The Great British Bake Off (series 6)
The sixth series of The Great British Bake Off first aired on 5 August 2015, with twelve contestants competing to be crowned the series 6 winner. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins presented the show, and Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood returned as judges. The competition was held in the ground of Welford Park, Berkshire for a second year. The series was won by Nadiya Hussain, with Tamal Ray and Ian Cumming finishing as runners-up.
Bakers
| Baker | Age | Occupation | Hometown | Links |
| Alvin Magallanes | 37 | Nurse | Bracknell, Berkshire | |
| Dorret Conway | 53 | Accountant | Penwortham, Lancashire | |
| Flora Shedden | 19 | Art gallery assistant | Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross | |
| Ian Cumming | 41 | Travel photographer | Great Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire | |
| Marie Campbell | 66 | Retired | Auchterarder, Perthshire | |
| Mat Riley | 37 | Fire fighter | London | |
| Nadiya Hussain | 30 | Full-time mother | Leeds / Luton | |
| Paul Jagger | 49 | Prison governor | Swansea, Wales | |
| Sandy Docherty | 49 | Child welfare officer | Yeadon, West Yorkshire | |
| Stu Henshall | 35 | Professional musician | Guildford, Surrey | |
| Tamal Ray | 29 | Trainee anaesthetist | Manchester | |
| Ugnė Bubnaityte | 32 | PA and administrator | Woodford, London / Vilkaviškis, Lithuania |
Results summary
Colour key:Episodes
Episode 1: Cakes
For the first challenge, the bakers were given two hours to make a Madeira Cake, which was chosen as an "easy" challenge for the bakers. The cake should have a dome and a crack on top, though Mary stated the cake should not differ too far from the original. For the technical challenge, the bakers had one and three quarter hours to make Mary's recipe for a Frosted Walnut Cake, which should have three layers and a meringue coating, along with caramelised walnuts. A Black Forest Gâteau was set as the final challenge. In three and a half hours, the bakers were tasked with making a cake that should be extravagant, and should "impress" Mary and Paul.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Alvin | Orange Vanilla and Fig Madeira Cake | 2nd | Black Forest Gâteau |
| Dorret | Madeira Cake with Candied Lemons | 5th | Enchanted Forest Gâteau |
| Flora | Blood Orange Madeira Cake | 6th | Black Forest Gâteau |
| Ian | Somewhere West of Madeira Cake | 8th | Black Forest Cherry Tree |
| Marie | Zingy Citrus Madeira Cake | 3rd | A Walk in the Black Forest |
| Mat | Gin and Tonic Madeira Cake | 7th | Black Forest Gateau |
| Nadiya | Orange and Green Cardamom Madeira Cake | 12th | Quadruple Chocolate Black Forest Gâteau |
| Paul | Lemon, Ginger and Caraway Seed Madeira Cake | 10th | Black Forest Chocolate Creation |
| Sandy | Madeira Cake with Almond Liqueur and Chopped Apricots | 9th | Black Forest Gâteau |
| Stu | Marley Madeira Cake | 11th | Purple Forest Gâteau |
| Tamal | Pistachio and Rose Madeira Cake | 4th | Black Forest Gâteau in a Chocolate Shell |
| Ugnė | Lemon and Thyme Madeira Cake | 1st | Falling Cup Gâteau |
Episode 2: Biscuits
For the signature challenge, the bakers were given two hours to bake 24 identical biscotti of any shape, flavour or size. In the technical challenge, they were required to make eight arlettes, which are high-end light delicate cinnamon-flavoured biscuits, in two and a half hours. For the show stopper, they were set the challenge of making 36 biscuits, to be presented in a biscuit box made of a different kind of biscuit mix. They were given four hours in this challenge.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Alvin | Jackfruit, Pistachio and Macadamia Biscotti | 6th | Gingerbread Box filled with Brandy Snaps |
| Dorret | Almond and Apricot Biscotti with Amber Sugar Crystals | 1st | Box of Frogs |
| Flora | Wedding Biscotti | 2nd | Honey and Earl Grey Tea Box |
| Ian | Orange, Rosemary and Almond Biscotti | 3rd | Sandwich de la Confiture |
| Marie | Biscotti Italiano | 11th | Russian Box |
| Mat | Pistachio, Cranberry and White Chocolate Biscotti | 5th | Gingerbread Fire Engine |
| Nadiya | Coconut, Fennel and Pistachio Biscotti | 9th | Box of Fortunes |
| Paul | Chocolate, Hazelnut and Fig Biscotti | 10th | Memory Box |
| Sandy | Chocolate Chunk and Hazelnut Biscotti | 4th | Sundried Tomato Cheese Biscuit Box |
