The Great British Bake Off 2017: Meet the finalists

This year's Great British Bake Off reaches its climax later, with three bakers left to do battle for the prize.

Whoever wins, perhaps the biggest winners will be Channel 4 and the new line-up of presenters and judges, who have won over doubters after the show's move from BBC One.

So far, around nine million people have tuned in to each episode - down on BBC One's figures, but great by Channel 4 standards.

If the final attracts more than 10 million, it will be the most-watched show on Channel 4 since 1995.

Here's a closer look at the last bakers standing:

The marketing professional looked like he would run away with the contest in the early weeks, but his spectacular creations have been peppered with some conspicuous slip-ups. Which side of Steven will we see in the final?

Highlight: His intricate biscuit chessboard in week two helped earn him the star baker title for the second week out of two. He also went on to gain the accolade once more during the series. It was almost too good - leading some people to suspect he had secret professional baking experience.

Biggest disaster: His meringue hot-air balloon failed to hit the heights in the semi-final - the layers of coloured meringue cracked under the weight and the chocolate basket melted. "Just looking at that, I would think it was a tree," Prue said. "A psychedelic tree," Noel chipped in.

An ever-calm former Royal Artillery officer and trainee stuntwoman, Sophie's been the most consistent performer - star baker twice and never really in danger of being booted out of the tent. Probably the favourite to win.

Highlight: The flawless raspberry, yuzu and white chocolate buche trifle terrine in pudding week earned rave reviews and a star baker title. Paul remarked: "If you walked into a Michelin-starred restaurant and had that, you wouldn't argue."

Biggest disaster: The closest she's come to disaster was probably with her Jaffa millionaire shortbreads in caramel week, when she ran out of time and some of her creations collapsed. "They look hideous," Paul chided, before offering consolation: "But they taste amazing."

The health and safety inspector from Merseyside - a blacksmith, furniture restorer and yoga enthusiast in her spare time - has had a rollercoaster ride, narrowly surviving on a few occasions while pulling off some triumphs on others. She must be the outsider to win.

Highlight: Her sticky toffee apple caramel cake in week four, topped with its explosion of coloured spun sugar fireworks, was a work of art. And it tasted good - Prue even asked her for the recipe, saying: "I have got to know how to make that cake."

Biggest disaster: "I've just chopped the end of my finger off... on the fan" the 29-year-old exclaimed in Italian week. After being treated by medics, she was able to continue but things didn't get much better - her pizza dough fell apart as she put it in the oven. She wanted to put it in the bin instead of on the table to be judged - and probably should have done, given how unimpressed Paul was by the still-raw dough.

The Great British Bake Off final is at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday.

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