West Yorkshire hairdresser Tom has made an impressive start to The Great British Bake Off 2026 after entering the famous tent alongside 11 other amateur bakers.

The Great British Bake Off returned to screens on Tuesday (Sep 22), with 12 new contestants hoping to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson, who made her debut on the show.

Among this year's contestants is Tom, a 25-year-old hairdresser from West Yorkshire who describes himself as a "Northern Diva" and loves creating bakes that are witty, pretty and, most importantly, delicious.

Who is Yorkshire's Bake Off contestant Tom?

Tom's love of baking began at just six years old, when he would escape to his Nan's house to bake while his older brother attended football matches.

Tom, a hairdresser from West Yorkshire, is one of 12 bakers on this year's The Great British Bake Off | Channel 4

placeholder image — Tom, a hairdresser from West Yorkshire, is one of 12 bakers on this year's The Great British Bake Off | Channel 4

He had already mastered the perfect brandy snap before turning ten and has continued to develop his baking skills ever since.

Now working in a busy hair salon, Tom spends his days creating perfect sets of highlights and occasionally oversharing details of his personal life with colleagues.

His fellow hairdressers are also enthusiastic taste-testers, particularly when he brings in his famous salted caramel brownies.

Away from the salon and the kitchen, Tom enjoys travelling and recently spent seven months exploring Southeast Asia with his boyfriend, Alex. The couple are now saving to buy a house together.

How did Tom do in the first episode of Bake Off?

Tom experienced mixed fortunes during the opening episode of The Great British Bake Off, which saw the contestants tackle Cake Week.

The West Yorkshire hairdresser began with a tipsy cherry chocolate stout cake, which impressed new judge Nigella Lawson with its flavours, although she felt he had used too much bicarbonate of soda.

However, Tom recovered in the technical challenge, which saw contestants tasked with creating a coffee and walnut cake using only an illustrated image and a list of components, without measurements or instructions.

His efforts earned praise from Nigella, who described his creation as her dream cake.

The episode also saw contestants tackle a self-portrait showstopper before Mo, the youngest baker in this year's competition, was crowned the series' first Star Baker.

Nobody was eliminated during the opening week, meaning Tom will return to the tent for the next episode.