Class of 2012 The Great British Bake Off

Taking part in the Great British Bake Off

is an ambition of amateur bakers across the country.

I could pinch myself, I'm in the Bake-Off tent! I can't believe it!

But what is it really like inside the tent?

You're sort of stood there at the gingham altar

and you're just thinking, "Just shoot me."

What are the side effects

of being exposed to Paul's steely blue eyes...

Paul came across as a bit of a...

bit of an arrogant so-and-so in some instances.

-I don't like that.

-Don't you?

-At all.

-Oh.

-You may as well be chewing on a piece of card.

-That's a bit harsh.

No, honestly.

..and the possibility of disappointing Mary Berry?

Look at her eyes, she's telling you with her eyes,

"Take that and put it in the fridge,

"otherwise the pastry's going to melt."

Are Mel and Sue a help or a hindrance?

It's really annoying, you have some ingredients there, she'll come

and peck at it and you won't believe it, she'll sometimes finish it off!

Reliving their highs...

You nailed that one, Ryan.

The relief when you put a bake down and they said, "That's all right."

..and lows.

I knew that I was going,

so from the minute I sat on the seat, I was going to cry.

The class of 2012 revisit their experience

and reveal their lives after the Bake Off.

It's been extraordinary, what's happened.

-The bakers, I mean...

-2012...

I can remember faces, but the names escape me.

There were some blokes, weren't there?

There was one with glasses, he was quite a honey.

-They're a blur, they're a blur.

-It's gone, really.

I'm sure they were nice, I'm sure they were lovely.

Lovely, but to be honest, once their back's turned on the tent,

it's just...missed.

In April of last year, 12 of the country's best home bakers

gathered in a field in Somerset,

crossed a small wooden bridge

and walked into the jaws of the Bake Off tent for the first time.

The first day, walking into that tent,

I've never felt as much apprehension

and been so nervous than I have done

in the whole of my life, including getting married.

It was actually really scary,

thinking that, "What have I got myself into?"

On the first day, I think everyone was a bit on edge,

because no-one knew each other,

we hadn't become the great friends we are now.

A very warm welcome, bakers, to our Bake Off tent.

Initially, it's just almost as if you think, "I need to pinch myself,

"I'm in the Bake Off tent, I can't believe it." You know?

It was really surreal,

but everything happens so quickly, you don't have time to think.

Whereas you'd seen it on television, it doesn't prepare you

for the actual sight and the work stations, and so forth.

And before I knew it, Sue was saying,

"Ready, steady, bake," and I was like,

"OK, we're actually doing this, then, this is happening now."

-For the first time...

-On your marks...

Get set... BOTH: Bake!

'Oh, there's a story, there's a story,

'behind the "On your marks, get set, bake."'

Well, it took five months, I used a flip chart,

-we used diagrams, and we just thought...

-On your marks...

Get set... I came up with "get set". You came up with "on your marks",

-I did "get set".

-And then "bake" just came out of nowhere.

It's like sometimes the universe gives you a gift.

Everyone was sort of checking each other out

and jockeying for position and trying to sort of work out

who were the potential contenders to go on and win.

Don't underestimate this lady, she keeps on saying how nervous she is,

but actually she's very determined.

I just remember feeling so nervous, so sick.

I hadn't eaten anything because I was so nervous.

Just make sure your timing is perfect, it's all about timing.

I feel the need just to reach across very briefly,

unclench your hands, there we go.

-Breathe, relax.

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

You sort of look around and you think,

"OK, what ingredients has he got? What ingredients has she got?"

You sort of think, "Am I good enough for this, really?"

I've got apples, Manisha had peaches, Natasha had pineapples.

So I just thought, "Oh, crumbs, I'm going to be kicked out first."

The realisation they'd have to bake like never before

to keep their place in the tent

dawned with the first Showstopper Challenge - a hidden design cake.

It's a really menacing task for us bakers, so whoever invented it,

I'm cursing their name right now.

It was such a technical thing to do.

I mean, putting a design inside a cake is crazy work.

We've moved out of baking, in a sense,

-and into kind of...

-It's joinery.

It's joinery, isn't it?

And two of the bakers were in direct competition.

I'm going for a Union Jack cake.

I'm doing a Union Jack hidden design cake.

I was really pleased with the Union Jack cake,

because I had spent a huge amount of time making sure

that everything could have worked out on the day.

It's a work of beauty, it's a work of precision.

It was quite a technical piece of engineering out of sponge,

and I think it was really great to be able to compare that to Stuart's,

because then it made it quite obvious

that there were so many potential pitfalls,

and how it could have gone wrong.

It's gone a bit awry on the structure of it, technically.

My disaster of a Union Jack cake,

it didn't really turn out well for me at all.

When we went up for judging

and I think he'd actually said I'd nailed it, it was really fantastic.

That was one of the great moments of being on the programme.

Most impressive. It's very sweet, it's moist. You've got there.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Sorry, Stuart.

Some bakers shone from the very beginning.

Very, very pretty.

Very impressed, I mean, a design inside a cake,

it's got that little step further.

Thank you very much indeed.

It's a very clever concept.

And one in particular made a big impression.

-That is one monster of a cake.

-It's very bold.

Have you got a shovel or anything I can use to cut this up?

-Can you tell me what we're expecting to see inside?

-A sun.

-And this is genoise?

-Yeah.

-It's quite heavy.

-No, I think what it is...

-The weight of it crushing down.

So much weight, yeah.

My very first Showstopper was awful,

I was quite surprised I didn't go in the first week.

It's the first cake we've ever had you can see from space as well.

Big things are always better, aren't they?

But James wasn't the only one to struggle.

When I originally compiled the recipe,

I'd wondered if it was too simple.

I'm glad to have something that's got less chance of failing

and isn't too complicated.

