What Happened To Season 1's Cast Of The Great British Baking Show?
If you're a big fan of "The Great British Baking Show," you've probably caught up with every season. You've seen the highs and lows right from the start and you know facts about it that others don't. You might even feel personally involved with the successes and failures of your favorite contestants, leaving you wondering what they've been up to since appearing on the show.
But, first, let's clear up any potential confusion between the order of the seasons. The show has been airing as "The Great British Bake Off" in the U.K. since 2010, but until relatively recently, not all of it was available this side of the pond. When it first aired in the U.S. on PBS, what was billed as Season 1 of the show was actually its fifth season. Other early seasons were aired out of order. For instance, the third season was listed as Season 5 on PBS. However, if you've got access to the Roku Channel, you may have seen the true first season of the show, which is correctly labeled as Season 1.
Season 1 of "The Great British Baking Show" ran for just six episodes. Rather than having the tent in one location, it moved around to different parts of the U.K. during the course of the season. There were 10 contestants with two eliminated some weeks. Here's what happened to the cast and what some of them are up to now.
Lea is a food writer and still bakes regularly
Lea Harris, from Midlothian in Scotland, was one of the first two contestants to be eliminated from Season 1, being sent home in the first episode. Episode 1 was cake week. She made a cranberry and pistachio cake for the signature bake and a chocolate cake for the showstopper that was covered in chocolate-dipped fruit. The technical challenge that week was a Victoria sponge and, sadly, she came in last, which contributed to her early departure.
She might have left the show right at the start, but this hasn't stopped her from baking. She runs a food blog called Off The Eaten Track where she posts recipes, restaurant reviews and other food writing. Plus, she sometimes shares snaps of her bakes on her Instagram account, including Basque cheesecake and hot cross buns. In 2018, she picked up a Hospitality Honour award at The Scottish Food Awards for her baking. She also writes about food for other publications, such as Bite Magazine and Lancashire Life Magazine. So, food is still very much a part of her life.
It just goes to show that being one of the two first people to leave the tent is no reason to be discouraged. Harris was still part of something amazing and will always be remembered as a "Great British Baking Show" baker. Her skills are likely to have only improved over the years and we certainly wouldn't refuse a slice of cake if she offered.
Mark sadly passed away in 2013
Mark Withers hailed from the Amman Valley in Wales, and along with Lea, he was knocked out in the first round of the show. He made a marmalade tea loaf in the signature bake round and a heart-shaped chocolate beetroot cake for the showstopper. Unfortunately, they fell flat and he didn't make it through to the second week. He made a good effort, though, and he still had the amazing opportunity to appear on this huge hit show.
Season 1 of "The Great British Baking Show" aired in 2010 in the U.K. but, sadly, Withers passed away in May 2013 from cancer. A bus-driver in his local area, he was a popular member of his community. He loved gardening and so his wife Elaine and son Jethro decided to revamp the Withers' garden in his memory. People from the local community were eager to help and they ended up with 10 volunteers. Together, they managed to turn an underused, overgrown part of the yard into a rose garden in honor of Withers and his fondness for roses. Jethro also made a bench out of an old sleeper, so people could sit and enjoy the garden. While he might no longer be with us, Withers' legacy will live on in "The Great British Baking Show," the people who loved him, and the beautiful garden they created.
Annetha still considers herself a rum cake baker
You might not find any of the all-time best episodes of "The Great British Baking Show" in the first season, but it still has its moments. Annetha Anita Mills, from Romford in Essex, was a joy to watch. She did well in the first episode of Season 1, making a Jamaican rum cake that blew the judges away. She also came second in the technical challenge that week. So, it seemed like she was in with a good chance of going far in the competition. However, when it came to the second episode — biscuit week — things went downhill. Her scones in the technical challenge came in seventh and she struggled making eclairs and macarons in the showstopper. As a result, she was one of two bakers eliminated in biscuit week.
So, where is she now? According to her bio on X, formerly known as Twitter, she still considers herself a rum cake baker and seems proud of her time on "The Great British Baking Show." However, she also identifies as an ambassador for women's rights and is involved in activism. She's also a composer, musician, and poet. Her poetry appeared in Futurist Women, which was a collaborative project that the Barbican Centre in London commissioned. There might be much more to life than baking for Mills, but it still seems to be an important part of her identity.
Louise became a business owner
In the first two episodes of "The Great British Baking Show," two bakers were eliminated each week. Louise Brimelow, a former police officer, was the other person knocked out during biscuit week, alongside Annetha. She didn't do badly in the technical, nabbing fourth spot, but she fell short with her stained glass window shortbreads in the signature and her meringue baskets, eclairs, and macarons for the showstopper. With a lackluster performance, it was only right that she left the show at this point.
In Brimelow's X bio, she describes herself as a business owner. In 2014, she started up a baking business called BLouBerry Cakes, but it no longer seems to be active. If she currently runs another business, it's unclear what it is. As of 2022, reports suggested that she was working as a security manager at British department store Selfridges. She also describes herself as a wife and mother, so it's possible that family life is taking up some of her time. It seems like Brimelow is still baking, with photos of scones and focaccia appearing on her X page.
Jonathan owns a series of bakeries
These days, contestants on "The Great British Baking Show" have to agree to appear on two shows. Bakers also have a contract to appear on "An Extra Slice," so viewers get to see more of their favorite cast members after they're eliminated. But, "An Extra Slice" didn't exist back in Season 1. So, if you want to see more of Jonathan Shepherd, you'll have to visit his bakery in St Albans.
Shepherd was eliminated in week three of the show — bread week. He came last in the technical, where bakers were asked to make a round cob loaf, and failed to impress with his other bakes. His signature was an anchovy, oregano, and paprika bread, and his showstopper consisted of 12 sweet and savory rolls, including walnut, blue cheese, and apple rolls, and cardamom and cinnamon buns.
