I'm still struggling to cast off the memory of Nick Hewer's cake making skills for Great British Bake Off's Stand Up to Cancer in which he created a tower of choux buns which Paul Hollywood compared to Yorkshire puddings.

Whether tonight's contestants will come close to such majestic skill as Nick is yet to be seen – I doubt it is possible, but I am happy to be proven wrong.

In the second celebrity special of the Bake Off spin-off, the Countdown frontman tackled the pastry section alongside fellow celebrities Stacey Soloman, Perri Kiely and Ricky Wilson.

Prue Leith hailed Hewer as 'the most appalling baker' as he suggested to hosts Sandi Toskvig and Noel Fielding that they should forgo tasting his wares.

'It's the new choux,' he explained, 'It's the rage in Milan, it's sweeping Italy and it's on its way here. You're the first to see it. It wasn't easy to get there.

'I went through 23 eggs and I'm never going to do it again,' he added.

Tonight, Noel and Sandi Toksvig welcome comedian Lee Mack, writer and actor Griff Rhys Jones, TV presenter Melanie Sykes and comedian Joe Lycett to the famous tent.

The celebs face three tricky test set by judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood - beginning with a blondies signature challenge, then a testing technical and concluding with the opportunity to reveal their secret passions with their cake showstopper - but which of the famous faces will impress those judges?

Of course the whole point of this sister show to GBBO is to raise dough to help fund research into cancer and give hope to those who are living with the disease - Stand Up to Cancer was created by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 and is backed by a host of celebrities and entertainers.

Other celebrities who are taking part in this year's celebrity Bake Off include musical comedian Tim Minchin, actress Teri Hatcher, Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson, comedian, writer and actress Roisin Conaty, actor Martin Kemp, Paralympic gold medallist Kadeena Cox, Made in Chelsea's Jamie Laing, comedian Harry Hill, singer Ella Eyre, journalist and presenter Bill Turnbull, comedian Alan Carr and comedian and actor Aisling Bea.

• The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer: Channel 4, 8pm.