'I was hoping to do a graduated layer cake,'

and I was trying to play safe, and I suppose the irony is

I couldn't even get a simple bake right.

The saucepan's heavy, and I just want some pressure on

so those layers will stick together.

I need this to go right, so...yeah.

I was quite satisfied by the finish of the cake,

but I knew that the sponge inside was a disaster,

and I think you'll see me lean over as Paul cuts into the cake.

He commented on how heavy it was and my heart was just pounding,

cos it's awful,

that moment where you know everyone's going to discover

what you already knew, that that cake is a disaster.

It looks more like a paste than it does a sponge,

because it's concertinaed up.

It looks as though it has been oversoaked as well.

-Yeah, it might have been, yeah.

-It looks absolutely solid.

Technically, it's raw.

The judging of the baking was scary.

I don't think I can look when you do that.

It is the first time that your baking is being judged, you know?

Nobody has ever done that to me before,

I've never entered any kind of competition.

If I make something for my family, then they eat it.

You and your family have

a particular type of, I suppose, taste that they like,

and it's not until I got into that tent last year

that I actually had real criticism from professionals

who actually know what they're talking about.

I think it could be better.

We find we have to hold back, actually, because our knowledge

is so extensive of baking. Don't you find that?

What she doesn't know about ganache isn't worth knowing.

Do you know what I mean? We let them judge, we just hold back.

Week after week, the bakers would make the long, lonely walk

to the gingham altar,

praying they'd done enough to impress Mary and Paul.

You're just shaking, it's like a firing squad.

Just get it over and done with and shoot me.

It looks like a chocolate breezeblock.

I'm not very good at many things,

but I think I'm quite good at baking, and to have somebody say,

"Actually, this is a bit naff," it's hard to hear that.

It's a little bit dry and a little bit lacking in flavour.

Is it really? Oh, goodness.

Waiting in the queue,

you've overheard some of the other judgements and then you start

looking again at your bake, trying to anticipate some of the feedback.

There were a few moments I can think of in particular where

I stood waiting at the judging and was trying quite hard not to cry,

because that's what you're there for, it all builds up to that point.

You're a bit worried as that knife's going down.

Just massaging the temples in stress.

People tell me all the time that I looked terrified

most of the time. I think I probably was terrified most of the time.

And if there's one thing Mary and Paul like to do,

it's make the bakers sweat.

It's like life is moving in slow motion, so they slowly taste it

and you're just watching for any sort of emotion on their faces.

You feel like you've got a big, fat spotlight hovering above you.

You're hoping that it's baked properly,

because that's a key component, that the crumb is right,

and your balance of flavourings is right,

and so all of these things are going through your head,

which makes you apprehensive at that point,

and you're just hoping that all the elements come together.

Yeah, well done.

The relief, I suppose, was amazing.

That was the best feeling, the relief when you put a bake down

and they said, "That's all right."

-Great flavour.

-Good, thank you.

Lovely crust on it.

I'm loving that.

You kind of wait for the facial expression,

and if you know that they like it, you feel happy.

That tastes absolutely delicious.

I was kind of shocked every time I got positive feedback

from the judges, it's just the best feeling.

If you get one very, very good remark from the judging,

it helps you for your next bake and kind of takes the pressure off.

It makes your day.

It reminds me of those '70s cakes.

It's Technicolor, it's great, it's beautiful.

I remember Paul made this comment which sort of stuck with me

for the rest of the series.

I think you've done a good job there,

but keep away from the '70s decoration.

There was a lot of teasing going on.

Is it '70s delight today, or is it something more in the '80s?

They say '70s, but I think I'm a great bridge

between the '70s and today.

I'm giving the '70s the modern twist.

I hope he heard that.

Since the Bake Off, life has changed for many of them.

Brendan's spare time has become saturated with baking.

He now shares his knowledge twice a month at a cookery school.

I love teaching, I've reached that stage of my life now,

I'm in my early 60s, I've reached that stage where I'm keen to pass on

the skill to those who are keen to have it.

A quick way is to just do that, it's called fluffing.

-Fluffing?

-Yeah.

If you fluff it like you would a sheet when you're making the bed,

that helps the tension to go a bit.

And his flair for mixing the old with the new

is being used by a local restaurant.

This is a project I'm doing on behalf of a restaurateur,

and it's reviving some of the old classics.

For example, this is a black forest gateau,

which was hugely popular in the '70s and '80s,

and then became over-exposed and people grew tired of it.

Being on Bake Off, it's been extraordinary, what's happened,

so, yes, it's opened doors everywhere, really.

During the Bake Off, Brendan and his fellow bakers

wanted to please a woman whose name is synonymous with baking.

Mary Berry's recipes, such pressure.

If I don't present them as perfect, I'm going to feel dreadful.

Even now, I can't believe, really, that I've baked for Mary.

It just is amazing.

That looks amazing, there are even cobwebs here!

Oh, Mary was always so nice,

you didn't feel any stress baking for Mary, did you?

Actually, the parsnip is not coming through strongly as parsnip,

but very brave to put that parsnip in, even though we can't find it.

In many ways, it felt like a bit of an honour. You really, really didn't

want to disappoint them. It was like baking for the Queen, or something.

These are for good appetites, aren't they?

When I got praise from Mary, it was actually something special.

I think, actually, that's delicious.

Thank you.

She's got so much knowledge,

you just worry that you'll do something wrong technically

in front of her, and so when she comes along, I always pray to myself,

"Don't be doing something quite technical,

"peel some fruits or something, yeah?" So it doesn't look bad.

I don't want her to go,

"Ryan, why are you doing that? It's wrong, yeah?" It's quite worrying.

While many flourished with a good word from Mary,

even the hardiest bakers crumbled

under the steely gaze of Paul Hollywood.

-The sponge is bland.

-Bland?