Perhaps his failure in bread week is why he opened The Pudding Stop rather than The Bread Stop. This venture started out in 2011 as the "Pudmobile," a truck that parked up outside St Albans train station selling baked goods. Two years later, he opened a bricks and mortar bakery — and it's still going strong today. In fact, The Pudding Stop now has five shop and bakery locations, some with seating and hot drinks served. Its Redbourn Bakery also hosts pizza nights every Friday from 4pm to 8pm. What's more, you can also buy some of The Pudding Stop's desserts by post in the U.K.
David went on to run a craft cider company
David Chambers was the sixth person to leave the tent in Episode 4 of "The Great British Baking Show." It was pudding week and Chambers came last in the technical challenge, his lemon soufflés falling flat. And, he couldn't do enough to save himself with his other bakes — a pear and walnut pudding in the signature and his trio of puddings for the showstopper.
There are things the cameras don't show you on "The Great British Baking Show" and it seems that Chambers wasn't pleased with how things came out in the edit. He told British newspaper The Daily Record that he hated how fabricated the episodes were and found that it was edited very heavily.
Given that he didn't enjoy the experience, it may come as no surprise that he didn't pursue a baking career. Rather, he went on to run a company selling craft hard cider, Harefields Cidery. The company brewed its cider in Northamptonshire, England and also ran events, such as movie screenings and live music. The cidery closed its doors in April 2024, after losing the lease on the premises it ran out of. We don't know what's next for Chambers, but we wish him the best of luck.
Jasminder continued to bake and enjoy family life
Jasminder Randhawa made it through to the semi-finals of the first season of "The Great British Baking Show." After being a strong contender in earlier episodes, it was pastry week that finally took her down. She was creative in the showstopper, making a jaggery, carrot, and spiced condensed milk tart and Thai chili canapes. Her chicken and mushroom pie in the signature bake segment also went down a treat. However, she came last making Cornish pasties in the technical and ultimately got sent home.
Randhawa kept things fairly low key after leaving the show. She lives with her family in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands area of England. In 2014, she told BirminghamLive that she still bakes regularly. However, now she simply does it for fun or to raise money for charity. She said that she sometimes takes the things she bakes into work to share. In the same interview, she remarked that she thought her season was the best one to appear on because there was little pressure — the cast had no idea how big the show would get.
Beyond this, there's very little information available about what Randhawa is up to now. She's kept out of the public eye and doesn't have any food businesses or cookbooks to speak of, but we hope she's happy and doing well.
Miranda became a cookbook author and food writer
Now we're down to the finalists. Miranda Gore Browne was one of three bakers who made it through to the last episode. In the final, the format was slightly different from the way it is today. The first challenge was the signature, where all three bakers were asked to make 24 professional tea cakes. After the signature, one baker was eliminated — and that was Gore Browne. She made lemon cupcakes, which the judges enjoyed, just not as much as the other two bakers' signatures.
But, this certainly didn't put Gore Browne off baking. In fact, she's made a successful career out of it. After leaving the show, she released two cookbooks: "Biscuits" and "Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can." She also co-runs The Mindful Kitchen and The Cookery School, where she teaches cookery masterclasses. Her food writing has appeared in various publications and she has a monthly food column in the National Farmers Union magazine. She's active on Instagram, regularly posting pictures and reels of the delicious food she's been baking up.
Coming third didn't slow her down one bit. We would have loved to see what she made in the showstopper, had she been allowed to compete in it, but we're happy that we got to see what she could do. Her cookbooks are full of solid recipes and she's clearly a very talented baker.
Ruth wrote four cookbooks and has a food blog
Ruth Clemens not only made it to the final episode but was one of the last two contestants. Her showstopper afternoon tea foods included vanilla and lemon choux buns and red pepper and cheese quiches. She did a great job overall, but was ultimately pipped to the post, leaving her in the runner-up spot. While this probably wasn't the result she was hoping for, coming second in the first ever "Baking Show" is the kind of achievement that gives you life-long bragging rights.
As you might expect, this encouraged Clemens to pursue a career in the baking world. She has since released four books: "Creative Eclairs," "The Busy Girl's Guide to Cake Decorating," "The Pink Whisk Guide to Cake Making," and "The Pink Whisk Guide to Bread Making." If this wasn't enough, she also has a food blog, The Pink Whisk. She posts pictures of her bakes on her Instagram, although she seems to be less active in doing so these days compared to a few years ago. Still, that means there's plenty of material to look through if you want to see what she's been up to since the show ended.
Edd is a food writer and cookbook author
Edd Kimber's performance in the final won him the coveted top spot, and he was the first in a long line of "Great British Baking Show" winners. Not only did he perform brilliantly throughout most of the season, he won the judges over with his showstopper in the final round. He made an array of goodies, including lemon scones, chocolate and ginger tarts, and raspberry choux buns. This was enough to beat Ruth and win the right to call himself the first ever winner of this iconic show. He was just 24 when he won and working as a debt collector for a bank, but the show was an opportunity for change.
So, what is "Baking Show" winner Edd Kimber up to now? As it turns out, quite a lot, actually. He's released a total of six cookbooks since leaving the show. The first, "The Boy Who Bakes" came out in 2011, just a year after his win. Another of his books, "Small Batch Bakes" was released in 2022 and was a Sunday Times Bestseller that year. On top of this, he has a blog and website called The Boy Who Bakes, where he posts recipes and other food writing. He's active on Instagram, regularly posting photos of the food he makes. Unsurprisingly, as he was the winner of the show, he's the best-known and most successful of the Season 1 alumni.