| Tamal | Cinnamon, Maple and Cranberry Biscotti | 8th | Chessboard Box |
| Ugnė | White Wine Biscotti | 7th | Baby Climbing into the Cookie Box |
Episode 3: Bread
In the first task, the bakers were given one and a half hour to make two quick bread to be made free-form. For the second task, Paul set the bakers the challenge of baking four identical crusty baguettes in two and a half hours. For the final showstopper, the bakers needed to make a 3D bread sculpture in five hours, using three types of dough, and one of them should be filled.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Alvin | Prosciutto, Manchego and Balsamic Onion Soda Breads | 4th | Cornucopia |
| Dorret | Walnut and Stilton Soda Breads | 6th | Unmade Bread |
| Flora | Fig and Hazelnut Rye Breads | 2nd | Herb Couture |
| Ian | Wild Garlic Pesto Soda Breads | 1st | Flour Power |
| Mat | Jalapeño, Mexican Cheddar and Smoked Salt Soda Breads | 8th | Curry Inspired Brighton Pavilion |
| Nadiya | Mexican Bread with Warm Tomato Salsa | 9th | Snake Charmer's Basket |
| Paul | Cranberry and Orange Sweet Soda Breads | 10th | King of the Jungle* |
| Sandy | Soda Breads with Smoked Bacon and Onion | 7th | Basket of Bread Flowers with a Walnut and Blue Cheese Centre |
| Tamal | Fig, Cheese and Walnut Breads | 3rd | Breadcycle |
| Ugnė | Chocolate Quick Breads with Salted Caramel Sauce | 5th | Easter Basket |
- Paul received the first ever special commendation for his showstopper King of the Jungle.
Episode 4: Desserts
| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Alvin | Blackberry Crème Brûlées | 9th | Tower of Fruits Cheesecakes |
| Flora | Rhubarb and Ginger Crème Brûlées | 3rd | Elderflower and Granola Cheesecakes |
| Ian | Pomegranate Two Ways Crème Brûlées | 4th | Trio of Spicy and Baked Cheesecakes |
| Mat | Coconut Crème Brûlées | 7th | Chocolate Bar Cheesecakes |
| Nadiya | Cinnamon Tea Crème Brûlées | 8th | Fizzy Pop Cheesecakes |
| Paul | Almond Crème Brûlées | 1st | Berry Cheesecake Tower |
| Sandy | Pontefract Crème Brûlées | 6th | Cassata, Whisky and Orange & Apple Pie Cheesecakes |
| Tamal | Rhubarb and Ginger Crème Brûlées | 5th | Mango, Hazelnut and Rosemary Cheesecake Trio |
| Ugnė | Marula Fruit and Coffee Liqueur Crème Brûlées | 2nd | Lime, Coconut and Hazelnut Cheesecakes |
Episode 5: Alternative Ingredients
This episode has a theme of using alternatives for ingredients usually used in baking. For the signature bake, the bakers were given the challenge of baking a cake, but without using sugar. They were given two and a half hour for the bake. For the technical bake, the challenge was to make twelve identical gluten-free pita breads in two hours. In the showstopper, the bakers needed to make an ice-cream roll using dairy-free ice-cream. They were given four and a half hours for the bake.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Alvin | Pineapple Upside Down Cake | 8th | Buko Pandan, Mango and Passion Fruit Ice Cream Roll |
| Flora | Pistachio, Apple and Cardamom Madeleine Cake | 3rd | Chocolate and Pear Bûche |
| Ian | Honey and Flowers Cake | 5th | Dessert Island |
| Mat | Sugar Free Carrot Cake | 4th | Raspberry & Coconut Ice Cream Roll |
| Nadiya | Naked Blueberry and Caraway Crunch Cake | 1st | Chocolate and Strawberry Lime Ice Cream Roll |
| Paul | Carrot & Pecan Cake | 2nd | Island Getaway |
| Tamal | Honey and Grapefruit Polenta Cake | 7th | Passion Fruit and Pineapple Ice Cream Roll |
| Ugnė | Chocolate and Hazelnut Sugar-Free Cake | 6th | Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Grape Jam Roll |
Episode 6: Pastry
For this week's signature challenge, the bakers had to make a Frangipane tart in two hours, the brief being that it must be open-topped and use shortcrust pastry. In the technical, the bakers had to make 12 Flauones, a cheese filled pastry made in Cyprus. They had two hours. Vol-au-vents were set as the Showstopper - the bakers had to make two types, all using their own puff pastry - in three hours and forty five minutes.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Alvin | Plum Frangipane Tart | 6th | Smoked Salmon En Croûte and Vermouth Chicken à la King Vol-au-vents |
| Flora | Apricot and Rosemary Frangipane Tart | 2nd | Asparagus and Parma Ham and Praline and Chocolate Vol-au-vents |