-Absolutely.

Paul's a bit more of a tricky creature to please.

You may as well be chewing on a piece of card.

-Well, that's a bit harsh.

-No, honestly.

There's always something there that he wants you to improve on,

but he's a professional, and of course, that's his line of business.

The flavour's there, the texture's there, but the look is terrible.

With Paul, I mean, yes, he doesn't have that...

Graciousness is the word that comes to mind.

Neither would you put him into the diplomatic service either,

because he'd create incidents, I suspect.

This one's had some serious issues.

They've had problems with the dough,

they probably haven't blended it together properly, worked it.

I'll talk to this person later.

But you do respect the quality of his judging.

Say something nice.

It's got a nice glaze on it, but it's like raw dough in the middle.

When someone criticises your bakes, it can be really quite difficult.

It's a comment that can come from someone like Paul that takes you

from a really upbeat high,

and then you're into a really downbeat moment again.

You have got some burnt ones and you have got some light ones.

Burnt's maybe a bit harsh.

Paul came across as a bit of...

an arrogant so-and-so in some instances.

Paul put up with me, I think he always thought I was quite cheeky.

I was under the understanding it was meant to be finished with a barn.

No, it wasn't, this is exactly how I intended it,

it's a piece of modern art.

Paul was never really that impressed with me, I don't think.

He was not a fan of my bread

when I served him that enriched dough thing,

he wasn't impressed with that.

-Yeah, it's raw.

-Raw?

-Yeah.

There were times when you sort of wanted to just leap off that chair

and strangle Paul Hollywood by the scruff of his neck.

It's beginning to weld my mouth together,

which is probably not a bad thing.

Well, of course, you know, you'd get kicked out for that,

so I was quite restrained.

Grr, stress. Hello, are you in there?

I feel a bit panicky already, which is not a good way to start.

But no amount of practice at home could prepare the bakers

for the effects of being in the Bake Off tent.

I'm going to give that five more and then I'm going to bring it out.

Maybe not even five, maybe just four.

No, because I've opened the oven, I'll give it five.

It was so different, baking in there, to being in my own kitchen.

Everything worked in there, for a start, which is always good.

Not everything works in my kitchen.

It's not a normal baking environment,

although it's a lovely environment, but it's not like being at home.

And you either look at what other people are doing...

I would be the first person in the oil.

Maybe I should just take the oily plunge.

So you spend your time worrying about what you're doing,

kind of worrying about what everyone else is doing

and just hoping that everything turns out all right.

Oh, my giddy aunt.

The pressure's just incredible.

You could hear a penny drop.

It's the make or break of people, I think, in that tent.

There's problems with it, there's issues.

When I look back, I had fond memories,

but after seeing the programme,

it all floods back how, actually, quite stressful it is.

I might be in a bit of trouble, because if he believes

it's overproved again, he'll say this is a constant mistake.

The other biggest challenge we had was it was either

bucketing down when we had to work with meringue-like mixtures...

..and you do not make meringues when there's a lot of dampness

in the atmosphere, because you're beating in damp air

into the egg white,

or it was sweltering hot and we were now working with chocolate.

Today, we're asking you to make six chocolate teacakes.

-In 30-degree heat.

-Enjoy tempering that.

I can't work in this heat, I'm actually dripping in sweat.

So, the weather conditions

as well as all the other areas in addition.

It's so strange, there's so much going on in that little tent,

it's like a TARDIS. You think it's a tiny little tent in the middle

of a quaint field, but actually it's a baking whirlwind inside that tent.

Slowly, the quest for perfect pastry

and brilliant bread took over the bakers' every moment.

If I wasn't on the show, I was at home practising,

so it was just baking, baking, baking, 24/7.

The Bake Off did become my life, I was baking like mad,

and even dominated my family's life. Me and my wife...

She'd had enough even before we started the Bake Off,

because flour's everywhere in the kitchen.

So it really dominated my life for that period, yes.

Oh, pants!

I'm not going to tell you I became slightly obsessive,

even though I might have done.

I'm checking the time on my timer, because I didn't set it,

but then I remembered I didn't set it, so it's not actually coming out

in one minute, but it was check it in one minute,

but they're not ready to come out, but I need a small saucepan.

It feels like it's the centre of the universe, it really does.

It sounds ridiculous, and that's why people maybe can't understand

why we're so emotional about it, but it's everything when you're doing it.

I thought it looked good as it was, and it didn't.

I can't believe I've actually cried, it's ridiculous.

It's a bloody treacle tart.

At that time, baking was everything. Literally, I couldn't think about

anything else, all I thought about was baking, constantly.

I remember we were in the hotel and Sarah-Jane said that she thought

the little light on her television was the oven light, so she got up

in the middle of the night, walked over to the television

and tried to turn it off, thinking it was the oven.

You hallucinate, you hallucinate Mary Berry

and Paul coming out of a big cake. It's bonkers.

It's a total rollercoaster, this Bake Off.

I thought it would just be a nice, gentle plod.

It's not, it's the craziest rollercoaster you've ever been on.

In a marquee, in the middle of a field. It's mental.

And the Bake Off rollercoaster was unrelenting.

And for some, it became a physical problem.

The week I cut my finger, I think I was more embarrassed than

actually in pain, because what a stupid thing to do.

His glove, it's full of blood, and it's all down his arm.

John's really cut himself.

His glove is full of blood.

And I was just so embarrassed, I went quite pale at one point.

Along with the Bake Off medic, a fellow baker came to John's aid.

-Don't worry.

-I just keep feeling really dizzy.

-That's fine.

Just sit down, I'm going to have a quick look, all right? Don't look.

You just do what you need to do.

I just had to sit down and Danny had to help me,

because she's the doctor, and I was just embarrassed,

I was so embarrassed, I just felt so stupid that I'd done it.

