Nigella Lawson praised as Bake Off judge as latest contestants announced

TV chef Nigella Lawson has been praised by critics for her new role as a judge on The Great British Bake Off, which returns to Channel 4 later this month.

Lawson is taking over from Dame Prue Leith , who said she was leaving the series in order to "work less and play more." The new series kicks off on 22 September but the opening episode was shown to critics earlier this week.

The Times said that "lashings of Nigella Lawson help everyone rise to the occasion", while the Telegraph declared "she is more delectable than anything the contestants could whip up in a showstopper challenge".

Contestants for the 17th series have also been confirmed, including a paediatric doctor, a competitive sprinter, a hairdresser and a drag artist.

Ben Dowell of the Times picked out some of Lawson's lines from the first episode, including "I want it really sumptuous", which he wrote was delivered "in that - there is no other word for it - highly seductive voice of hers".

"You can tell the production team are pleased to have her - at times... it feels as if the programme is entertaining royalty," Dowell continued, adding: "Bake Off has found a new star."

The Telegraph's Anita Singh concurred, writing: "Nigella is heaven for social media. The woman is a walking meme factory.

"Her every utterance comes over like a line from Emmanuelle. 'The flavours are giving me a lot of pleasure.' 'I like a bit of goo.' 'I'm hoping to find that wonderful frisson.'"

Here's the latest crop of wannabe star bakers.

Clara, 24, a marketing graduate from Hertfordshire, is originally from Portugal and only began baking two years ago. She believes "the first bite of a bake is always with the eyes"

Connie, 63, an NHS hospital discharge lead, is known as "the cake lady" and uses baking as a way to unwind after a hectic day. Connie also runs a music centre in London with her music teacher husband Myke, where she loves to try out her new recipes on the students

Danni, 25, an HGV service centre administrator from Dorset, loves foraging for ingredients in the countryside and is also a tech enthusiast and enjoys decorating bakes with inspiration from video games and animation

Gabe, 32, an artist, drag king and costume designer from the West Midlands is the self-styled "daddy of Birmingham drag" and discovered baking after watching the very first series of Bake Off aged 13. Gabe has a preference for savoury, meat-filled bakes and an obsession with meringue

Gary, 67, is a retired garment technologist from Nottinghamshire, who only discovered a love of baking about five years ago. He lives with his wife Donna and their countryside home is filled with animals, including sheep, horses, chickens and miniature pygmy goats and Shetland ponies

Molly, 31, is an accessibility coordinator from London, loves traditional bakes and classic flavours. She is also a musical theatre fanaticand is a huge Formula 1 fan, clearing her diary for every race

Moyin, 22, is a political economy student, from Essex, who balances his studies with athletics and enjoys using flavours inspired by his Nigerian heritage, including grains of paradise and groundnuts. A competitive sprinter, Moyin was crowned U20 County Champion in the 100m

Mo, 21, is a law student from the West Midlands, who is a self-confessed "chaotic and random" character who wants to make his family proud. His love of baking started aged three, when he would pretend to cook with Play-Doh, but now enjoys infusing Asian flavours with traditional British classics

Nikki, 50, is an advertising post-producer from London, and has a colourful baking style. A former podium dancer at Basingstoke's Ziggy's Night Club in the 90s, she still loves hitting the dance floor at R&B clubs with her cousins

Shannon, 29, is a project planner and scheduler from Gloucestershire, who was taught to bake by her beloved nan and describes her style as whimsical, quirky and rustic. Fun fact - she once rode a horse through a drive-thru, so anything could happen in the kitchen

Tom, 25, is a hairdresser from west Yorkshire, who also first got into baking through his nan. His colleagues are gleeful taste-testers, particularly when he brings in his famous salted caramel brownies. He's a self-proclaimed Northern diva who loves creating pretty, delicicious and witty bakes

Yannis, 28, is a paediatric doctor from London, who says he wants to challenge the stigma that Bangladeshi men don't belong in the kitchen. Working in a busy NICU, he loves how a cake can bring joy to the ward and has won over the nurses with his bakes. He's also a Bhangra dancer

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