Tamal Ray
Tamal Ray is a British baker, columnist, and doctor. He rose to fame after becoming a runner-up on series six of BBC's The Great British Bake Off in 2015.
Early and personal life
Ray's parents moved from India to the United Kingdom in the 1960s. He grew up in Hertfordshire. Ray studied at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School and graduated with a BSc and MBBS in Medicine from King’s College London.He was taught how to bake by his sister, for whose marriage he baked a wedding cake. He came out as gay shortly after the public release of his participation in The Great British Bake Off.
Career
Ray first appeared in the media as a contestant on The Great British Bake Off where he became a runner-up alongside Ian Cumming, with the series won by Nadiya Hussain. During the airing of the series, Ray disclosed in an interview that he identified as gay after his 'hearthrob' status was questioned he stated that “I wouldn't have a girlfriend, I would have a boyfriend… But I am single at the moment.”. After his appearances on the Bake Off, Ray's baking credentials resulted in him gaining a position as a regular columnist for The Guardian with most of his columns consisting of recipes of his personal creation. In 2019 he returned to 'the tent' to compete in a special 'festive' edition of the Great British Bake Off alongside Kate Henry and Candice Brown with the episode being won by Steven Carter-Bailey. Also in 2019, Tamal appeared on the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK for the finale screening.As a practising doctor, Ray has written and appeared on TV to discuss and explore the challenges facing doctors in the UK's National Health Service under the austerity programme of the Conservative government. In 2016, his medical credentials led to him presenting a pilot show for Channel 4 called 'Be Your Own Doctor' which was due to be developed into a future series.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2019 | The Great Festive Bake Off | Himself | |
| 2019 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Himself | |
| 2016 | Be Your Own Doctor | Himself | Documentary |
| 2015 | The Great British Bake Off | Himself | Contestant |