I've done everything, all I need to do now is make the dough.

You can't do your strudel with your finger like this.

The last thing you need to worry about right now is a strudel.

I was really gutted, because I honestly thought that

I would get kicked out for that, because obviously it's a competition,

you can't make stupid moves like that, and if you do something stupid,

you will get kicked out.

But after much deliberation,

Paul and Mary called for something that had never been done before.

The journey has to end this week for somebody.

And that person is...

..nobody. No-one's going! Because it just wasn't fair.

Oh, my days.

Not only was the tent full of stress, panic and mayhem,

there were two other ingredients essential to the mix,

and it wasn't the judges.

Paul and Mary, off you trot.

Literally trot, please, Mary, rising trot, good girl.

She can still do it, won several gymkhanas. Good girl. Lovely filly.

I love Mel and Sue, like, I literally love them.

What we're looking for is your own personal spin

on an absolute classic - the upside-down cake.

Or, as the Australians call it, cake.

Those girls are just fabulous.

Mel and Sue were brilliant, when you had a negative or a down day,

they would come and lift your spirits high.

This is semi-finalitis, mate. Just calm down a bit, yeah?

-It's all right, you're going to be fine.

-Thanks for that, Mel.

There was one particular occasion when Mel and I were talking

about the '70s label.

Were you a bit of a groovester?

I used to love disco, and Gloria Gaynor,

I was very good at Gloria Gaynor,

and I was known for my dips, as it were.

Dip for me, please.

-There's a little wiggle you have to do.

-Oh, one of these?

Exactly, shimmy a bit.

When you needed the sort of arm round the shoulder

or a shoulder to cry on, you thought of Mel...

Do you know what? My dad always told this to me.

If I was doing an exam or I was really nervous...

-Don't say pretend they're naked.

-..pretend they're naked.

I knew you were going to say that. That'll make it so much worse.

Pretend Hollywood and Berry are fully in the buff -

that will help, seriously.

Exactly, seriously.

..whereas Sue on the other hand had a different technique.

She'd ask you a simple question, you'd give her a simple answer

and it'd suddenly be taken into the realms of the absurd.

I think that's marvellous,

it's the best use I've seen for a mug tree since mugs went on it.

People don't understand how hard it is, really,

to once every three or four hours

just walk over to somebody and say, "How are you doing?"

Because it's not the phrase "How are you doing?" -

-it's the way you say it.

-Well, it's 25 years, it's 25 years of hard graft

and experience that goes into that.

Mel and Sue were little mischiefs.

-Are these going spare?

-They are going spare.

Not for any longer they're not.

But one thing Sue does is she nicks your ingredients.

How many macaroons do you need?

Not as many as that.

It's really annoying, she'll come and peck at it

and you won't believe it, and she'll sometimes finish it off!

And this one, because it's got a tail,

I don't think you want Mary to see that.

No, Mary, that one did not exist.

That's a genetic mutation. It's gone now.

They were a help at times and a hindrance at other times,

but they were good fun. They kept us alive, I think.

When not filling their faces,

Mel and Sue had the other enjoyable task of announcing the Star Baker.

It's the one and the only Brendan. Star Baker, well done.

Danny, Star Baker, well done.

And they're giving it this week to the best tank top in the room -

it's James.

James' skills would lead him to win Star Baker

a series best of three times.

You're such a clever thing, you are. Clever and cosy.

I think the tank tops and the fair isle,

I think I've done my bit now for Shetland knitting.

I think it's very nice that almost everything you do,

you bring from Scotland, including your jumper.

Since leaving Bake Off, James has taken his baking knowledge

and stylish knitwear to a new venture.

I've chosen this particular tank top today

because this is actually the same, the very same tank top,

that I wore on episode three.

I was very happy and very lucky to win Star Baker that week,

so this tank top has got good memories.

It's very exciting, it's just absolutely very... This is amazing.

Today, he is at a photo shoot for his first baking book.

It's a lovely smile, it's great.

This is the fifth day of our photo shoot for my new book,

and we've just got the cover done, and we're just interspersing that

with a few breads to go inside as well.

I just wanted to show people, bread is so, so easy to make,

and it's so, so good when you make it yourself.

I hope Paul and Mary, they'll be at least a little bit proud.

I've got a lot to thank them for,

but I don't want this book to outsell Paul's.

During his time in the tent, James produced some spectacular creations.

I think it's really most unusual, and certainly you've been inventive.

I liked the whisky. Whisky was good.

Whisky with orange, whisky with anything.

-So this is agar and whisky?

-Yeah.

-Basically, whisky jelly.

Can I eat this?

Goodness, that is strong.

-Woo!

-That is strong!

And he wasn't the only one to produce some incredible bakes.

I think the bakes that I was most proud of,

there were a number I was really very happy with,

but I liked particularly the finish to the Gateau St Honore.

The moment I'm most proud of, it has to be the key lime pie.

Watch it, it might splash.

To this day, I get so many people stopping me

and asking me for recipes and talk about the key lime pie.

I think it looks absolutely lovely, so fresh.

To have it, instantly, you know that it's key lime pie,

because you've got the little pieces of lime.

Well, the first thing was I noticed he was chewing for ages

without saying anything, and I thought, "This is a very good sign

"or a very bad sign," and I weren't sure, and I was so worried,

because for the technical challenge that week, I came bottom.

So I thought, "Uh-oh, if that is a bad sign,

"I am in big, big trouble." So I was actually really freaked out.

You nailed that one, Ryan. You've absolutely nailed that.

When he said it was amazing, I didn't actually feel happy at that time.

It was more of a relief, and then the emotions kicked in

and I got a bit wet and soppy and a tear ran down my cheek.

-That is very special.

-Oh, thank you.

-That's a very nice pie.

-Sheer perfection.

-Oh, thank you.

