Olly Alexander is going from the Pink Palace to the Bake Off tent.
Channel 4 revealed on Thursday (November 11) that the cast of It’s a Sin is reuniting for a Great British Bake Off holiday special called The Great Christmas Bake Off, set to air later this year. Alexander, who starred as Ritchie Tozer in the limited series, will be joined by his co-stars Lydia West, Nathaniel Curtis, and Shaun Dooley to see who among the Sinners will be crowned Star Baker.
The cast will be judged by Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, with Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas on hand to host.
On your marks, get set… La! We’re turning our Tent into the Pink Palace as the stars of award-winning @Channel4 drama It’s A Sin don their aprons for The Great Christmas Bake Off! 🎄
Line-up: Olly Alexander, Lydia West, Nathaniel Curtis, Shaun Dooley
Date: To be revealed!#GBBO pic.twitter.com/p0rOCEnGrM— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 11, 2021
The It’s a Sin reunion will be one of two Great British Bake Off holiday specials to air this year. The other one will see Bake Off fan favorites from Series 9, Kim-Joy and Jon, face off against Series 11’s Rowan and Hermine.
It’s been quite a year for the cast of It’s a Sin. The 1980s-set gay drama premiered in February on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and HBO Max in the United States, smashing streaming records and earning rave reviews from critics. It even had a real-life effect, with orders for HIV tests in the U.K. quadrupling the week after the show’s premiere.
“We all knew we’d made a good piece of work. We were proud of it,” series writer-creator Russell T. Davies told Logo back in February. “And we were kind of prepared to be proud of it in the face of universal silence, which is a skill in cultivating television. So to have this, and not just viewing figures, but we’re on every television station, we’re on every chat show. You cannot turn on the radio without someone talking about it. It’s a proper high-profile buzz, and that’s just delightful.”
Channel 4 has yet to announce an air date for The Great Christmas Bake Off, and there is no word yet on when it will be available to watch in the U.S. But no matter who wins, we know it will be a fa-la-la-La festive time.