Great Christmas Bake Off Odds: Who Will Win Festive Celebrity Version?
It wouldn't be Christmas without a festive celebrity version of The Great British Bake Off.
This year's edition of The Great Christmas Bake Off is a battle of the soap stars, and it's tight at the top of the outright market on betting sites.
EastEnders' on-screen siblings Dean Gaffney and Natalie Cassidy, plus Emmerdale stars past and present Sheree Murphy and Chris Bisson are in the show.
They will be joined by former Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati - who also briefly appeared in EastEnders and Doctors - competing for the coveted Festive Star Baker title, but who will scoop the accolade?
Nat's Helpful Daughter
EastEnders legend Natalie - who has played trumpet-playing Sonia Fowler on the BBC soap since 1993 - is a fan of cooking, but she also has a link to Bake Off.
In 2022, Natalie revealed her daughter Eliza had been taking part in Junior Bake Off.
The actress decided against telling fans that Eliza was to compete in the competition, saying she wanted the focus to be on her daughter rather than her, and the youngster narrowly missed out on a place in the top eight.
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Despite that, Natalie will have no doubt asked Eliza for some tips ahead of her foray into the tent, and she might have picked some more up from the TV.
In May, Natalie admitted cooking programmes are her TV "turn-ons".
She told the Metro newspaper: "Turn-ons would be any cooking programme. I know people think that’s dull but for me, comfort watching is MasterChef, or a little bit of Jamie Oliver."
She heads into Christmas Bake Off as the narrow 13/8 favourite, but looks likely to face huge competition from Shobna and Sheree.
'Experienced' Cook Shobna
Like Natalie, Shobna is also a fan of cooking shows - and she's appeared in a couple.
During an appearance on Celebrity MasterChef in 2009, Shobna made the semi-finals - but she had the odd mishap along the way.
She told the Manchester Evening News: "I even managed to burn cheese - but at least I didn’t burn water."
However, the ex-Corrie star insisted cooking is one of her "favourite things".
She added to the publication: "It’s one of my dreams to one day open a cafe in Manchester. A place where you could get really fresh, home-cooked food."
The Great Christmas Bake Off 2024 Winner Odds
Contestant | Odds | Probability |
Natalie Cassidy | 13/8 | 38.1% |
Shobna Gulati | 2/1 | 33.3% |
Sheree Murphy | 5/2 | 28.6% |
Chris Bisson | 4/1 | 20% |
Dean Gaffney | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Shobna went on to take part in the celebrity version of Best Home Cook in 2021, finishing fifth out of 10.
On the BBC website, it states: "She is an experienced home cook with a wealth of experience and the ability to cook multiple dishes at once, with ease."
The BBC Food website also features several of Shobna's recipes, including chocolate mousse cake and a coconut prawn curry.
While she may be experienced in the kitchen, Shobna will have to avoid any cheese-burning moments if she is to taste victory in the Bake Off tent.
If she does, then the 2/1 on betting apps for Shobna to claim the Festive Star Baker prize could look big by the end of the episode.
Sheree In Contention
The Great Christmas Bake Off will see the stars tasked with a Signature challenge, in which they have to put their own spin on the traditional yule log, and a Technical that will test their meringue skills.
For the final Showstopper, the quintet will be challenged to showcase one of their famous soap storylines - in biscuit form.
Sheree will appear in Christmas Bake Off nearly 10 years after her Celebrity MasterChef stint.
She reached the semi-final of the BBC cooking competition in 2015, but admitted afterwards it was a "frightening" experience.
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
The actress told the Daily Express newspaper: "I’ve been in front of cameras, but when I did MasterChef it was just so frightening."
Sheree went on to become the presenter of 2016 BBC One cookery programme Yes Chef!, and she may have picked up some vital culinary tips.
She is 5/2 to win Christmas Bake Off, ahead of 4/1 chance Chris and 6/1 shot Dean.
Like Sheree, Chris has also taken part in Celebrity MasterChef, finishing 15th in the second series.
Dean is yet to grace the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen, but he admitted to not being a "very good cook" when he took part in the 2006 edition of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
Upon returning for spin-off show I’m A Celebrity...South Africa last year, he reflected on his first time in the jungle series, saying: "I was in my twenties when I did the show and I wasn’t a very good cook so it made me realise how to fend for myself!"
Whatever Dean gets up to in the Bake Off tent, there will no doubt be some banter between him and Natalie, who have played EastEnders brother and sister Robbie and Sonia since 1993.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
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