The comments I got from the judges were just amazing.

This pie was so good that Paul and Mary wanted Ryan to know

it was one of the best things they have tasted

in all three series of the Bake Off. Congratulations, Ryan.

I didn't realise it was that good.

But the scales of baking success could always tip the other way.

Oh.

What a mess. Total disaster.

They're not ready!

Messed up again.

Oh, my God.

They're not ready!

I've burnt my first batch.

It's all gone wrong.

-They're broken!

-What do you mean, they're broken? They're separating?

No, look! What am I going to do?

-Fridge and pray.

-Oh, my giddy aunt.

When things went wrong, it did kind of feel awful, it's like,

"Come on, why are all these things going wrong?"

And once one went wrong, something else went wrong,

and then something else went wrong.

Slide that on top, Bob's your uncle.

Let's try that again.

My strudel's got a haemorrhage. Do I mean haemorrhage?

Haemorrhage or haemorrhoid?

You've only got one opportunity, you can't just say, "Actually, I know

"it's a bit pants, do you mind if I go and quickly bake another one?"

Oh, my giddy aunt.

I'm going to have to start again.

When things went wrong, you did try and sort of get round it,

and I'd throw it in the bin or throw it at somebody else.

Mary always says that if you drop something on the floor,

if no-one's looking, pick it back up and throw it back in the pot,

and I completely agree.

One thing I learnt, that if you make a mistake, don't tell Paul Hollywood

about it or he'll pick up on it. Don't give him a reason

to get rid of you, just pretend nothing happened and just drive on.

-Hi, Paul.

-Am I not wanted at the moment?

-No, no, you're always wanted.

-It's a mess in here.

-Yes, it is.

When I did the upside-down cake, I wanted to do something really...

I suppose out of the norm,

and just try and impress on the first episode.

I've tweaked it by making it a little bit more tomatoey

by adding some more tomato jam with it as well.

-Well, he's original anyway, we're waiting.

-He's a maverick.

And I forgot to put the jam in,

which is obviously the main component

of the tomato upside-down cake.

-I forgot to put my tomato jam in!

-What?

Yeah, gutted. Stupid error.

In blind panic, I put the cake in the oven before putting

the tomato jam on. It adds to the flavour of it.

Other than that, it's just a cake with tomato decorations on top.

I should spread it on top.

I've messed up big style here.

Of course, you have a pot of sugar and a pot of salt here

and you can't tell the difference unless you taste it.

I should have dipped my finger in, but I didn't,

so I salted the tin and it was too late by the time I found out,

because I'd baked the rum baba.

That is disgusting. It's going to put me in the bad books.

I genuinely believed that I was going home.

Not even that week - I thought after that challenge

they'd say, "What the hell are you doing here? Get out."

It made Paul Hollywood gag,

and that's something... That's an achievement in itself, isn't it?

Oh, jeez!

What is it, Paul?

There's too much salt in there. Ugh!

During the American Pie Showstopper Challenge,

Cathryn took the unusual step of using an ingredient she didn't like.

My brother lives in America, so I got a few tips from him,

and he did say peanut butter was a goer,

so that's what I went with.

It was the most stupid thing I could have done.

To make something that, actually, I thought was horrible.

Other people had told me it was nice, and I believed them.

-I don't like that.

-Don't you?

-At all.

It's like eating a pot full of crunchy peanut butter,

-but none of the flavour.

-Oh.

What a stupid thing,

to make something that you don't like the taste of yourself.

Oh, my God almighty!

Sarah-Jane, keep it in the oven.

I can't keep it in the oven, John. It's melting.

A particular disaster that sticks in my mind is my Wellington.

I can't watch it, I can't watch that moment at all.

I had it on the other day, and it was the bit where Mary came over

and she was asking me why the joint of meat was in the silver foil.

Why have you got your beef in foil?

I seared it in the pan and then I roasted it in the oven

just for 15 minutes, and put it in the foil so that all the steam would

stay in and try and keep it as moist as possible. So, that's the plan.

I had some answer at the time, but I watch it back now,

I was just screaming at the telly, "Look at her eyes!

"She's telling you with her eyes, take that

"and put it in the fridge, otherwise the pastry's going to melt."

And I can see it in her face

and she's just getting really frustrated. You can see

she really wants to say something, but she doesn't,

but she's looking at me in that kind of,

"I know better - put it in the fridge," kind of way.

Oh, no!

This is the worst thing I've ever made in my whole entire life.

I've got to serve it to Paul and Mary.

She was exactly right, I put it in the oven and the whole thing melted

and it looked like something out of a horror film.

I think it's quite coquettish.

It's saying, "Look at me, look what's inside, come on in."

I think it looks like the Alien film.

It was the worst thing I'd ever made.

So awful.

Sarah-Jane pulled herself back from her calamitous Wellington,

and, post-Bake Off, is working in a local patisserie.

Every other Thursday, I'm in the kitchen,

under the instruction of Denise.

-And obviously, I've pre-processed this.

-Yes.

What is this?

-Sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.

-OK.

And then that'll just... knock it in a bit for us.

Probably the best thing that has come out of the Bake Off is

that I now know that I want to work in a kitchen,

so I'm really, really lucky, I feel really lucky to be able to be here

in such a lovely environment and be taught by Denise, it's brilliant.

And Sarah-Jane keeps her baking guardian angel close by.

I've got a little picture of Mary watching over us

when we're baking, for a little bit of inspiration.

If we're lacking a bit of energy,

we look to Mary and her beautiful smile cheers us up.

During her time in the Bake Off, Sarah-Jane developed

a very close relationship with one of her fellow bakers.

I think Cathryn and I got on so well because we'd both come

from similar situations, we both had a husband and children at home.

Sarah-Jane and I had the most brilliant relationship.

