Louis Theroux makes Celebrity Bake Off history as he receives three handshakes

The reward came after the judges were awed by his Signature Bake, a cookie designed to look like a pizza complete with raspberry icing and grated white chocolate.

And the scale of the achievement was not lost on Theroux, who was tweeting along as he watched back the episode, writing, “Three handshakes. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!!”

Despite his success in the first challenge, however, Theroux was pipped to the post when it came to choosing the week’s star baker, with Jenny Eclair coming out on top.

Eclair was deemed to have performed better across all three challenges than fellow contestants Theroux, Ovie Soko and Russel Howard – with her showstopper, a choux sculpture of her swimming with pigs in the Caribbean, winning particular acclaim.

But Theroux’s failure to win the prize didn’t stop viewers at home from voicing their appreciation for his talents in the tent.

One fan wrote on Twitter, “Louis Theroux getting a handshake on the great British bake off is a sign that British culture has peaked. It’s all downhill from here.”

And another tweeted, “of course Louis Theroux got a handshake. It’s what he deserves.”

The Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer returns next Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.