Junior Bake Off (titled Junior Baking Show in the United States and Canada) is a British television baking competition in which young bakers aged 9 to 15 tackle a series of challenges involving baking cakes, biscuits, bread, and pastries, competing to be crowned Junior Bake Off Champion.
The series debuted in the year 2011 as a spin-off from The Great British Bake Off and is also produced by Love Productions. Four series of Junior Bake Off were broadcast on CBBC from 2011 to 2016. Following its parent series' departure from the BBC in 2017, Junior Bake Off resumed with a fifth series on 4 November 2019 on Channel 4, with comedian Harry Hill as presenter and Prue Leith and Liam Charles as judges. The fifth series concluded on 22 November 2019. The show returned for a sixth series on 11 January 2021, with Ravneet Gill replacing Prue Leith. The sixth series concluded on 29 January 2021. A seventh series premiered on 10 January 2022 and concluded on 28 January 2022. On 16 January 2026, it was announced that Junior Bake Off was renewed for its twelfth series to air in 2027.
Format Each series of Junior Bake Off typically includes 15 episodes. While The Great British Bake Off features three challenges per episode (signature, technical, and showstopper), Junior Bake Off includes only the technical and showstopper challenges. In the first four series, aired on CBBC from 2011 to 2016, the format featured 40 young bakers aged 9 to 12 years old divided into 10 qualifying rounds or heats. Each episode featured only four bakers, with one winner each episode and the other three eliminated. The winning bakers from each heat were brought back for "Finals Week", consisting of two semi-finals followed by two finals, and then one grand final to determine the winner.
The format was altered in 2019 when the series moved to Channel 4. The episodes were increased from 30 minutes to one hour, the number of bakers halved to 20 (16 starting in series 6). Instead of only four bakers taking part in each qualifying round, the bakers were divided into two groups of 10 each, with five eliminated from one group during the first five episodes, and five eliminated from the second group during the second five episodes. The remaining five bakers from each group are combined in finals week, with two quarterfinals, two semifinals and a final. The upper age range of the contestants was increased from 12 to 15 in 2019, then changed back to 12 in series 8 through 10. The "Star Baker" award, given to the judges' favourite baker in each episode, was not included in the CBBC version of the show but is a part of the Channel 4 format.
Series overview
Series Premiere FinaleWinnerFinalists Channel 1 13 31 October 2011 17 November 2011 Freya Watson Kai CBBC Kieran Saffron 2 13 11 November 2013 29 November 2013 Harry Duffy Emma Ruby Zainab 3 15 2 November 2015 20 November 2015 Amari Koryang Alyth Euan Megan 4 15 7 November 2016 25 November 2016 Nikki Lilly Macy Tyrese 5 15 4 November 2019 22 November 2019 Fin Woodward Aleena Channel 4 Amal Eliza 6 15 11 January 2021 29 January 2021 Reece Suwali Robbie Naima Cece 7 15 10 January 2022 28 January 2022 Kezia Lola Aisya Fraser 8 15 16 January 2023 3 February 2023 Amelia Thomas Annabel Mya 9 15 2 January 2024 19 January 2024 Tilly Annabelle Ilham Max 10 15 6 January 2025 24 January 2025 Austin Edwards Lola Ronnie Deji 11 15 5 January 2026 23 January 2026 Aiyla L Kitto Miko Umayr
Presenters and judges Series Presenters Judges 1 Aaron Craze Paul Hollywood Mary Berry 2 James Martin 3 Sam Nixon & Mark Rhodes Allegra McEvedy Graham Hornigold 4 Nadiya Hussain 5 Harry Hill Liam Charles Prue Leith 6 Ravneet Gill 7 8 9 10 11
Series 1 (2011) The first series began on 31 October 2011 on CBBC with judges from the main show Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry. Aaron Craze presented the show.