We would have such a laugh and we were always really happy

if our benches were near each other, so we could have a bit of a chat

and maybe try and help each other a bit,

and we'd always be peeping in each other's ovens.

But this baking camaraderie nearly led to baking disaster

during the strudel Showstopper Challenge.

Paul had come over to me and shown me

a way that he did it of grabbing the end of the dough, twisting it over

and flicking it at the same time, in kind of that sort of motion.

Hang on, hang on, is that kneaded? Is that what you do?

That's not what I've been doing.

All you're trying to do on a strudel is build up the resistance,

build up the gluten in the actual dough itself by stretching it.

Because we liked to share tips and help each other along,

Sarah-Jane came back and we were having a chat

and she decided to show me this ingenious kneading technique

of Paul's that would obviously make my strudel superior,

so if it's good enough for Hollywood, it's good enough for me.

-Hold it by the end and flick it.

-This is horrible.

No, no, that looks really good.

So I was listening to Sarah-Jane's instructions

and...I had a...

A bit stayed in my hand, but the rest just launched.

So far that you can...

Ooh!

Well, I'm glad I wasn't standing there!

Oh, Sarah-Jane!

It was then covered in green carpet, which she didn't feel

she could serve to Mary Berry, for some reason.

-Oh, it's so hairy.

-Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!

Don't be silly, you didn't throw it on the floor.

But I made you try and throw it on the floor. Don't throw it away,

-it's really nice.

-You can see carpet in it.

-Just take the carpet out.

Wrap it in some oil and put it on a table.

It's got green carpet in it, I'm not serving Mary Berry green carpet.

Cathryn, do you blame me?

Completely, but, you know, I'll get over it(!)

Course I don't, it's fine.

I get lots and lots of people say that that's their funniest,

most calamitous moment of Bake Off, and it is really funny,

my children think it's hilarious.

Luckily, it went really well for her and they loved her strudel.

It's good strudel, it's nice and thin

and the interior is delicious, it all goes really well together.

Thanks.

But if it hadn't have gone well, I'd have felt awful.

Luckily, it went terribly for me.

The strudel itself is not crisp.

-No.

-OK.

-It's not strudel-like.

-OK.

-Can I borrow your golden syrup, please, James?

-Yes.

-Excuse me.

The friendships in the tent were surprising.

I thought it was going to be quite intense in there,

no-one was going to talk to each other,

but in fact, it was totally the opposite.

We became kind of a close family.

Oh, wow, this is really, really good.

That's a good marshmallow.

There was a strong sense of friendship and loyalty

between all the bakers, there wasn't really any jealousy

or any moments you wanted to trip someone up.

My goodness, that is massive.

It's huge. Isn't it massive?

-That is beef, yeah?

-I hope so.

Most of the time, it just felt like we were just a group of friends

baking together in a tent, in the middle of a field, as you do.

12 months later, lots of us are all still in touch,

so that says it all, really.

Oh, I like that.

We were like a little family, and it's so nice, and every time

we see each other, we don't shut up. All of us, we had the best time.

Beautiful.

Please tell me you are going to dust that with icing sugar.

-Liberally.

-Oh, it's going to be beautiful!

There definitely was a sense of, "We're all in this together."

There was a great sense of solidarity.

We knew we were competing, we knew we'd be judged on it.

But there was a togetherness there that was impressive.

This sense of solidarity made it all the more difficult

when it came to say goodbye.

Natasha, I'm so sorry, darling.

-Thank you.

-I'm so sorry, sweetheart.

-I think that's fair.

I think it was the right decision, I suppose I just didn't do my best.

I was quite emotional, and anybody who knows me

knows I'm not an emotional person at all,

so lots of people saw me cry on the Bake Off for the first time.

People who've known me all their lives have never seen me cry.

Peter...

Let me give you a massive Mel and Sue sandwich,

the like of which you can only have in your worst nightmares.

I'm so sorry.

-It's been fantastic.

-A round of applause.

-Thank you.

Victoria.

It's absolutely the right decision that my bake was not up to scratch,

and that's how it's judged. Yeah, no case to answer. Guilty, m'lud.

Stuart.

We're going to miss you, Stuart, come on.

Go on!

It just felt...everything was in slow motion.

As cliched as that sounds,

everything was in slow motion when Sue said my name

and...I don't know, it was the realisation

that it was all over, it was really, really sad when it was all over.

Manisha.

-We're going to miss you.

-We are going to miss you.

It is quite sad because, you know, I would like to stay more

and carry on baking more,

but it was my time to go, so, you know, I had to leave.

It was almost like standing on the edge of a cliff,

waiting to jump off.

I knew what was going to happen, I knew the outcome,

but that really long pause they have between was just purgatory.

I'm very sorry to say that the people not coming with us

on our journey next week are Sarah-Jane...

..and Ryan.

I was actually devastated when I got kicked out.

You know, at first, when I came onto Bake Off,

I didn't actually take it that seriously, it was for fun.

But I somehow got wrapped into it.

It was really sad at the time, really sad,

because I was just having so much fun

and we were all getting on so well.

-Just having a really, really good time.

-Oh!

I wanted to just carry on right to the end, but I messed it up.

With only five bakers left in the quarter-final...

One, two, three, four, five...

..the rivalry reached boiling point.

It's 35 degrees in here.

Oh, dear, and you want your chocolate to be 33.

-33 or 32, yeah.

-OK, so we've got an issue already.

Oh, it's so hot!

And for one baker, the cracks really started to show.

Honestly, I've completely lost it, this is car-crash crackers.

I had an absolute shocker.

Don't be scared of the cracker breads.

Oh, gosh, I've got others in the oven, they'll be totally burnt!

-Oh!

-Don't worry, that's all right.

Yeah, they're a little bit burnt.

Heavens to Betsy, what am I doing?

I just wasn't... I just wasn't on it.

