everyday life?
Honestly, no. But I do enjoy cooking, and I can cook. But I am from a family of amazing home cooks, and I find that if I just pretend that I’m not very good, they all make me stuff. 

That’s a genius move…
Yeah, weaponizing incompetence. 

What have been your biggest culinary triumphs and disasters?
My culinary triumphs – I was doing a job and we all had to come over and bring some food, and I did a lot of cooking, and some of it was great. I would say it was my culinary triumph and disaster all on the same day. I made a couple of dishes that went horribly wrong, and then I realised “They don’t know what this is supposed to taste like, so I’ll just tell them this is exactly how it’s meant to be.” I realised if you serve something with confidence, it will be a triumph. But the idea of people coming together and eating together is just such a beautiful thing, that transcends experience and culture. We all do it. I love that.

What’s the food like when you’re on set filming a series? Is that a big part of the experience?
Food can make of break a show on a set, because you’re working so many hours, and it’s all about morale when you’re doing something so high-octane for such a long period of time, in energetic bursts. If you don’t have good food, you will see the morale dip quite quickly on a shoot. I remember on Famalam, we had some really good catering, and you see it in the crew and the cast, everyone is energised, you don’t get that afternoon slump. It’s so important.

Is it true that you took eight tubs of jollof rice home with you from the set of Famalam?
Oh my God, my reputation precedes me! Yes, I did! And I froze it, and I proceeded to eat it over a few weeks, maybe a month. And I don’t regret it – it was great.

Can you still eat jollof rice, or are you sick of the sight of it?
Never! To be sick of jollof rice is to be sick of life. I think it was Oscar Wilde who said that. 

What are the strengths and weaknesses you’ll bring with you into the tent?
The strengths are I can think on my feet, and if things go wrong I can respond to things in the moment. I wouldn’t say I can keep a cool head, but I can keep a head of some sort in the midst of chaos. The weakness is that if I make a mistake, I will not let it go. It will haunt me for months. I find it really hard to drop it and move on. I’m my own worst critic.

Are you a fan of Bake Off?
I am!

What’s it like, walking into the tent for the first time?
It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s so iconic – and not just the tent, but the surrounding area. There’s a beautiful, idyllic vibe. It’s like a hug of a show, there’s just this warmth, and that warmth translates into real life as well. You walk onto the set and it’s all so pretty, the aesthetics of everything. There’s milk in really beautifully rustic jars, and I’ve got a plastic bottle in the bottom of my fridge that’s past its use by date. It’s got a really romantic feel to it. It’s pretty iconic, walking in. 

What’s the worst thing you could be asked to make in the technical?
Something I’ve never heard of. Which is quite a few things. If I’m like “What the heck is that?” if I can’t perceive it in my mind, then I won’t be able to make it in reality. So that would be a nightmare.

Have you sought advice from anyone ahead of the show?
I haven’t. Oh, actually, Nicola Coughlan told me to make sure my oven was on!

That’s key… but also quite basic.
Very basic. But you can imagine how easy it would be to forget to preheat an oven. So that was the first thing I did when I came in, I put my oven on. So that was good advice.

Is it an intimidating moment when you look up and see Caroline or Paul studying you?
Yeah, kind of! But I try not to let it get to me. Paul is a tough nut to crack. But hopefully he’ll be putty in my hands before the end of this.

Are you competitive? How badly do you want to win?
I secretly really want to win. I can’t show it too much, because I’m competitive to the point that people will start going “Whoa, calm down, this is for charity. Relax!” So I need to rein that part of me in, so I don’t forget the camaraderie and joy and fun. I tend to take myself VERY seriously when it comes to competitive things. 

So you’ll be in there putting on a façade of bonhomie, and inside you just want to crush them?
The camera will see my smile, and if you zoom in, you’ll see behind the eyes there’s a well of pain that I’m secretly holding in. But, if I’m honest, there’s such a beautiful sense of joy and laughter on the show already that even if it doesn’t go 100% my way, it’s just been a beautiful experience for a really important cause. And so I feel quite honoured to be here, really.

You’ve won a BAFTA and an RTS award, but presumably they would be eclipsed if you got a Hollywood handshake?
I mean, if I got a Hollywood handshake, I might just tell the BAFTA guys that they can have it back. “Guys, I don’t need this, because Mr Hollywood gave me a handshake.” Not sure I’m going to get one, to be honest. I’ll just be happy if he doesn’t spit the food out into his hand. He doesn’t have to give me a handshake, just keep that food down, that’s all I ask. 

Why are you doing this? Why is SU2C important to you?
I have people in my life who I really love who are battling cancer, even as we are speaking. And they are living their lives and they are trying to get through it, and they are trying to stay hopeful, but there is a lot of pain and sadness that comes with it, and readjusting about how your life is going to change. It’s a life-changing thing. And so if I can just be here and do this thing for a charity that helps in some way, in whatever way that is, and people live better as they’re going through the journey, or if they’re completely coming out of the journey and we’re finding cures, it’s just a no-brainer for me. 

