Great British Bake Off announces It's a Sin cast for special

In the wake of the brilliant It's a Sin's huge success, some of the show's cast members are set to reunite for a special edition of The Great British Bake Off.

Following in the footsteps of the show's excellent Derry Girls episode, the Channel 4 baking series will feature a special edition this Christmas with actors Olly Alexander, Lydia West, Nathaniel Curtis and Shaun Dooley.

The stars – who play Ritchie Tozer, Jill Baxter, Ash Mukherjee and Ritchie's dad Clive, respectively – will put their baking skills to the test in front of judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, while hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas will also be on hand.

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The Christmas episode, which has yet to confirm an air date, is one of two newly-announced specials, with The Great Festive Bake Off also returning in the New Year, with series nine bakers Kim-Joy and Jon and series 11's Hermine and Rowan returning.

It's a Sin, which was created by returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, explores the impacts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s, centring on a group of friends in London.

Speaking to Digital Spy about the impact of the show, Curtis admitted: "None of us expected it. I was speaking to someone yesterday, and they said, 'The show is a movement.' I was like, 'What? OK.' That's fantastic.

"We're glad that our work can mean so much to people, and that it's been able to open conversations, and it's given people this pride, this yearning to learn more about what happened, and what can be done."

However, Davies has ruled out a second series of It's a Sin, revealing earlier this year: "It was lovely. It said everything I wanted to say."

Meanwhile, The Great British Bake Off's latest series is fast approaching its conclusion, with four bakers left in the tent ahead of next week's semi-final.

The Great British Bake Off airs on Tuesdays at 8pm Channel 4 in the UK. In the US, it's known as The Great British Baking Show, and streams on Netflix.