I'm really sorry, I'm so embarrassed,

they're really disastrous, I'm really sorry.

There are only 46, for which I'm also sorry.

-They don't look particularly good.

-No, they're shocking.

They're thick and thin and irregular colours.

-The bakes, you go from that to that.

-Yeah, I know.

-Yeah, I know.

-That one, you can bend.

Dreadful, I know.

Partly, choosing to make Buckingham Palace out of gingerbread

was another not-so-wonderful idea.

I don't think the Queen would like this much,

I think she'd be a bit naffed off with me if she saw this.

I was so gutted that I hadn't done my best.

If I'd gone home on a week where I had done my best

and that just hadn't matched up and been good enough,

I'd have felt so cool about it,

but because I really felt I hadn't done a good enough job,

it was horrible.

Is that chocolate and ginger?

Yeah, and orange.

It needs to choose one and run with it.

Usually, when we're sat on the stools waiting to find out

who's going home, there's always that slight, "Could it be me?

"Could it be that person?"

On the week I went,

there was not 1% of doubt in anybody's mind,

I was definitely going home, so that was horrible,

because I almost felt everyone had gone, "Oh, sorry, Cathryn."

Oh, God, here we go!

And I had to sit there and I knew I was going

and I knew I looked quite hot

and, you know, my hair was quite flat

and I was quite flat and I knew I was going home,

so from the minute I sat on the seat, I was going to cry,

and I was sort of crying from the minute I sat down,

which is embarrassing.

The person leaving us today is...

..Cathryn.

We're going to really, really, really miss you.

Thanks.

We're going to miss you so much. It's ludicrous.

Come have a Mel-Sue sandwich. Come on. It's a scary thought.

It's very unpleasant.

Every time I watch it,

because we watch it all the time, the whole series, we're quite sad,

and every time I watch it, I think, "I'm going to be fine this time,"

and I sit down and it gets towards the end and I think,

"Oh, no, you're going to cry again."

And I don't just have a little tear - I do the proper crying.

Every time.

But Cathryn's love of baking didn't crumble with biscuit week

as, after Bake Off, she started working at a local cafe and bakery.

Morning!

After Bake Off, I asked if I could come and work here,

and it's been so nice to have a job that fits in with my family,

but also where I'm learning loads

and putting all of that work into practice, it's really fun.

I have learnt a lot about macaroons since getting my job here,

I literally couldn't make them before, and now I'm quite good, eh?

-Getting there, I suppose.

-Thank you!

She's also working on a book of baking recipes for children.

I said, right at the beginning, I remember talking to someone

and they said, "What would be your dream?"

And one recipe in a magazine would have been completely amazing,

so the thought that there will be somewhere at some point

a collection of recipes that are all mine and a book

that I actually wrote on a shop shelf somewhere will be ridiculous.

Semi-final, mate.

Come on!

As the last four bakers battled for a place in the final...

My creme pat has got cellulite at the moment.

Oh, my God!

I can't do it.

..John and Danny both struggled

under the pressure of producing perfect patisserie.

There's nothing I can do, everything's just gone to pot.

-Breathe.

-Don't be nice, I'll start crying.

It's all right.

Oh, God above, just look at that!

It looks hideous.

Danny's fraisier cake failure...

Oh, dear, we need a spoon with this, rather than a slice.

This has got serious problems with the creme pat.

-The creme patissiere is not thick enough.

-No.

..meant she was the last girl to leave.

So I'm afraid the person who will not be joining us

next week for the Great British Bake Off final is...

-..Danny.

-Thank you for all your help.

This has pushed me as far as anything can push me,

and it's been a good experience.

Danny, whom I had a great regard for, I was sad to see her go.

I felt bad that Danny got kicked out.

I was glad I got through and she didn't, but I felt bad for her.

-'Hello?'

-Hi, Mum, it's only me.

'Hi, darling.'

-You've got a little big boy who's in the final.

-'Oh, my God!'

And for the first time, it was an all-male final.

It's such an amazing thing that it was an all-male final.

It was baking. I think that's brilliant,

to hopefully inspire more men to take up the craft.

I think the fact that it was an all-male final made it

that bit more competitive. There was testosterone involved,

Testosterone to a certain extent, with me and Brendan and James -

we're not the most butch of lads, are we?

I was delighted to get through,

because that's what I'd set my objective from,

from the early stages,

because you've got no chance of winning unless you're in the final.

I don't remember the final last year cos I was very heavily medicated.

Perhaps you can shed some light on that?

-There were three boys.

-Yes.

Um...they did... They did a cake,

-a big cake at the end.

-They had a party,

and I remember the police came.

-That's right, yes.

-Do you remember? The police came.

After a close final,

who would be crowned champion of Bake Off Series 3

all came down to the very last Showstopper Challenge.

It is absolutely delicious, and I love the fresh raspberry topping.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done, Brendan.

Congrats, Brendan.

I don't know what to say, really.

I just had disaster after disaster after disaster in the final.

-It's far too dry.

-Oh, no!

That last bake, what I came out with was rubbish.

But I had great fun making it.

But it was John's heaven and hell chiffon cake

that astounded the judges.

It's rich.

It's absolutely lovely.

Mmm!

That really works, you've got a beautiful blend of the chocolate.

Paul and Mary have made their decision,

and we're very, very pleased to announce that the winner

of the Great British Bake Off 2012 is...

..John.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Being in the final was one thing, winning was another thing,

I just can't describe it. I mean, I almost...

My legs buckled, and I'm six foot two,

I'm quite stocky, I'm not very dainty,

but I almost keeled over,

and my legs almost snapped beneath my weight.

It was the strangest thing.

I've never felt that sort of shock,

that sensation of dread, excitement,

all these indescribable emotions, I have never felt that before,

and I don't think I'll ever experience that again.

