Comedian Tom Walker joins Great Australian Bake Off as new co-host
A new co-host is set to join Great Australian Bake Off when Season 8 premieres on Foxtel and BINGE later this year.
On Monday, the Foxtel Group announced that much-loved comedian Tom Walker will co-host the popular baking show alongside existing host Natalie Tran.
Walker steps into the iconic shed for the first time with fan favourite Tran, and together they will be joined by esteemed returning judges, British culinary icon Rachel Khoo and Aussie pastry king Darren Purchese.
Walker replaces former co-host, beloved comedian Cal Wilson, who sadly passed away from a sudden illness in 2023.
'I truly loved being a part of The Great Australian Bake Off,' Walker said in a statement. 'The whole crew is so warm, funny, welcoming and kind, and the bakers are so talented it blows my mind.'
'To the little boy who grew up thinking he'd never see a biscuitcity – you were wrong. I'm thrilled to be part of the Bake Off Family.'
In a separate statement shared on Instagram, Walker – who rocks an eye-catching cardigan in the first promo pics – gushed: 'They let me keep the cardigans and I am still not sure how to pronounce or spell millefeuille! This was genuinely so much fun I struggle to talk about and not sound completely nuts … I am very, very, very happy.'
Walker is no stranger to television, winning over viewers with his infectious charm on shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia and Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee.
The stand-up comic has also won accolades in his industry. In 2016, he won Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and that same year he nabbed the Director's Choice Award at the Sydney Comedy Festival.
The hosting news comes almost two years after the death of Wilson, who hosted the show alongside Tran from 2022. The New Zealand-born comic and TV personality passed away in October 2023 following a short illness. She was 53.
At the time of her death, Wilson had already filmed four episodes of Season 7, with Tran taking on hosting duties solo for the remainder of the season following the tragic news.
'Season 7 of The Great Australian Bake Off holds a special place in all our hearts,' Wendy Moore, Director of Foxtel Channels and Content and Lifestyle Group General Manager, said at the time.
'Cal's passing was a devastating shock to the Bake Off family, and she is dearly missed by everyone who knew her. Her deep love for this show and her unique blend of charisma and kindness brightened the shed every day.'
Moore said it was with the full support of Wilson's family and 'with Cal in our hearts' that Season 7 was able to premiere 11 months after her death.
'This year, Bake Off holds a special place in our hearts and allows us to truly celebrate Cal,' Tran added ahead of last year's premiere.
'This season is a tribute to her memory, the incredible talent of our bakers, and the genuine camaraderie that makes the show so special.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Requirement for professional carpet cleaning at end of lease ruled invalid in Tasmania
Tasmanian tenants are not necessarily required to have their carpets professionally cleaned when they vacate their rental property, despite "almost all" leases saying they are, a ruling has found. In a recent bond dispute regarding a Burnie property, the Residential Tenancy Commissioner found the tenant is only required to have the carpet professionally cleaned if they leave it in a worse state than when they began their lease. "A tenant is not responsible for carpet cleaning performed as a matter of general practice as opposed to any real need or genuine failure of the tenant, in accordance with their obligations," it states. The Tenants Union of Tasmania, which represented the tenant, said this was the first definitive ruling on the matter and was a legally enforceable decision. "It really shines a light that a blanket clause in standard tenancy agreements that says you have to have premises professionally cleaned is invalid," Tenants Union senior solicitor Andrew Smith said. "A tenant has the right not to do it, if they've left it in the same condition as when they moved in and there's proof of that. Mr Smith said despite the ruling, the condition to have carpets professionally cleaned was appearing in leases "all the time", as it was in the standard lease provided to landlords by the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania. "It is in the standard Real Estate Institute lease almost all real estate agents will use and a lot of private landlords will choose to use, even some social housing providers are using these leases," he said. The Real Estate Institute of Tasmania has declined to comment. In the case that led to this ruling, the Residential Tenancy Commissioner said the owner had provided a photo of a "small yellow stain on the carpet of one of the bedrooms, which was not recorded in the ingoing condition report". But no other photos had been supplied showing the condition of the carpet at the end of the tenant's lease. Hence, the commissioner said the tenant was only responsible for the cost of cleaning that one stain. "I will award an amount I consider reasonable given the stain in question is very small, even when photographed close up," the ruling states. "The owner is awarded $25 for carpet cleaning." The case also dealt with the cost of fumigating the property, given the tenant had a pet. The tenant had argued the same principle should apply to fumigation as carpet cleaning, but the commissioner took a different view. "While I understand they seem similar in nature, carpet cleaning is predominantly cosmetic and the requirement can be determined based on outgoing photographs," the ruling says. "Fumigation is considered a necessary measure to return the property to a hygienic state and remove pests, dander and other allergens associated with pets in the premises. "Therefore, I am satisfied that a requirement for fumigation at the end of a tenancy is reasonable and is not inconsistent with the [Residential Tenancy] Act." The Tenants Union said it did not agree entirely with the commissioner's interpretation of the law. "We think it's a similar issue and that clauses requiring professional fumigation unconditionally are also invalid if they're not required by the condition of the premises," Mr Smith said. "Say if the tenant had a dog that always stayed outside or simply a fish in a fish tank, why is a tick and flea spray required inside the premises?"
