The Great Comic Relief Bake-Off - TV review

Walsall's superstar of the pool showed she also has skills in the kitchen during the celebrity version of the hit BBC2 show.

She whipped up some tasty looking chocolate orange scones in the 'first bake' which were highly complimented by experts Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

And while her chocolate eclairs may have demanded a bit more technical ability Ellie soon had the judges back in the palm of her hand with her showstopper Ellie's Soldier Cake landing her joint top spot with Newsnight's Kirsty Wark, leaving fellow celebs comedian Bob Mortimer and TV presenter Julia Bradbury as runners-up.

This celebrity version may not have been racking up quite the same audience figures as the main show – the season three final in October was watched by an overnight audience of 6.5 million, with the series as a whole averaging a tasty five million per episode – but it is still managing to take its slice of the ratings.

And I can see why. Despite not being keen on baking myself, it is a very watchable programme nonetheless – just as the Great British Bake Off is. However where the main show is focused on unearthing the hidden talents of everyday folk, this version is more about celebrities having a bit of fun in the kitchen.

Last night Bob Mortimer was the obvious source of laughs, turning up in his slippers and bantering with his fellow contestants and host Mel Giedroyc, who takes over in this charity format from the usual host Sue Perkins.

Ellie admitted at the beginning of the show she is a big fan and was clearly focused on doing well, although during the technical round her infectious giggle was in full flow as she got into a bit of a messy situation with the challenging eclairs.

In the end though the judges were won over by Ellie's Soldier Cake decorated to look like one of the Queen's Guards. To me it looked ten times better than Kirsty's edible version of the Old Man of Hoy, practically toppling over as she placed it precariously before Paul and Mary.

Being a programme for Comic Relief the rounds were intercut with a mini report from Lorraine Pascal in Ghana and an appeal to donate money to the charity which supports causes at home and abroad.

The fourth and final episode in The Great Comic Relief Bake-Off airs today at 8pm and features TV presenter Claudia Winkleman, comedian Ed Byrne, broadcaster Martha Kearney and Olympic gold medal-winning rower Helen Glover.

The Great British Bake Off is meanwhile due to return to our screens later this year for those of you eager for another helping.

Ben Lammas