I'm not going to be a banker.

My mum's so proud. That's the biggest prize I've got out of this,

is my mum being happy with me, and...

I just feel like I've finally done something that I've wanted to do

to please her, do you know what I mean?

So it means the absolute world to me.

Oh, God!

When it was announced, I thought, yes, there's a passion about John

and there's no doubt he will... we'll be hearing more of him.

And I just wanted to... The first thing I did was

to stop at a shop and buy two big packets of crisps,

because I was sick of the sugar and the buttercreams

and I wanted something salty, and I ate the two of them,

which was absolute heaven, really.

When John appeared on the Bake Off,

he was studying for the finals of a law degree.

Despite gaining a first, he has left his books behind

to fulfil his dream of studying French patisserie.

Winning the Bake Off was the best thing,

not only because it was winning in itself,

but because it led to the Cordon Bleu, which is amazing.

Being here makes the Great British Bake Off feel like

a walk in the park.

OK, so in this technical, we're going to look at chocolate techniques.

It's not easy,

but it doesn't have the sort of sweetness that the Bake Off had.

I've not got Cathryn there with me.

If Cathryn was here, it'd be a lot easier.

Will that do? Is it level in your...?

No, actually, that's dropping. Will you level that out a bit?

All right. Bossy.

I've learnt so much already,

and I've only been here for a few months so far.

My swan's got a bit of a limp neck.

It's a very classical French institution, so you have to learn

the classic and hard way, but the things you learn,

you can really easily translate them into modern cuisine, which is great.

He has also presented live baking demonstrations

alongside Mary Berry herself...

..as well as working on his own baking recipe book.

To see my recipes being created, to such a high standard as well,

it's just overwhelming, it really is.

-Comme ca?

-Comme ca.

-Bon.

-C'est absolument parfait.

It's like the fondant fancies all over again on Bake Off.

Almost finished me off, that.

I'd like to think Mary and Paul would be happy for me,

being here today, doing this photo shoot,

because that's the one thing you want out of baking,

to make people proud of you

through what you create, and also make people happy.

I'm still in touch with Paul, and he's been a great mentor,

he's been absolutely fantastic, and a really good guy.

So I've made a good friend in Paul Hollywood,

which I never thought I would. I was always scared of him,

but he's actually a lovely, lovely guy.

The blueberries look shiny, don't they?

The year since we were in Bake Off has been

the best year of my life so far, and I just hope it's not the best -

I hope it gets even better, touch wood.

But today, alongside Cathryn, James and Sarah-Jane,

John has returned to the Bake Off tent.

It's the most amazing thing, coming back.

When I was driving up the road,

honestly, truly, I had the same butterflies in my stomach

and the same sick feeling, and I just had to remind myself,

"No, you're not actually going to bake anything,

"you're just going for a nice chat."

It feels like I'm back in Bake Off land.

-Oh, my goodness!

-It looks bigger.

It looks so much bigger, look at all the space!

-There aren't as many benches, look.

-That's true.

It's still pastels, we're all right. James, fraisier.

-That was your one.

-Look! Those pies!

I'd give anything to come back here and start again, would you?

-Me too.

-I'm not sure I could take it.

It's amazing, being back, to be honest, it's really, really nice.

It's exactly the same time of year as when we were doing it,

so it seems very familiar.

Look at all this stuff!

Ooh, blowtorch, what have they been doing with that?

-It's exactly the same.

-My baking beans!

- Shall we put the timer on? - Yes!

-Oh, my God, there's a recipe, I found a recipe!

-Shut up.

-Divulge.

Puff pastry selection.

Filming the Bake Off was a massive part of our life,

and it's like trying to rekindle a relationship that was fantastic

but can't exist any more. It's really sad to be back here.

It's a massive mix of emotions.

It was amazing, baking in there. I did cry a lot.

It was, you know... I can only remember the happy things about it.

For those who enter the tent, the experience is unique

and has a lasting impression.

There's something very special about baking in the Bake Off marquee.

That is, you know, every baker's dream, almost, isn't it,

to bake in the Bake Off marquee?

And I'm really lucky I got to do it, and I loved it.

I don't think anybody can go through the Bake Off process

and not describe it as life-changing.

Even me, who went first.

Psyching myself up.

The Bake Off is actually an experience beyond baking.

You discover more about yourself, your flaws and your strengths,

previously you weren't aware of.

Fingers crossed, everybody.

Being part of the Bake Off was probably the one biggest experience

of my life, you know? I'm really happy that I chose to do it

and picked up the courage.

Just go for it, what's the worst that can happen?

I think everything I've done so far in my life,

this has got to be one of the most unforgettable experiences.

It's a fantastic opportunity, I'll never, ever get to do that again.

Good luck to anyone who steps in that tent from now.

The Bake Off has kind of changed everything,

I'm so lucky to have been part of it.

It's the most... Other than having my children, by far the best thing

that's ever happened, I love it so much.

I wake up to the Bake Off theme tune, it's my alarm clock in the morning.

So, every day, I wake up...

# Da-da-da-da... #

..and I'm ready to go for the day.

It was just the most wonderful, surreal experience.

It's an amazing setting, an amazing place, with amazing people,

just an amazing experience.

Definitely do it again, but I don't think they'd have me back.

Where am I? Right...

Yes, I'd be very happy to do it again,

and this time, even better, as a consequence.

The Bake Off has been the best thing I've ever done,

and if you said to me now,

"Get back in that tent and start again," I'd do it.

Bake Off, it's made me more confident in my baking,

I can talk more about food and stuff, and it's made me

more obsessed with food. I didn't think it was possible, but it is.

But as a person, I go home every night

and I cook my partner's tea for him,

and it won't change who I am, I don't think.

I've not started walking down red carpets

and demanding candles and Chihuahuas just yet.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd