The Great British Bake Off contestants leave Prue Leith in stitches with iconic ‘celebrity bust’ showstopper

Virgin Radio

22 Sep 2023, 14:22

Ahead of The Great British Bake Off returning to our screens, we've been revisiting some of the most memorable moments from the tent in years gone by. 

On Tuesday (26th September), the 14th series of GBBO will introduce a new batch of bakers, who will all be hoping to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. 

Noel Fielding is back to host the proceedings with a brand new co-presenter in Alison Hammond.

While we await to see what precious (and hilarious) memories Bake Off will leave us with in 2023, we’ve been reminiscing about moments in previous series that have left us, viewers, and sometimes the judges, in fits of giggles. 

One such moment came from the 2020 series of Bake off, which involved the now infamous Celebrity Bust challenge, which was actually the very first showstopper challenge of the year. 

The contestants were asked to make a “cake bust depicting your personal celebrity hero,” and what eventually turned up in front of the judges was certainly unforgettable. 

Marc Elliot, a resin sculpture from Cornwall, decided to portray his musical idol, David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, set with the iconic lightning bolt face paint. 

Meanwhile, self-confessed Queen fan Laura Adlington, a digital manager from Gravesend, made it her mission to create an edible sculpture of Freddie Mercury, set with his famous yellow military-style jacket. 

“The last time I did it, the head exploded and it went in the bin,” she told then-co-host Matt Lucas, and for poor Laura, the proof was already in the pudding for her actual showstopper. 

While the rest of the tent were able to get through the hilarious yet challenging bake relatively unscathed, it was Marc and Laura who ended up in the hallowed halls of Bake Off’s Most Memorable after both creations ended up totally neck-less. 

Getting a giggle off judges Paul and Prue, the latter said: “That’s about as far away from David Bowie that you could get,” to which Marc replied in agreement. 

“More Jabba the Hutt,” the baker added. 

While Paul was happy to pass along some positive comments despite the overall look, it was Laura who was in for the most chuckles between the judges and hosts. 

After apologising for laughing at the Freddie Mercury cake and his sorry excuse for a neck, Laura tried to redeem herself, telling the panel: “It was all going really well, his jacket looked great and then the head exploded, but I’m hoping the flavours will redeem.”

The side-splittingly funny moment clearly stood the test of time, with one fan recently commenting on YouTube saying: “First time i watched her make freddie i was in floods of tears  its just the pringles man with a yellow blazer.”

“Freddy Mercury looked more like Frank Sidebottom,” added another. 

Here’s hoping 2023 has even more incredible moments like this one! 

The Great British Bake Off 2023, watch or stream from 8pm Tuesday 26th September on Channel 4.