+ Heat A+ Airdate: 31 October 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Amari 11 North London Joe 9 West Sussex Joy 12 Glasgow Marie 11 Southampton
+ Heat B+ Airdate: 1 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Millie 11 York Saffron 10 Essex Sam 11 Cheshire Stanley 12 Brighton
+ Heat C+ Airdate: 2 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Hari 9 Birmingham Holly 12 Oxford Kieran 12 York Sylvia 11 Bristol
+ Heat D+ Airdate: 3 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Alex 11 Northampton Cameron 12 Sheffield Ellie 10 Edinburgh Zyta 12 Aylesbury + Heat E+ Airdate: 7 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Galway 12 Sutton Coldfield Jim 11 West Sussex Sangita 12 Bradford Scott 11 Kent
+ Heat F+ Airdate: 8 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Abigail 11 Rowley Regis Kai 12 Wirral Olivia 12 Pontypridd Sami 11 Leicester
+ Heat G+ Airdate: 9 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Coco-Nina 11 Bath Conal 11 Cambridge Jacob 12 Herefordshire Katie 9 County Fermanagh
+ Heat H+ Airdate: 10 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Aasiya 11 Hertfordshire Cameron Stott 7 Derbyshire Freya Watson 10 Newbury Sam 10 Somerset
+ Top 8 semi-finals A+ Airdate: 14 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResult Cameron 12 Sheffield Joe 9 West Sussex Kieran 12 York Saffron 10 Essex
+ Top 8 semi-finals B+ Airdate: 15 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResultFreya Watson 10 Newbury Jacob 12 Herefordshire Kai 12 Wirral Sangita 12 Bradford
+ Top 4 finals+ Airdate: 17 November 2011BakerAgeHometownResultFreya Watson 10 Newbury Kai 12 Wirral Kieran 12 York Saffron 10 Essex
Series 2 (2013) A second series began on 11 November 2013 on CBBC. Chef James Martin replaced Hollywood as judge.
+ Heat A+ Airdate: 11 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Alexandre 12 Hertfordshire Anna 11 Kent Brinta 12 London Griffin 11 Wrexham,North Wales
+ Heat B+ Airdate: 12 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Ann 12 Bristol Ben 11 Wales Ellie 11 Edinburgh Finn 10 North Yorkshire
+ Heat C+ Airdate: 13 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Ben 10 North Yorkshire Emma 11 Pembrokeshire, Wales George 11 Shropshire Megan 11 Midlands
+ Heat D+ Airdate: 14 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Charlie 10 Northampton Ellie 10 Manchester Joseph 10 Oldham Ruby 11 Devon
+ Heat E+ Airdate: 15 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Abhimanyu 11 Warwickshire Alex 10 Lincolnshire Emily 12 South Lanarkshire Jojo 11 London
+ Heat F+ Airdate: 18 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Cameron 12 Kent Elizabeth 11 Bristol Katie 11 Belfast Monty 12 Cheshire
+ Heat G+ Airdate: 19 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Aaminah 12 Middlesex Alfie 10 Norfolk Archie 11 County Down,Northern Ireland Esther 9 Cheshire
+ Heat H+ Airdate: 20 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Harrison 12 East Sussex Harry Duffy 10 Hampshire Isabelle 12 Lancashire Rosie 11 Essex
+ Heat I+ Airdate: 21 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Charlie 11 Norfolk Louis 10 Cambridge Ruby 12 Cheshire Zainab 10 Hertfordshire
+ Heat J+ Airdate: 22 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult James 11 Coventry Kavern 9 London Lily-Grace 12 Middlesex Missy 11 Birmingham
+ Top 10 semi-finals A+ Airdate: 25 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Ellie 11 Edinburgh Emily 12 South Lanarkshire Emma 11 Pembrokeshire, Wales Griffin 11 Wrexham,North Wales Ruby 11 Devon
+ Top 10 semi-finals B+ Airdate: 26 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Archie 11 County Down,Northern Ireland Harry Duffy 10 Hampshire Kavern 9 London Monty 12 Cheshire Zainab 10 Hertfordshire
+ Top 4 finals+ Airdate: 26 November 2013BakerAgeHometownResult Harry Duffy 10 Hampshire Emma 11 Pembrokeshire, Wales Ruby 11 Devon Zainab 10 Hertfordshire
Series 3 (2015) A third series began airing on 2 November 2015 on CBBC, with Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes replacing Craze as hosts. Allegra McEvedy and Graham Hornigold took over from Berry and Martin as judges.
