The Great British Bake Off hit by ‘fix’ claims after the first episode

The Great British Bake Off has been hit by fix claims - just one episode into the series.

The cooking competition returned to the small screen last night [August 28], with a new batch of contestants showing Paul and Prue their biscuit-based talents. But, as it turns out, one of the frontrunners of the series has already competed in a cooking show - which some viewers think is an unfair advantage. Manon Legreve, who was crowned this series' first Star Baker, first appeared on BBC's The Box back in 2015. The competition was hosted by celebrity chef James Martin and saw challengers try and whip up a dish of their choice with a box full of limited ingredients. A TV source pointed out to The Sun that Manon's previous cooking show experience could make it an un-level playing field. They added:

“Bake Off is all about normal people who enjoy creating food masterpieces being plucked from nowhere to try and become Britain’s top amateur baker. “For one person to have been in a TV environment before gives them a huge advantage."

But a spokesperson for The Great British Bake Off insisted that Manon's appearance on The Box should not affect her place on this series. They said in a statement to the publication:

"We are fully aware that Manon appeared in one episode of The Box and this does not affect her eligibility to take part in The Great British Bake Off."