| Ian | Pear and Raspberry Frangipane Tart | 3rd | vol-au-vents Terre et Mer |
| Mat | Piña Colada Frangipane Tart | 1st | His 'n' Hers Vol-au-vents |
| Nadiya | Bay Leaf, Rong Tea and Pear Tart | 4th | Bengali Korma and Clementine with Cod Vol-au-vents |
| Paul | Christmas Frangipane Tart | 5th | Savoury and Sweet Bouchées |
| Tamal | Spiced Pear Frangipane Tart | 7th | Fennel and Rosemary Pulled Pork and Chicken and Coriander vol-au-vents |
Episode 7: Victorian
For the first challenge, the bakers had three hours to make a Raised Game Pie. The pie must have thin Hot water crust pastry, and must be very ornate, as most game pies from the era were. For the technical challenge, a Tennis fruit Cake was set for the bakers. The bakers were given three hours to make a fruit cake, along with royal icing and sugar paste, with much gelatine being used. A Charlotte Russe was set as the Showstopper. To be done in five and a half hours, the bake usually has ladyfingers around jelly and a sponge - with flavour and decoration being key.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Flora | Game Pie with Shallot and Apple Chutney | 4th | Raspberry, Pomegranate and Champagne Charlotte Russe |
| Ian | Roadkill Pie | 5th | Victoria's Crown Charlotte Russe |
| Mat | Raised Venison and Pigeon Pie | 6th | Strawberry Charlotte Russe |
| Nadiya | Aromatic Raised Game Pie | 1st | Mango and Raspberry Charlotte Russe |
| Paul | Not a Boaring Pie | 2nd | Charlotte Rose |
| Tamal | Middle Eastern Game Pie | 3rd | Spiced Blackberry, Raspberry and Cardamom Charlotte Russe |
Episode 8: Pâtisserie
In the first quarter-final challenge, the bakers had to make twenty-four cream horns in three and a half hours. They were asked to make twenty four cream horns - twelve of each flavour, using either puff, ruff puff or flaky pastry. Mary's recipe for nine Mochatines was set as the technical challenge. These were small, delicate genoise sponges, filled with a coffee buttercream meant to be attractive, as if "in a pâtisserie window". They would only have two hours. Religieuse à l'ancienne were set as the Showstopper challenge. These would be large éclairs, stood upright with no dowelling, and decorated with buttercream. They were given four hours, though the towers were left to stand for two hours afterwards, as traditional religieuse would have been left for such time. As a result, some of the towers began to collapse or lean upon being presented to Mary and Paul.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Flora | Peach & Lemon Thyme and Smoked Almond & Butterscotch Cream Horns | 3rd | Lime & Basil and Coconut & White Chocolate Religieuse à l'ancienne |
| Ian | Mont Blanc & Black Forest Gâteau Horns | 2nd | Nun with Hidden Passions |
| Nadiya | Rose Pistachio and Mocha Hazelnut Horns | 1st | Bubble Gum and Peppermint Cream Religieuse à l'ancienne |
| Paul | Café Tipple & Banana Crunch-away Horns | 5th | Religieuse à l'ancienne |
| Tamal | Lime & Mascarpone and Malt Cream Horns | 4th | Passionfruit & Mango and Pistachio & Raspberry Religieuse à l'ancienne |
Episode 9: Chocolate (Semi-final)
For the first challenge, the bakers had two and a half hours to make a chocolate tart. The tart had to be ornate, intricate, and full of flavour. For the technical, the bakers faced a staggered start, and were each given one hour and fifteen minutes to make a chocolate soufflé - with Flora starting first, followed by Ian, Nadiya, then Tamal. A chocolate centrepiece was set as the showstopper. In four hours, the bakers had to create an ornate centrepiece using white chocolate in some form and including a biscuit element, the centrepiece having to be free-standing and attractive. Flora's elimination meant that she was the first baker to have finished first in the technical challenge and be eliminated the same week.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Flora | Passion Fruit and Chocolate Tart | 1st | Cocoa Carousel |
| Ian | Chocolate and Bay Tart | 3rd | Chocolate Well |
| Nadiya | Peanut Salted Caramel and Chocolate Tart | 4th | Peacock in Nan's Door |
| Tamal | Chocolate New York Pie | 2nd | Chocolate Bell Tower |
Episode 10: Final
