No-one went home on the first episode of the 2024 season of The Great British Bake Off after former university lecturer Jeff felt unwell in the tent.

The New Yorker, 67, who has spent decades living in West Yorkshire and will return for the second episode of the Channel 4 show, came down with sickness after making a zesty lemon sponge cake, the first challenge of series 15.

Judge Paul Hollywood said his “flavours are spot on” but said his sponge “looks such a mess”, referring to the muddled look of Jeff’s cake.

As the technical challenge was announced as a Battenberg cake, Jeff was absent from the tent.

Explaining why, presenter Alison Hammond said: “Welcome back bakers, as you can see Jeff is not with us at the moment, because he’s not feeling very well, but hopefully he’s going to be back next week.”

Judges Dame Prue Leith and Hollywood awarded West Midlands NHS directorate support manager John this week’s coveted star baker and praised his overall work.

He made a black forest cake topped with macarons for his first challenge, which was praised by Dame Prue for its “perfect” texture.

John came fourth during the technical, and also triumphed during the showstopper with his illusion cake that looked like a pair of folded-up jeans.

Dame Prue called his cake “really amusing” and applauded the coconut sponge, saying his “favours are just amazing”.

Earlier, Hollywood had joked to presenter Noel Fielding that John would never get “star baker” as his eyes were bluer than his own.

Coming first in the technical was Welsh paediatric nurse Georgie, from Carmarthenshire, who was told by Hollywood she did “really well”, with her neat version of the marzipan squared cake, Battenbergs.

Wiltshire farm manager Mike had looked like he was in trouble as he came last in the technical, but he restored the judges’ faith by delivering a realistic looking pile of books cake for the final challenge.

The contestants were then relieved to find out that the first episode would see none of them depart the competition.

In a piece to camera at the end of the show, Dame Prue said: “Because Jeff couldn’t be here, we decided not to send anybody home.

“But there’s also the fact that I have never seen such a bunch of great bakers, I didn’t want to lose any of them.”

The Great British Bake Off returns next week to Channel 4.