Alison Hammond outshines iconic Great British Bake Off contestants as fans gush over ‘perfect’ presenter on Christmas special

The Great Christmas Bake Off crowned its 2023 winner on Sunday, with Sophie Faldo winning for the second time.

However, while Sophie may have been the star baker, it was Alison Hammond who was the show’s standout figure, with viewers flocking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their love for her.

Alison took on the role of co-host alongside Noel Fielding this year after Matt Lucas left the show.

And viewers were delighted with her antics in the Christmas special, writing: “Alison Hammond is one of the best things to happen to #bakeoff in years.” She’s such a breath of fresh air.” “Alison shines so much more in this than in the main series #GBBO.”

“Alison Hammond is perfect for this show”; “I love Alison Hammond so much #GBBO”; “This is the most stunning dress Alison Hammond has seen this year. I can make this judgment with the full confidence of someone who has seen her entire 2023 wardrobe. Because she was on absolutely everything, on every channel, every single day. #GBBO ” Alison “are you looking? There are some good cameramen here” made me.’

Alison Hammond outshone the iconic Great British Bake Off contestants on Sunday as fans admired the host of the cooking show's Christmas special.

Alison Hammond outshone the iconic Great British Bake Off contestants on Sunday as fans admired the host of the cooking show’s Christmas special.

While Sophie may have been the star baker, it was Alison Hammond who stood out on the show, with viewers flocking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their love for her.

While Sophie may have been the star baker, it was Alison Hammond who stood out on the show, with viewers flocking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their love for her.

During the Christmas Special Sophie, the series eight champion, returned for another shot at the title with victories over Dan Beasley-Harling, Amelia Le Bruin, Linda Rayfield, George Aristides and Carole Edwards.

She wowed judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with her festive baking after they were tasked with three challenges.

In the first round, bakers had to bake 12 pies with their own special flavor. The technician then saw that they were assigned to bake a cinnamon loaf.

In the last Showstopper, they put together a giant cake.

Speaking about her win, Sophie shared: “Wow, I’m so happy. What a wonderful way to start Christmas. I’m going to take this (decorative plate) home and enjoy the mince pies.”

Prue added: “Sophie had the courage to come back because she had so much to lose. That was five years ago, but of course she has grown since then.

“She’s organized and thorough – when she does something, oh my God, she does it right.”

While everyone seemed happy with Sophie’s win, no one was without a doubt feeling better than Prue, who had a chance at redemption after ruining Sophie’s first win.

While the Bake Off winner is always a closely guarded secret, in one disastrous tweet, Prue accidentally revealed that Sophie had won the 2017 series hours before the final aired, causing inevitable devastation from the show’s loyal fans.

Alison took on the role of co-host alongside Noel Fielding this year after Matt Lucas left the show.

Alison took on the role of co-host alongside Noel Fielding this year after Matt Lucas left the show.

The Great Christmas Bake Off crowned its 2023 winner on Sunday, with Sophie Faldo winning for the second time.

The Great Christmas Bake Off crowned its 2023 winner on Sunday, with Sophie Faldo winning for the second time.

While everyone seemed happy about Sophie's win, no one was without a doubt feeling better than Prue, who had a chance at redemption after ruining Sophie's first win.

While everyone seemed happy about Sophie’s win, no one was without a doubt feeling better than Prue, who had a chance at redemption after ruining Sophie’s first win.

Even the official Great British Bake Off X account couldn't resist poking fun at Prue's gaffe.

Even the official Great British Bake Off X account couldn’t resist poking fun at Prue’s gaffe.

Sophie, the series eight champion, defeated (LR) Linda Rayfield, Dan Beasley-Harling, Amelia Le Bruin, George Aristides and Carol Edwards.

Sophie, the series eight champion, defeated (LR) Linda Rayfield, Dan Beasley-Harling, Amelia Le Bruin, George Aristides and Carol Edwards.

Sophie was the first to win Bake Off in her new Channel 4 home, but her big moment was overshadowed by an embarrassing gaffe.

Prue, who was in Bhutan at the time, blamed the time difference for her mistake on social media, where she saw her tweet: “Nobody told me judging the Bake Off final would be this emotional. I wanted them to win everything. Well done Sophie.

The tweet was quickly deleted and Prue apologized, writing: “I’m in Bhutan. The time difference is colossal. I thought they got it six hours ago. I’m in too bad a state to talk about it. I screwed up.

Prue’s gaffe sent Bake Off fans into a frenzy, with many responding by sharing comical memes inspired by the judge’s astronomically ill-advised tweet.

Many of the jokes involved Mary Berry, who was Paul Hollywood’s fellow judge on the beloved show when it aired on the BBC.

When she stepped down following the announcement of the show’s move to Channel 4, Prue was chosen as her replacement – and fans were quick to joke that Mary might take some satisfaction from the mistake.

The Great British Bake Off returns for a New Year’s Eve special on January 1, with returning stars Maxi Maligisa, Jurgen Krauss, Maggie Richardson and Mark Lutton back in the tent.

In the first round, bakers had to bake 12 pies with their own special flavor.  The technician then saw that they were assigned to bake a cinnamon loaf.

In the first round, bakers had to bake 12 pies with their own special flavor. The technician then saw that they were assigned to bake a cinnamon loaf.

Sophie wowed judges Paul Hollywood and Prue and also hosted Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond with her festive baking after they were tasked with completing three challenges.

Sophie wowed judges Paul Hollywood and Prue and also hosted Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond with her festive baking after they were tasked with completing three challenges.