Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain to make Mecca pilgrimage documentary

The 2015 Bake Off winner will travel to the Muslim holy city in Saudi Arabia for the two-part documentary that will be screened later this year, the BBC has confirmed.

“Hajj is one of the most intense and emotional experiences you can undertake,” said the presenter in a statement.

The BBC said that Hussain, who has already undertaken the pilgrimage with her husband before she won Bake Off, will act as a “witness” to the pilgrimage which begins on August 30 this year.

“Nadiya will be our guide and explain the rituals,” added BBC head of specialist factual Tom McDonald.

The BBC has long been establishing Hussain as a presenting pillar of the Corporation.

She is also hosting a new BBC2 cookery programme The Big Family Cooking Showdown with Zoe Ball, in a move that many have suggested is an attempt to replace The Great British Bake Off after its sale to rival broadcaster Channel 4.

The new show will see sixteen families welcome Zoe and Nadiya and judges Giorgio Locatelli and Rosemary Shrager into their homes to whip up favourite family recipes.