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Here are the biggest takeaways so far from Erin Patterson's testimony in her murder trial
Accused triple-murderer Erin Patterson has continued to give evidence in her own trial as it edges closer to an end. Ms Patterson's defence lawyer, Colin Mandy SC, called her to the stand late on Monday to begin questioning her. The 50-year-old has been charged with murder and attempted murder after three relatives died from death cap mushroom poisoning following a meal prepared and served by Ms Patterson. Another relative, Ian Wilkinson, fell seriously ill but survived. While Ms Patterson is expected to take the stand again on Wednesday — answering questions from her defence lawyers before the prosecution has the opportunity to cross-examine her — here are some of the key things we have learned so far during her testimony. On Tuesday, Ms Patterson conceded that the beef Wellington dish she prepared for her relatives contained death cap mushrooms. "Do you accept that there must have been death cap mushrooms in [the meal]?" her defence lawyer, Colin Mandy SC, asked. "Yes, I do," Ms Patterson replied. Ms Patterson has always maintained her innocence and her lawyers argue the deaths were a tragic accident. She told the court the majority of the mushrooms used in the deadly meal had come from the local Woolworths in Leongatha and some from a grocer in Melbourne. She said mushrooms she purchased from an Asian grocer in April 2023 smelt "very pungent", so she put them in a container and took them back to her Leongatha home to store them. Earlier in the trial, the jury was shown messages sent between Ms Patterson and some of her online friends criticising her in-laws. In one of those messages, Ms Patterson wrote: "This family I swear to f***ing go". "I'm sick of this shit, I want nothing to do with them … So f*** 'em," another message read. On Tuesday, she told the court she wished she had never said those things. The court heard that Ms Patterson regretted the language she had used and "played up the emotion" to get support from her online friends. In previously heard evidence, a Facebook friend of Ms Patterson said she was openly an atheist and had described clashes with her estranged husband, Simon, stemming from his rigid religious beliefs. But on Tuesday, Ms Patterson confirmed to the jury that she was Christian. "They would gently make fun of the fact that I was religious, and I would try to, I don't know, evangelise back to them in a sense," she said when asked about the online comments she made to friends that she was an atheist. "But it was all in good humour." Ms Patterson outlined to the jury that she developed an interest in wild mushrooms while going on walks during the first COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. She told the court she noticed lots of them popping up at the Korumburra Botanical Gardens during those walks. Eventually, she said, she became confident in her ability to identify different species of mushrooms, even eating some she picked herself. "They tasted good and I didn't get sick," she said. The court also heard that Ms Patterson would dehydrate mushrooms she foraged as well as some she purchased from the store to dry and preserve them. Previously, the court heard she lied to police about owning a food dehydrator and foraging for mushrooms. During her testimony on Tuesday, Ms Patterson recounted experiences that had damaged her trust in the medical system, including health episodes involving her children where she felt her concerns were not being listened to. She told the jury she often turned to "Doctor Google", including one time when she convinced herself that she had a brain tumour. She admitted to the jury that she never had ovarian cancer but that she had been experiencing chronic headaches, fatigue, abdominal pain, sudden weight gain and fluid retention. Throughout the trial, the court has heard a cancer diagnosis was the reason Ms Patterson invited her guests to the lunch in question. She also told the court she never had a needle biopsy on a lump on her elbow, which she spoke to her mother-in-law, Gail Patterson, about in messages shown to the jury. Ms Patterson outlined that she had had body image issues since she was a teenager and said that her mother had weighed her weekly as a child. "I've tried every diet under the sun … it's been a rollercoaster over the years," she said. Ms Patterson was visibly emotional when she spoke about being bulimic and binge eating. Ms Patterson spoke about multiple separations between her and her estranged husband, Simon. During