In the final signature challenge, the bakers had to make 16 iced buns, of which there must be two kinds, in three hours. In the technical, the judges decided to use one of Paul's recipes; the bakers had to bake six raspberry-flavoured mille-feuille with fondant icing in two hours. The recipe involved pastry - something all of the bakers had struggled with in Week Six. In the final Showstopper, the bakers were given four hours to make a classic British cake in a minimum three-layered presentation.| Baker | Signature | Technical | Showstopper |
| Ian | Elderflower and Lemon & Spiced Buns | 2nd | Colossal Curvy Carrot Cake |
| Nadiya | Cardamom and Almond Buns & Nutmeg and Sour Cherry Fingers | 1st | My Big Fat British Wedding Cake |
| Tamal | Cinnamon and Apple & Toffee and Marmalade Iced Buns | 3rd | Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake |
Masterclasses
Mary and Paul show how to bake some of their favourite recipes and technical challenges.Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Christmas special
Controversies
Betting
As the show was pre-recorded, the winner of the show would have been known by those involved in the show. Bookmaker Ladbrokes halted betting on the show after "a run of bets" was placed for one contestant, many at shops in the Ipswich area.It was also claimed that dozens of employees of BBC as well as the production company, Love Productions, had opened gambling accounts to place bets on the eventual winner.
Spoilers
In a BBC Radio 2 broadcast, judge Mary Berry accidentally revealed the eliminated contestant prior to the airing of episode three.Contestants
Contestant Marie Campbell, who was the first Star Baker of the series, was criticised for being "semi-professional", after it emerged that she had been trained in Ecole Escoffier at the Ritz in Paris where she specialised in patisserie. A statement from the BBC said: "There are strict criteria to take part in the show and Marie met those criteria. She gained a certificate for one week’s training in Paris in 1984, more than 10 years ago. She has not worked professionally as a baker or chef."Post-show career
Nadiya Hussain regularly appears on The One Show on BBC1. Her own cookery show, The Chronicles of Nadiya started on 24 August 2016 on BBC One. Hussain writes a weekly column for The Times Magazine, a part of the Saturday supplement of The Times, as well as a monthly column in Essentials magazine. Her recipes have also appeared in BBC's Good Food magazine.Hussain was signed by UK publisher Michael Joseph, part of Penguin Random House, for her debut book Nadiya's Kitchen, which is a collection of the recipes that she cooks for friends and family. Hussain has written a children's book of stories and recipes, Bake Me A Story, due to be published by Hodder Children's Books, which blends updated versions of fairytales with colourful illustrations and child-friendly recipes. She is also writing three contemporary women’s fiction novels for Harlequin.
Tamal Ray writes a monthly column for The Guardian. He presented a television show on health on Channel 4 titled Be Your Own Doctor.
Flora Shedden studied for a year at the University of Edinburgh but deferred on a course on art history at the University of St Andrews for a year to concentrate on writing a cookbook, Gatherings, published in January 2017. She wrote a column on baking for The Scotsman.
Ratings
According to the overnight ratings, the opening episode of the series 6 of Bake Off was watched by 9.3 million viewers, a rise of over 2 million from the previous year. The final was watched by an overnight audience of 13.4 million viewers peaking at 14.5, the highest overnight total of 2015. The list of ten most-watched television programmes of 2015 was also dominated by The Great British Bake Off, with seven of the year's ten being episodes of The Great British Bake Off.Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.
| Episode no. | Airdate | 7 day viewers | 28 day viewers | BBC One weekly ranking | Weekly ranking all channels | BBC iPlayer requests |
| 1 | 11.62 | 11.73 | 1 | 1 | 2,063,000 | |
| 2 | 11.59 | 11.84 | 1 | 1 | 1,977,000 | |
| 3 | 12.01 | 1 | 1 | 1,760,000 | ||
| 4 | 12.36 | 12.67 | 1 | 1 | 1,539,000 | |
| 5 | 12.39 | 12.63 | 1 | 1 | 1,930,000 | |
| 6 | 12.00 | 12.26 | 1 | 1 | 1,869,000 | |
| 7 | 12.35 | 12.58 | 1 | 1 | 1,841,000 | |
| 8 | 11.09 | 11.35 | 1 | 1 | 1,748,000 | |
| 9 | 12.65 | 12.78 | 1 | 1 | 1,370,000 | |
| 10 | 15.05 | 15.16 | 1 | 1 | 1,619,000 |