BBC LIFESTYLE REVEALS NEW LOCAL LINE-UP FOR THE GREAT SOUTH AFRICAN BAKE OFF SEASON 4
BBC Lifestyle reveals its judge and presenter line-up for local commission, The Great South African Bake Off Season 4. The 10-part series, which will search for the nation’s best amateur baker, will be judged by chefs Siba Mtongana and Paul Hartmann and presented by Lesego Thlabi and Glen Biderman-Pam. The Love Productions format will once again be produced locally by award-winning production company Rapid Blue and will air on BBC Lifestyle, DStv channel 174, this August.
Siba Mtongana is an international multi-award winning culinary extraordinaire, food expert, author of best-selling cookbooks and host of Siba’s Table which has broadcast in over 150 countries worldwide. With an academic background in Food Science and culinary art, Siba has also launched a premium dining establishment, Siba The Restaurant in Cape Town, her own company The Siba Co Group and Siba at Home Kitchenware. As a Harvard Business School case study, five US Film and Television Awards and over 10 awards locally, Siba has become a global food icon and South Africa’s premier culinary phenomenon.
Chef Paul Hartmann’s extensive culinary experience includes working at the prestigious Royal Hotel in Durban, The Mount Nelson in Cape Town and now owns Woodstock Bakery in Cape Town. He was elected to the South African National Culinary team and represented the country at over eleven international culinary competitions, garnering in excess of 24 medals. Paul is committed to training and betterment of young chefs and is now the owner of South African Chefs Academy, a training facility for new chefs entering the industry.
Lesego Tlhabi is a South African satirist, screenwriter, presenter, actress and content producer best known for her comedic character, Coconut Kelz. In 2018 she landed a regular slot on Phemelo Motene’s Radio 702 weekend, 2019 she published Coconut Kelz’s Guide to Surviving this Shithole in collaboration with Jonathan Ball Publishers and in 2021 landed a gig as a co-host of the SABC3 daytime talk show Trending SA, a recurring role (as Kelz) on the Showmax comedy series Tali’s Baby Diary and her first starring acting role in television as Zaza Moloi in the SABC1 telenovela uBettina Wethu, based on the international series Ugly Betty.
Actor, comedian, writer and director Glen Biderman-Pam has multiple awards under his belt with his production company Panther Punch. He has co-hosted two seasons of the late night talk show WTF Tumi on SABC3, had his own rugby based comedy talk show Off The Bench with Glen Bierderman-Pam on Comedy Central and plays in the hit TV show Tali’s Diaries on Showmax.
The Great South African Bake Off is sure to provide inspiration and delicious fun as twelve amateur bakers pull out all the stops to impress Siba and Paul with their originality and skill, hoping to bake their way to the final. Each week the bakers race against the clock to deliver a mouth-watering, show-stopping creation and after ten weeks of whisking, kneading and piping, only one can be crowned the winner. The new season will air on Wednesday 9th August at 8pm on BBC Lifestyle, DStv channel 174.
Tom Balfour, Director of Programming and Commissioning at BBC Studios says: “We’re thrilled to announce an incredible line-up of local talent for the fourth season of the Great South African Bake Off. Siba and Paul will bring skill, knowledge and expertise to the judging panel and Glen and Lesego’s experience and witty approach will make for brilliant entertainment – DStv audiences are in for a treat!”
Ziyanda Ngcaba, Managing Director at Rapid Blue says: “We are so excited to reveal the incredible cast for The Great South African Bake Off S4. We’ve selected the very best and I can’t wait for our South African viewers to be inspired and entertained by the show this August.”
The Great South African Bake off is produced by Rapid Blue for BBC Lifestyle. The series is based on the British format by Love Productions which has been licensed to over 35 countries around the world including Australia, France, Germany, Brazil and Denmark.