Phil Wang

Can you bake?
Let’s find out, shall we? I’ve never really baked, it’s never really been my style of cooking. I’m more of a stir-fry guy. I like to chop up ingredients and throw them in a wok and that’s about it. I don’t really have the discipline and patience for baking.

Describe your baking style in one word.
Desperate. And grateful. Grateful if something rises, grateful if it bakes, grateful if the cream ends up whipped. 

What’s your favourite baked good?
I love a banoffee pie. Is that baked? That’s my favourite food in the world. I think they’re serving some for lunch today on the shoot. It’s very exciting.

Would you describe yourself as a foodie?
Yeah, I’d say so. I obsess about every meal, and every time a meal isn’t delicious, I feel like a failure. I’m more of a savoury guy though.

Do you cook much in everyday life?
I do, yeah. Mostly Asian stuff, noodles, stir fries, soups. On occasion if I’m having people over, more western style food. I do cook a fair bit.

Have you had any notable culinary triumphs or disasters?
I made an Osso Bucco for New Year’s Eve. You’re meant to make it with veal, they didn’t have any veal, so I used beef shins. It’s an Italian sort of stew, so I made a beautiful stew, and the marrow in the bone was cooked perfectly. These lumps of marrow just fell right off the bone. Oh my days! It was fabulous. 

And disasters?
Sometimes I just really mess up a stir fry, I put in too much cornflour, or the egg isn’t mashed up properly. It can be disgusting. The one time I baked before this week was a lemon drizzle cake, and I thought bicarbonate of soda was the same as baking powder. This cake came out flat, and tasting of acid and chemicals. It tasted like a big bar of soap. 

Is it true you’ve eaten tarantula? 
I have eaten tarantula. I’ve eaten tarantula, I’ve eaten centipede, I’ve eaten cockroaches. 

What’s tarantula like?
Not so nice, actually.

You say that like it’s a surprise…
Yeah, despite popular opinion, tarantula’s not that tasty. The legs are crunchy and crispy enough, but the main body – I had it roasted – and the main body is just like a dusty mash. It tastes like the inside of a cheap sofa.

You’ve also said you don’t really ‘get’ Yorkshire puddings. You realise that constitutes treason in the UK, right?
I know! There’s a target on my back for saying this. I think they’re fine. It’s cooked batter, which is good, but people really lose their minds over Yorkshire Pudding. 

What are the strengths and weaknesses you’ll bring with you into the tent?
My strength is my ability to follow instructions. If I’m given a sheet of instructions, I will follow them to the letter. Hopefully that will benefit me in the technical. My weaknesses? I’m not very particular about presentation. Malaysian food isn’t very presentation-heavy, it’s all about flavour, so I didn’t grow up with presentation culture. So I think my presentation might be lacking in the tent.

You have a degree in engineering. Are you able to utilise that to help the structures of your bakes?
A degree in engineering certainly helps with the measurements and calculations, and using equipment like the electric blender and whisk. But, to be honest, everybody else seems to have those things under control too. I guess being an engineer has taught me to optimise things. Yeah, I’m going to build a big cake bridge, and my choux buns will have a working engine in them. I don’t think it’s going to help me that much!

Are you a fan of Bake Off?
Yeah, it’s a really sweet show. People make incredible things on it, it’s such a national institution. And anything that highlights food, and different cultures, and different cultures’ ingredients, I can be on board with. Which is why I really wanted to highlight some Malaysian and Asian ingredients on my appearance. 

So you’ll be bringing an Asian angle to your dishes?
At least for my signature, yes, I’m bringing some Asian flavours. 

What’s it like, walking into the tent for the first time?
It is quite surreal. It took me aback a bit. Like “Whoa, there it is! The Bake Off tent!” It’s iconic, isn’t it? So it’s a privilege to be asked to enter it. 

What’s the worst thing you could be asked to make in the technical?
Any baked good! I’m not an experienced enough baker to have weaknesses. Right now, everything is a weakness.

Have you sought advice from anyone ahead of the show?
My girlfriend has been helping me. She’s a more experienced baker, she’s helped me practice, and given me some good tips. Aside from that, I’m going in blind.

Is it an intimidating moment when you look up and see Caroline or Paul studying you?
Very much so. They’re very quiet. They come over and cut a piece off and chew it, they don’t say anything for a while. They really make you sweat. And these people have eaten a lot of cake, I think it’s fair to say Paul and Caroline know what it should taste like, so that’s intimidating.

Are you competitive? How badly do you want to win?
I’m only competitive about things I think I can win. So I’m not competitive about this at all. I’m not a competitive soul, really. I’m only competitive about quizzes. I’m just here to enjoy baking – or try to enjoy it. 

What would it mean to you to get a Hollywood handshake?
It would be a surprise, and probably a crime. I don’t think I would deserve one, if I got it, it would be by complete fluke. 

Why are you doing this? Why is SU2C important to you?

Cancer is something that will affect almost one in two of us, which is a very high proportion. I lost my grandmother to cancer a while back. But even then, she benefitted from the progress cancer research has made. And since then, it’s come on even further. And mRNA vaccines for cancer are very promising. So it’s about as good a thing as you can do with your money as I can think of. There’s a one-in-two chance your money’s going to come back to you at some point.

