Tamal from Bake Off is backing the junior doctor strikes

Runner-up from the Great British Bake Off Tamal Rey is the latest junior doctor to come out in support of the strikes. Being the only celebrity trainee anaesthetist in the country, Tamal is understandably fired up about the government pushing a new contract which will drastically cut junior doctor’s pay. By extending their normal working hours, thousands of medics are so furious they’re even writing songs about it. Like many, Tamal was on call during the strike itself, but with The Sun bizarrely accusing junior doctors of being “Moet medics” who go on expensive holidays and fly around in helicopters, the Bake Off star felt the need to wade in. Writing a column for The Guardian, Tamal said:

“This contract will crush morale. It’s a kick in the teeth for people already working flat out to prop up a struggling system. While it’s admirable that staff are making personal sacrifices in order to keep the NHS afloat, an organisation of this size should not be dependent on the goodwill of its staff in order to function.”

Tamal in his scrubs

Tamal, who works at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, came second in the Bake Off last year, but still captured the nation’s heart with his creative flavours and the sticky fruit cake he made look like a Chinese fishing village. Showing the very same adversity which helped him get through the technical bake, Tamal was still able to see the positives in the junior doctor strikes.

“What started as a swell of anger and disbelief among doctors has changed into something else. For the first time in my career I can see real unity among my colleagues. Our eyes have been opened to the subtle dismantling of a healthcare system we believe in and this has inspired a movement for change. We are being reminded why we chose to work for the NHS in the first place. While a defeat would be crushing for junior doctors, a win would embolden others in their fights.”