The Great British Bake Off fans call Noel Fielding a ‘national treasure’ as show returns

Baking competition series returned on Tuesday

The Great British Bake Off is back and fans are celebrating the return of Noel Fielding to their screens.

The Channel 4 competition series began on Tuesday (21 September) night, with 12 new contestants competing to be named the nation’s best amateur baker. You can see all the bakers competing on series 12 here.

Viewers celebrated the return of Bake Off, with many particularly praising The Mighty Boosh star Fielding, who co-hosts with Matt Lucas.

“Noel Fielding is a national treasure. We must protect him at all cost,” one tweet read.

“It’s that time of year where I lust over Noel Fielding’s collection of knitwear I can’t afford, while shoving cake in my face,” another fan commented.

Another said that “words will never express my utter LOVE for Noel Fielding”.

“Whoever picked noel fielding to host this THANK YOU,” one social media user wrote.

The Independent’s Clemence Michallon gave the new series of GBBO a four-star review, writing that the opening episode feels “amazingly not stale”.

The Great British Bake Off continues Tuesday 28 September at 8pm on Channel 4.