her evidence, she said the separation was "difficult" but the pair "went back to just being really good friends". "I didn't want to separate, but I felt there was no choice," she said on Tuesday. "Our primary problem was, if we had a disagreement or any kind of conflict, we didn't seem to be able to talk about it in a way where either of us felt heard or understood. "We just felt hurt, and we didn't really know how to do that well." Ms Patterson told the court she had put three properties under her and Simon's names because she "wanted some way to demonstrate to Simon [that] I see a future for us". Simon previously gave evidence of the pair's tumultuous relationship. "I'll put it this way, she would leave each time … it was always her leaving me," he previously told the court.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Catfishing': Dodgy tradies' insane rip off tactics exposed
Frustrating issues normally seen in the dating world have rocked Australia's home repairs and renovations industry, with homeowners warned about a concerning rise in 'catfish tradies'. These smooth talking operators have been reported to be luring unsuspecting clients with too-good-to-be-true quotes, only to spring them with extra charges once works begin. Catfish tradies also include companies who misrepresent their previous jobs with fake imagery or qualifications and then deliver shonky projects that fall well short of what clients were promised. It comes as hipages research showed Australians' confidence in tradies has eroded over time, with 66 per cent of those surveyed in a recent poll saying they struggled to find one they could trust. This lack of trust, coupled with a widespread ignorance about proper qualifications and pricing, is creating perfect waters for these Catfish Tradies to thrive, according to hipages. Homeowners caught in the web of catfishing tradies were losing thousands of dollars on projects that were substandard or didn't deliver on specifications. Relationship expert Sera Bozza said it was homeowners' lack of understanding of how to select a tradie that was creating a particularly favourable environment for catfishing behaviours. Many people still relied on gut feeling, handshakes and false recommendations for sourcing tradies, which made it easier for them to be exploited, Ms Bozza said. 'Sometimes tradies can be really charming and the homeowner will get swept up by it all,' she said. 'Often what happens is there is a lump sum quote that's given in the beginning but once they get to the job it becomes itemised. It's all added up to a total and it's a lot higher. '(Catfishing) tradies misrepresent their experience, qualifications and past work to win jobs … they offer quotes that seem too good to be true and often use misrepresented photos to seal the deal.' Ms Bozza added that a lack of knowledge about pricing exacerbated the issue. About two thirds of those polled by hipages said they were in the dark about how much hiring a tradie should cost, leaving them vulnerable to inflated invoices and hidden fees. 'About 2 million Aussies have hired the wrong tradie at some point,' Ms Bozza said, 'Platforms like hipages let tradies show reviews, but there are other ways people find tradies and without these verifications it's easy to go by just a handshake or a feeling. 'Many people don't know what they are looking for. It's essentially guesswork. And that makes it rife for catfishing.' Ms Bozza highlighted some key red flags homeowners should watch out for – many of which were similar to certain types of dating trends. These behaviours were categorised as: > Mr Unreliable: A tradie who promises to call but never does. 'Trust comes from consistency,' Ms Bozza warned. 'If they're hard to reach before the job starts, imagine how they'll handle your timeline.' > The Pick-Me Tradie: Someone who trashes other tradies to win your job. 'If they need to bag out the competition to look good, they're not the better choice,' Ms Bozza said. > The Zero Footprint: An operator with no reviews, license, or verified history. 'If you can't find anything about them online, there's a likely reason,' Ms Bozza said. > Lying About Their Height (and Their Quotes): Quoting one price and invoicing another. > The Catfish Carpenter: Photoshopped pics and work that looks nothing like promised. 'Being catfished by an unqualified tradie can leave you feeling betrayed and duped with dodgy results.' Signs of a good tradie were that they confirmed quotes and actually showed up, Ms Bozza added. They also had legitimate photos and something of an online presence with substantive reviews.
