Sandi Toksvig earns Hollywood Handshake for her emergency 'Great Celeb Bake Off' stand in

Sandi Toksvig got a taste of life on the other side of the judging table in tonight’s Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer when she had to stand in for a sick Big Narstie – and showed she’d picked up some tips in the tent by earning a Hollywood Handshake.

Rapper Big Narstie went up against comedian Johnny Vegas, Jess Phillips MP, and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson in this week’s heat of the celebrity cake contest, but was forced to pull out of the second day of baking due to illness – leaving presenter Sandi “Little Narstie” Toksvig to represent him in the Showstopper.

Read more: Bake Off renewed by Channel 4 until 2021

Despite admitting she hadn’t baked a sponge cake since her O Level home economics class, Toksvig managed to earn a coveted Hollywood Handshake from judge Paul Hollywood for her cake representation of herself.

Big Narstie was sorely missed in the Bake Off tent after his exuberant efforts on day one, which included banter with the judges, stopping for a sandwich mid-challenge, and whipping up some delicious but messy treats.

Read more: Paul Hollywood’s ex-wife discusses his cheating

His Signature Bake was a shaggy dog shortbread covered in salted caramel which he described as “the artistic version of please pick up after your animals,” while he was more or less disqualified from the Technical Challenge for creating two oversized freeform pies that made Hollywood wince with their chilli content instead of six neat mini pork pies.

However, he enjoyed himself, telling host Noel Fielding: “I can see why you do the show now, it’s mad relaxing.”

Read more: Paul Hollywood departure from Good Food Show confirmed

Even with Toksvig’s best efforts on his behalf, he was beaten to Star Baker by Phillips, who had a near-perfect competition and was praised for her excellent flavours by judge Prue Leith.

Her “Smash the Patriarchy” self-portrait cake Showstopper – which she described as “cut me open and you’ll see lemon and feminism running through me like a stick of rock” – was particularly popular.

Vegas and Johnson-Thompson both made valiant bids for the title too, with the comedian winning compliments for his boozy bakes and the athlete impressing with a delicious almond sponge model of herself doing the long jump which saw Leith rhapsodising over her “knicker section”.

In fact, all of the Showstoppers were pretty impressive – choose your favourite from this lot…

The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer returns for another heat next Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.