Who is Bake Off’s Dan Beasley-Harling? The full-time gay dad who’s stolen our hearts
With the country’s beloved Great British Bake Off kicking off on Tuesday night (August 28), one contestant has stolen our queer hearts – full-time dad Dan Beasley-Harling, who cares for his two young kids – Barnaby and Constance – while his husband is at work. But, who is this aspiring baker?
Beasley-Harling, 36, from London, was among the 12 fresh-faced contestants to appear on the Channel 4 show, now in its ninth series.
The stay-at-home dad admitted that he applied to go on Bake Off for “entirely selfish” reasons, explaining that, with his youngest will soon starting school, he’s now “ready to rejoin the world of adults.”
“I have been at home looking after the kids for the last 6 years, so it was a chance to do something for myself,” he said.
“I bake in the little spare time that I have, and often work on bakes over the course of several days.
“I never work to strict time constraints like those in the tent, so that was a real challenge for me.”
And, for the first show of season nine – the second year that Channel 4 has broadcast the show, since it was bought from the BBC – the bakers in the tent were challenged to create a biscuit decorated with a selfie portrait of themselves at a memorable place for the final Showstopper Challenge.
Beasley-Harling was quick to tug on viewers’ heartstrings, choosing to bake the moment when he first met his youngest child in Palm Springs, California, where the surrogate he and his husband chose is based.
“Me and my husband had our kids with the help of a surrogate in California so we stayed in Palm Springs for a month just getting to know our kids and it was amazing,” he explained of the poignant meeting.
“It was the best moment of my life, just don’t tell my husband that!”
Dan baked the moment he first held his youngest child in Palm Springs, where his and his husband’s surrogate lives, but viewers questioned his biscuit baby. (Channel 4)
But, Beasley-Harling’s well meant pink, icing-baby caused confusion among the bakers, with fellow contestant Kim-Joy saying it looked like “something else.”
And, despite calling the edible child “artistically great,” judge Paul Hollywood added: “I question the baby, it looks like a massive prawn.”
Tuesday night’s show saw Manon named as the first Star Baker and a tearful Imelda being sent home.
The stay-at-home dad is proving a good sport on Twitter. (DBeasleyHarling/Twitter)
Following the show, the Great British Bake Off also posted a photoshopped version of Beasley-Harling’s biscuit baby onto posters for the 1987 film Three Men and a Baby and the 1989 movie Look Who’s Talking.
Beasley-Harling, of course, took this in good spirits, re-tweeting the post, adding: “Everyone seems to just adore my baby biscuit! Thanks for all the love guys! x”
Even the Bake Off’s Twitter account couldn’t resist making a joke about Beasley-Harling’s pink, icing baby. (BritishBakeOff/Twitter)
The full-time dad is enjoying fans discussing his children’s names on social media.
One Twitter user posted: ““Stay at home dad, Dan, with his children, Barnaby and Constance”. I now have a new favourite game – gay or massively posh.”
Beasley-Harling re-tweeted the post, adding: “My favorite tweet .”
The father of two even has his own blog, where he posts his own recipes, including one for his pink unicorn cake and another for a delicious-looking citrus tart.
