Bake Off bets suspended amid fears winner’s name has been leaked

So fair play to whoever books the Great British Bake Off contestants for choosing one called Paul, who not only looks a bit like Paul Hollywood but even dresses like him.

“I’ve been keeping myself busy all day – being off from school has its down side as there’s nothing to occupy my mind from panicking about my TV debut”. I’m just hoping that these syringes don’t get messed up one week or otherwise Mary Berry will be hit with a dose of morphine while some unfortunate soul will be injected with several shots of syrup before they undergo an operation.

That programme is of course The Great British Bake-Off, which returned tonight for its sixth series following a number of other shows trying to replicate its format.

Data released from the team at Twitter show that the return of Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, plus Mel, Sue and a tent of bakers had a dramatic impact on social media.

“I felt disappointed in myself initially after leaving in the first episode, as I felt I didn’t perform as well as I could”. Ladbrokes has informed the UK media that the suspension of the GBBO market will not affect bets already placed.

The bookmaker said on 6 August that “a run of bets” was placed for one contestant, with many bets being placed at shops in the Ipswich area. The series is filmed some months in advance, with contestants and their families aware of the result, along with members of the production team.

He said: ‘It will be weird if I am recognised. Marie, who works as a patissier in Paris, is favourite to win with odds of 3/1 at Ladbrokes, but Flora is 6/1 with 37-year-old nurse Alvin at 5/1. Will the contestants know that they really should be making their own fondant icing? He’s constantly jotting down everything from recipes to techniques so he can pass all his knowledge on to them both as they grow up.

One of the most memorable moments of the summer was when contestant Iain Watters binned his Baked Alaska after it was taken out of the freezer by a competitor.

CAF chief executive John Low said: “It is great to see that the success of Great British Bake Off has not only whipped up enthusiasm for baking but that so many people are folding in the opportunity to “self-raise” money for charities”.

First off was the Madeira cake challenge and judges were looking for a cracked top, an even glaze and candied fruit that could decimate a filling at 100 paces.