[title]
It’s an institution now looking at least as solid as the channel-hopping TV series its name is inspired by: staged at the Actors’ Church in Covent Garden, West End Bake Off enters its third year on Saturday. National treasure Babs Windsor will be returning as judge once more, ably assisted by Arlene Philips and actor Janie Dee (replacing last year’s co-judges Christopher Biggins and Michael Ball, pictured).
The concept is simple as you like: the casts of the West End’s biggest musicals and comedies – including ‘School of Rock’, ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘The Book of Mormon’ and ‘Les Miserables’ – will bake (hopefully) delicious cakes. Barbara Windsor and cohorts will judge them. And then the public – who are invited down to watch the whole thing for free (suggested donation £1) – can buy said cakes and hang out with the casts, with all money raised going to Acting for Others, an umbrella organisation that represents 15 UK theatrical charities and uses the funds it raises to offer emotional and financial support to members of the entertainment industry who have fallen on hard times through illness, injury or circumstance.
Yeah, maybe you’ll have a hangover or whatever, but it is hard to imagine there’s anything more fun happening in London on Saturday morning – so do get involved.
‘West End Bake Off’ is at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden. Sat May 20, 10.30am-1pm (get down early to see the baking).
In other cake-based news, a pop-up bake off competition is coming to London (in a tent!).