'The Great British Baking Show' Has Announced Its Return for 2022

On your mark, get set … watch! The Great British Bake Off (The Great British Baking Show if you're watching in the US) is set to return for its 13th season on September 13, the series announced on social media in late August. If you're part of the show's dedicated fanbase, you can finally look forward to more Hollywood Handshakes, heartwarming baker camaraderie, accidental innuendos, meme-worthy showstoppers, and maybe even some Florentine cookies.

The first episode premieres on Channel 4 in the UK Tuesday, September 13, and while there aren't any official announcements from Netflix regarding streaming dates for US viewers, the service has added a "New season coming soon" label to its current collection of The Great British Baking Show episodes. (Netflix is currently home to the five most recent seasons of the show.) In previous years, Netflix has released new episodes the Friday following the British air date. If that holds true for this season, the first episode of The Great British Baking Show should be on Netflix for US viewers September 16.

Fortunately, it's been confirmed that Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith will return to judge the bakes and declare soggy bottoms, and Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas will also be back to host (and playfully distract contestants). The lineup of 12 bakers was announced September 2 and features, as always, a great variety of amateur bakers. The full roster of The Great British Bake Off's Class of 2022 is available on the show's official site, with names, ages, and backgrounds of each baker—enough info for mega fans to start casting their bets on who may be this year's winner.

The 650-plus replies to the Twitter announcement are filled with excited comments: "Best thing I've heard today!" as well as some clever quips, like "Only guarantee on this show is that chocolate week is filmed during a heat wave" and "One year I hope we get a list of places that Noel got his jumpers from."

Over on Instagram, the post has more than 110,000 likes and 4,600 comments, including one from 2018 winner Rahul Mandal. "So looking forward to it," he wrote. "Just in time when we need some dose of happiness and positivity. Hoping it will be on Netflix too for our friends across the pond."

The 2021 and 2020 seasons of The Great British Bake Off were shot in a "bubble" because of COVID-19, with the contestants, judges, presenters, and crew quarantining on-site during the weeks of filming. According to Metro UK, the competition will take place in a new location (and perhaps a new tent?) this season, since restrictions in the UK have relaxed.

If you need something to fill the void before the premiere, you can binge the 2018 through 2022 seasons on Netflix. Spinoffs The Great British Baking Show: Holidays and Junior Bake Off are available, too (just bring tissues for the latter), and you can always bake at home (we recommend beloved cookie recipes) to prepare for the baking entertainment to come. While we don't know everything this upcoming season has in store, we do know we're ready to see all of the sweet bakes—and sweet moments. Stay tuned for more information as the September 13 Great British Bake Off air date approaches.