Liam Charles | Bake Off : The Professionals Press Pack 2026

Liam first came to prominence as a 19-year-old student competing in the eighth series of The Great British Bake Off, where he won the hearts of the nation in his eventful run to the quarter-finals. The following year he was announced as a host for the third series of Bake Off: The Professionals, and the year after that he was appointed as a judge on Junior Bake Off – both roles he continues to fulfil. 

In 2022 Liam served as a judge for The Platinum Pudding Competition, a nationwide baking competition to discover a new pudding recipe dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II as part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations. That same year, he appeared in the second series of The Masked Dancer. 

He has written two cookbooks, Cheeky Treats: 70 Brilliant Bakes and Cakes, and Second Helpings. He has also written a column on baking for The Guardian. This will be Liam’s ninth series hosting Bake Off: The Professionals.

Interview

We’re back for series 11. What was the standard like this year?
The standard definitely varied! But, across the board, in terms of what the chefs created this year, it was really good. Especially when we got towards the end of the series. We had the hanging showpiece challenge, that was amazing. And then, for the final, we had a twelve-hour challenge that was absolutely mental! That has never been done before. 

A twelve-hour challenge! What did they have to do?
The main thing about that challenge was to test the chefs’ endurance. And the judges were really looking for perfection. And halfway through the challenge, one of the teams got eliminated. Which was pretty savage…

What state was everybody in at the end of it?
I think there were some pretty tired people. It felt like a marathon. I think there was also a sense of relief – that was the last challenge. But yeah, it was a big one. 

Talk to me about the Teams, and the institutions they were representing.
You had independent bakeries and stuff. You had people who were freelance. But you also had big ones from prestigious restaurants and hotels. And what was nice was that, while we were filming, one of them actually got a Michelin star. 

Do teams tend to work better when they are working as equals, or when there is a defined team leader?
I think it really depends on the chemistry between the chefs. What tends to happen is when there is a team leader, the other person is able to just listen to the instructions and do the job. If one team has two really strong personalities, they might clash. It just depends on their relationship. 

There are a couple of childhood showpieces – toys and hobbies. What did they come up with?
One of the teams made a really cool quad bike. That was fun. Unbelievable to look at. And another team made a monster truck – that was really cool to look at. They were very creative this year.

Did you have a favourite childhood toy? 
Power Rangers. Period. When I was a kid, growing up, that was my favourite action figure, favourite TV programme, favourite toy. No question.

Did you have all of them?
I tried to. But sometimes, when you went to Argos, it would be out of stock.

What were your hobbies as a kid?
I used to go to drama club. I used to draw a lot. I used to play football. Just the standard things, really. 

Did you have a favourite challenge from the series?
I did like the floating showpiece. That one’s always fun. That was great, because the water tank was sort of built into the table. The chefs did really well on that, actually. The hanging showpieces are always fun as well. And in episode three, they did laminated tarts, but they had to be savoury. That was so good. Obviously it’s really great having loads of sweet stuff, but it was also so nice just to have that one challenge that was savoury, because the kitchen smelled so good. One of the teams made this Congolese peanut chicken stew with puff pastry. It was great.

Tell me about the circus of horrors piñata. It sounds gruesome!
Yeah, yeah, yeah! That was really fun. The hanging showpiece always produces results, and the teams did really well. And what was so funny about that challenge was that Benoit and Cherish are always looking for creations that are really neat and refined and elegant, but because of the theme of the challenge, it kind of allowed chefs to hide the imperfections, so to speak. There was one massive clown stuck in a balloon. It was really good. And Benoit and Cherish went around smashing the showpieces, which they really loved. And we caught it all in slow-motion as well. That was sick.

What were the piñatas made of?
They were all made out of chocolate, and inside they made little chocolate bonbons or just, like, easter egg situations. But it was so funny – the chefs had spent four-to-five-hours making these showpieces, and then Benoit and Cherish just come along and smash them.

There’s a summer holidays showpiece. Is there a particular holiday that you would memorialise in pastry?
I always love when I go to New York. And from when I was younger, when I was in year six I went to St Lucia with my family. That was a really fun holiday. If I had to depict one summer holiday, it would be that one.

A couple of pastry volcanoes…
Exactly that!

Do you learn a lot of new techniques when you’re presenting the show?
Yeah. I learn quite a bit. It tends to be the smaller techniques that the chefs bring in every year. Flavour combinations and stuff. That’s why I loved the Congolese peanut chicken stew – I’d never had something like that before. Combining that with the puff pastry, that was great. I’m definitely going to do my own version of that in the future.

What happens to all of the creations after judging? Does everyone dive in with a spoon, or take food home, or does it go somewhere else?
Everything gets eaten. What tends to happen is, when Cherish and Benoit give the chefs the feedback, if they’ve done great in their feedback, the crew tend to go for that one first. And if they haven’t done so great, there can sometimes be a little bit left. But generally everything gets eaten. Everything.

Is it a bit of a scrum to get there first?
Just a little bit, yeah! But me and Ellie, we’ll try to get containers and put some away before the crew goes crazy. 

What did you all get up to behind the scenes? The four of you get on really well, don’t you?
Yeah, definitely. Me and Benoit have shared a dressing room for the last nine years, and this year we decided to log into our Netflix and Amazon accounts, and in our down time, we have Film Club. We’ll watch a horror over lunch.

A lunchtime horror? That’s just weird!
It is pretty weird. But Benoit loves horror films, so we just got into this weird routine. The six nations was on as well, so we watched that.

Benoit loves his rugby, doesn’t he?
Oh man, he’s obsessed! And the Winter Olympics were on as well, so we got stuck into that. But most of it was horror.

Who chose the worst film?
Benoit chose all the films. There are quite a few bad horror films. 

I saw you dragged Benoit and Cherish into an Instagram, recreating Matteus Cunha’s goal celebration…
Yeah, I did. Benoit and Cherish are good at being pretty silly. Cherish got us to do a video for Chinese New Year, and I thought that would be the perfect opportunity for me to get them to do the Cunha dance. We absolutely battered Arsenal, that was a great day at the office.

How often do you bake these days?
It comes in peaks and troughs. When I’m working I don’t bake a lot, because I’m around cake all the time. But when I have time off, I bake a lot more.

What was the last thing you made?
I actually made two banana loafs last week. Very simple, but my mum wanted it, so I just smashed it out.

Do you ever make mistakes?
Absolutely. Whenever you bake something new, you’re always learning, so you’re bound to make the odd mistake. When I made those banana loafs, I also made this salted caramel to go on the side of it, and I burned it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made salted caramel, and I still managed to burn it! Mistakes can always happen. 

Do you ever have a store-bought dessert?
I can’t really remember the last time I had a store-bought one. But if I had to, it would be one of those cheesecake slices that come in packs of two. I haven’t had one of those in yonks, but it would definitely be that. Or you know those pecan-maple twists. Back in the day, I’d have breakfast at home, and then walking to school, I’d go to my local Sainsbury’s and get one of those and eat in en route. I was obsessed. Absolutely obsessed.