RACIAL SLURS: BBC’s Great British Bake off contestant Rav Bansal has  received racial slurs on social media  (Pic cred: BBC/Love Productions/Mark  Bourdillon)
RACIAL SLURS: BBC’s Great British Bake off contestant Rav Bansal has received racial slurs on social media (Pic cred: BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon)

The Great British Bake Off is back again and people up and down the country are talking about scones, bread and buns.

However, for some of the contestants on the show, their sugary step into the limelight comes at a price.

28-year-old Rav Bansal, a contestant on this year’s show, has revealed on Twitter that he was asked whether he was a ‘P-ki’ by a stranger who referred to the show as the ‘not-so-British Bake Off’.

Bansal, a Sikh who lives in Erith, Kent with his parents and works at City University, was supported by his fellow contestants, who immediately showed their support in condemning the comments.

Last year’s winner, Nadiya Hussain – a British Muslim -has also spoken frankly about racist insults she suffered both on and offline.

TALKING BACK ON TWITTER: Rav revealed he has been called a ‘p***’ by online trolls
TALKING BACK ON TWITTER: Rav revealed he has been called a ‘p***’ by online trolls

Rav’s BBC profile states that he volunteers for charities including Victim Support, has an extremely close family and enjoys vegan baking.

Benjamina Ebuehi, one of his fellow amateur bakers, replied to his tweet about the abuse, saying it was ‘so horrible’. 

Another contestant, Selasi Gbormittah, wrote: “What is happening?”

The show has received record ratings this year, achieving more than 10 million overnight viewers for each of its first two episodes.

The opening episode is now the most-watched show of 2016, with 13.6m views so far.