+ Heat A+ Airdate: 2 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResult Alyth 11 Lanarkshire,Scotland HarrisonBrown 10 Worcestershire Kiah 11 London Matthew 9 Derbyshire
+ Heat B+ Airdate: 3 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultFarhaan 10 London Hannah 11 Conwy,North Wales OliviaMillburn 10 Northumberland Tom 12 London
+ Heat C+ Airdate: 4 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultGrainne 12 Belfast IsaacGreenhill 11 York Matilda 10 Surrey Will 11 Hertfordshire
+ Heat D+ Airdate: 5 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultEuanBuckley 12 West Lothian Lucy 11 Kent Peter 10 Sheffield Sienna 11 Stratford-upon-Avon
+ Heat E+ Airdate: 6 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultAlex 12 Manchester Hafsa 12 Wembley James 12 Gosport MeganLewis 12 Rhondda Valley
+ Heat F+ Airdate: 9 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultAlice 11 Dorset Corey 11 Forth Valley Finlay 10 Northumberland Sufia 10 West Yorkshire
+ Heat G+ Airdate: 10 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultAlfie 11 Swindon Andrea 10 Middlesex FreddiePatmore 12 Newcastle Lucy 12 Liverpool
+ Heat H+ Airdate: 11 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultBen 12 Sutton Coldfield DarceyHarkness 12 Belfast Isabel 11 Hove Will 9 Cardiff
+ Heat I+ Airdate: 12 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultAmari Koryang 11 Birmingham Ben 12 Leeds Khushi 10 Hertfordshire Oscar 9 Maidenhead
+ Heat J+ Airdate: 13 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultBen 10 Tyne and Wear Grace 11 Oxfordshire PurdeyBurton 12 London Tom 11 East Sussex
+ Top 10 quarterfinals A+ Airdate: 16 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResult Alyth 11 Lanarkshire,Scotland Darcey 12 Belfast Euan 12 West Lothian Freddie 12 Newcastle Olivia 10 Northumberland
+ Top 10 quarterfinals B+ Airdate: 17 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultAlice 11 Dorset Amari Koryang 11 Birmingham Isaac 11 York Megan 12 Rhondda Valley Purdey 12 London
+ Top 6 semifinals+ Airdate: 18 November 2015+ Finals+ Airdate: 19–20 November 2015BakerAgeHometownResultAmari Koryang 11 Birmingham Alyth 11 Lanarkshire,Scotland Euan 12 West Lothian Megan 12 Rhondda Valley Alice 11 Dorset Freddie 12 Newcastle
+ Viewership ratings for series three (2015) Episode No. Airdate Total viewers CBBC Channel Weekly Ranking 1 2 November 2015 677,000 1 2 3 November 2015 662,000 2 3 4 November 2015 658,000 5 4 5 November 2015 672,000 4 5 6 November 2015 673,000 1 6 9 November 2015 647,000 5 7 10 November 2015 632,000 2 8 11 November 2015 658,000 2 9 12 November 2015 660,000 9 10 13 November 2015 671,000 6 11 16 November 2015 668,000 8 12 17 November 2015 672,000 4 13 18 November 2015 673,000 1 14 19 November 2015 669,000 2 15 20 November 2015 678,000 1
Series 4 (2016) The fourth series began on 7 November 2016 on CBBC. Allegra McEvedy returns as judge with Nadiya Hussain replacing Graham Hornigold. Presenters Sam & Mark returned to host.
+ Heat A+ Airdate: 7 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResultAbi 11 Perthshire Annabel 9 Norfolk Harry 12 Hampshire Tyrese 11 London
+ Heat B+ Airdate: 8 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResultBilly 12 Wiltshire Evie 11 Leicestershire Nigel 10 Northamptonshire Shriyana 11 Swansea
+ Heat C+ Airdate: 9 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResultBen Wiser 11 Shropshire Francesca 11 Middlesex Hannah 10 Birmingham Oliver 11 Staffordshire
+ Heat D+ Airdate: 10 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResult Mack 10 Cardiff Millie 11 Swindon Rosie 11 West Midlands Zac 11 London
+ Heat E+ Airdate: 11 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResult Elodie 9 Buckinghamshire Hamish 10 Edinburgh NikkiLilly 12 London Ollie 11 Somerset
+ Heat F+ Airdate: 14 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResultDylan 10 Sussex Ali 11 Birmingham JennaGhattaora 11 Nottingham Robin 11 Scottish Borders
+ Heat G+ Airdate: 15 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResultJamie 9 Doncaster JJ 11 Tyne and Wear Maisie 12 Swindom Mia 10 Belfast
+ Heat H+ Airdate: 16 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResult Ffion 10 Gwynedd Harry 10 Bristol LottiePottinger 12 Cheshire Mehdi 12 London
+ Heat I+ Airdate: 17 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResult Harvey 12 Essex Joseph 12 Grimsby MacyBraithwaite 12 Coventry Sophie 10 Merseyside
+ Heat J+ Airdate: 18 November 2016BakerAgeHometownResult Mimi 11 London Rachel 12 Solihull Tom 12 Surrey Yasmin 9 Kent