The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, 8pm)

NADIYA Hussain, a 30-year-old mother-of-three from Leeds, got through a torrid time with her chocolate souffle last week to emerge as a finalist to challenge for this year's title as Bake Off continues to turn up the heat on its reality competition with around 12 million viewers.

The programme which has become a worldwide phenomenon will see Hussain take on Tamal Ray, a 29-year-old trainee anaesthetist from Manchester and photographer Ian Cummings, 42, from Cambridgeshire.

There are high hopes that the viewing figures will top last year's 13.51 million as the ingredients of amazing personalities and nail-biting tension again rise to the challenge.

France, Australia, Poland, Finland and Holland are among the nations who now have their own versions of the Bake Off, and it was recently revealed that the Americans are going to have another go at making it work stateside – by filming in the UK with Mary Berry as a judge.

"We've seen broadcasters around the world put their own special twist on the format to great success, for example with the speciality cakes that are associated with different countries," says Elin Thomas at BBC Worldwide. "Baking is a tradition everyone can relate to so I have no doubt this brilliant format will only continue to win more fans around the world."

Last year, it was grandmother-of-eight Nancy Birtwhistle, from Barton-on-Humber, who took the title against builder Richard Burr and graphic designer Louis Troyano.

"There is nothing so scary as the final, and I didn't know if I would be able to cope with it, but I was fine," says Nancy. "I have never been tested to that extent, or had that pressure before, but I realised I could be pretty stoic about it all. Earlier on in the series I hadn't even realised that I had said 'You can't go forward if you are looking backward' until I saw it on TV."

As for the moment her name was announced as the winner...

"I can remember having to stand for what seemed an eternity to hear the result. I looked at a tree in the distance and focussed on that rather than looking at the judges, and felt what will be will be.

"Then the judges said my name, and I can't really remember what happened. Later I was asked how I was feeling in an interview, but I felt I didn't have the vocabulary, it was all a bit of a fog. It was a fabulous day with the sun shining and all my family had come. There was a band playing and it was a lovely atmosphere, we had such a great time and everyone loved it."

There are three tough challenges tonight. The first involves turning enriched dough into filled ice buns. That's followed by the notoriously tricky technical, and then finally the showstopper, the trio's last chance to impress Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, in which they must bake classic British cakes.

All Star Mr & Mrs (ITV, 8pm)

CORONATION Street star Cath Tyldesley and her fiance Tom, rugby legend Matt Dawson and his wife Carolin, and rapper Tinchy Stryder and his partner Helen find out how much they really know about their other halves. The couple who give the most correct answers receive the chance to win £30,000 for their chosen charity, but no one walks away empty-handed – the losing pairs each receive £5,000 for a good cause. Hosted by Phillip Schofield.

Midwinter of the Spirit (ITV, 9pm)

EXHAUSTED by her own demons, battling anyone else's is the last thing Merrily wants to do. However, she must take strength from her mentor Huw Owen as she puts the final pieces of the jigsaw into place. Merrily realises she needs to steel herself and summon the energy to fight evil in order to save her daughter's soul. Crime drama, starring Anna Maxwell Martin, David Threlfall, Siobhan Finneran and Oengus MacNamara. Last in the series.