Sophie Willan

Can you bake?
I’ve never baked until this show, but I reckon I’m not doing so bad, so far. There have been some failures, but also some bits I’ve been quite chuffed with. 

Describe your baking style in one word.
Clusterf**k. 

What’s your favourite baked good?
It’s a pasty from Ye Olde Pasty Shop in Bolton. 

You eat a lot of those on Alma’s Not Normal, don’t you?
Yeah, we do. And, in fact, behind the scenes we have them every day for elevenses. It started off that I was just getting one for myself at 11 o’clock, but by the end of the run I was getting 60 pasties a day for the cast and crew. It was kind of mad, really. Marie, at the pasty shop, is doing very well!

How much of the script was just an excuse to write in scenes where you eat pasties?
Well, you’ve got to give yourself some perks, you should always write a few perks in. 

So is series two likely to be set on Barbados, then?
Maybe next time. We’ll see. Still in Bolton, unfortunately, but the pasties keep you going.

Would you describe yourself as a foodie?
I don’t know. I’ve not got a sophisticated palate, but I do know my pastries. Very well. I know my pasties, my pies, my steak puddings, I know my suet pastry. In that realm, I suppose I am. I don’t shy away from a nice pastry. 

There’s a proud Lancastrian tradition of baking and food, isn’t there?
Yeah! And I do think Bolton makes the best pasties. And I’m not just saying that because I’m from there. We’ve got Greenhalgh’s, we’ve got Carr’s and we’ve got Ye Olde. Ringo Starr’s daughter gets pasties from Ye Olde Pasty Shop in Bolton shipped over to her in Paris. It’s not just me! 

Do you cook much in everyday life?
No, not at all. I mean, I might do a bit of pasta in a sauce, but you just bung it all in. But with baking, you have to be really precise, and follow the rules, which is not something I’m used to, really. 

Can you think of any culinary triumphs or disasters you’ve had in the past?
I once tried to cook a meal for all my boyfriend’s family – they came round on Boxing Day. I just got so confused, I had a complete meltdown, and his dad had to take over. So in the end, he ended up cooking Christmas dinner for everybody. Disaster!

What are the strengths and weaknesses you’ll bring with you into the tent?
Strength: Naïve confidence. Weaknesses? Probably naïve confidence. 

Are you a fan of Bake Off?
Yeah, it’s lovely. It’s just fun, isn’t it? I like the regular one, because it’s quite serious, and you see people getting into it and making these lovely things. That’s really fun. And the celebrity one is fun because you see people in their element, being silly and making a mess of things. And also it’s for a great cause, which means a lot to me.

What’s it like, walking into the tent for the first time?
Really exciting! And it looks bigger than it does on camera. It’s just lovely!

Did you seek advice from anyone ahead of the show?
No, I thought “Just go in a bit naïve and wing it really.” That’s my general approach. 

Is it an intimidating moment when you look up and see Caroline or Paul studying you?
What’s intimidating is when people come over and chat to you, asking you questions, when you’re in the middle of some serious baking. I’ve never been a multi-tasker, so that’s a bit tricky. But you get used to it after a while. 

What would it mean to you to get a Hollywood handshake?
I’m not so bothered, really. It’s quite nice to chat to him, but I’m not expecting to be the big baker. I’d just like to go through with my dignity intact, if I can. So I think my expectations of myself are much lower than a Hollywood handshake. 

Are you competitive? How badly do you want to win?
I’m really not bothered. I want to do an alright job. I want to prove to myself I can do it. So I’ll be competitive with myself, but I’m not thinking I can win. I’m just thinking “I can do this, I can make a good bun” or whatever you’re making. 

If you won, would you react in the same way as when you won your first BAFTA?
Probably not. That was a bit mad, that whole experience! But I would be very surprised if I won, just as I was very surprised when I won the BAFTA.

Just explain a little bit about where you were, and how you reacted.
So, when I won the BAFTA, we were filming the full series, because the BAFTA win was for the pilot. We were filming the full series, and the nomination came through while we were filming. And the awards happened when we were all in lockdown, and we were still filming in Bolton. And I’d been put up on a farm, in this converted barn, because of Covid, we had to be out in the country. And we had the ceremony online, and I won, and I just went absolutely nuts. And when you’re in the middle of nowhere, there’s so much space to run around and scream. I went nuts. Running up and down, screaming at a tractor… It was quite good fun, really.

Why is SU2C important to you?
At the same moment that I was nominated for a BAFTA, my grandma passed away from lung cancer. A few weeks later my best friend’s brother passed away from spinal cancer. A few months later my uncle passed away with lung cancer. And my grandad’s wife has just been declared cancer-free. So I suppose it couldn’t be a more personal thing. Everybody knows someone with cancer, or will, at some point in their lives. So the more we can do, the better, really. 

Stand Up To Cancer is a joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 that brings the UK together to speed up progress in life-saving cancer research.