The nation breathed a collective sigh of relief when 20-year-old Edinburgh University student Peter Hawkins was crowned winner of the Great British Bake Off.

Dubbed the “closest” GBBO final ever, Peter baked it out against other contestants Dave and Laura to impress judges Paul and Prue on 24 November.

After Laura had some bad luck when it came to the signature and technical rounds, the competition narrowed to Peter and Dave.

Edinburgh student Peter is the first Scot to ever win the Great British Bake Off (Channel 4)

And with Peter growing uncharacteristically flustered, while Dave stayed calm and collected, no one could have predicted the final outcome.

Here’s everything that happened during the last episode, and what Peter had to say about winning the Great British Bake Off.

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What happened in the final Great British Bake Off episode?

The moment the contestants found out who was crowned winner (Channel 4)

Signature challenge

Fans of the show had come to regard Peter as the consistent, calm contestant, so when he proceeded into the signature round with confidence, it came as no surprise.

The contestants were tasked with making a custard slice - which sounds simple - but at this stage in the game they had no other option than to pull out all the stops.

As the proud Scot he is, Peter opted to make a Cranachan custard slice, based on the traditional flavours of the dessert.

Peter with judges Paul and Prue after winning the trophy (Channel 4)

Meanwhile, Dave went for a coffee-infused custard slice, and Laura, well, had a bit of a nightmare when her custard just didn’t set.

While she took herself for a wee cry in the Bake Off fridge, Peter was steadily creating a professional-looking end product in his usual methodical manner.

And his efforts paid off, as the layers were obvious when Paul made the first cut, with Prue saying the pastry was “lovely and flaky” and that he had “ticked every box”.

Dave also wowed the judges with his custard slices, placing him neck and neck with Peter going into the next round.

Poor Laura had a “bad morning”, in Prue’s words, as her pastry wasn’t flaky and her custard was a liquidy consistency.

Technical challenge

Next up was the technical, with the contestants given vague instructions to make eight walnut swirls.

None of the finalists seemed phased by this news at the beginning, but that gradually changed as the usually-calm Peter became flustered and maybe even broke a sweat.

His first mistake came when he rolled the biscuit base too thin, whereas Dave seemed to keep the right depth.

Then, Peter’s marshmallow filling didn’t set well, leading to an end chocolate that didn’t appear exactly like it should have, although the flavours were good, according to the judges.

In contrast, Dave the dark horse absolutely nailed it and presented an almost-perfect set of defined swirls that impressed the judges in both looks and taste.

Laura again experienced some issues, with her melty marshmallow filling meaning she was placed third.

Peter was second, and Dave was first, meaning he had a slight advantage going into the showstopper challenge.

We all knew Peter had to pull out all the stops for this one to have a chance of winning.

The final showstopper

The three finalists were given the monumental task of creating a dessert tower made up of different bakes, reflecting each of their personal Bake Off experiences.

Sound easy? Yeah, we thought so too.

Dave opted for a “tower of redemption”, producing bakes he had previously struggled with throughout the series.

Peter, who definitely has an unhealthy obsession with Christmas, went for another festive-themed showstopper called the Bonker’s Bake Off Bubble Cake.

This consisted of a Victoria sandwich sponge with strawberry cream, a middle layer of blackberry and lemon choux buns, and mini Battenburg biscuits on the top layer.

Yet, disaster struck as Peter stumbled over making the biscuits, and viewers again caught a glimpse of the Scot in stress-mode.

Meanwhile, Dave was being Dave and expertly getting on with things, with minimal fuss.

Laura was creating a messy worktop as usual, but seemed happier in comparison to her melt-downs during the previous two bakes.

As Dave finished with time to spare, Peter was looking increasingly worried, but he managed to pull it together at the last minute, calling his showstopper a “slapdash job”.

As usual, Laura’s flavours impressed Paul and Prue, but her end result didn’t blow them away.

Peter’s showstopper had “delicious flavours”, too, with the Victoria sponge being particularly impressive, but a couple of his top bakes were “stodgy”, according to Paul.

Dave also wowed the judges with his flavours and accomplished end-piece, but he also made key mistakes in two elements.

Again, Peter and Dave were seemingly left at a draw as the judges made their final decision.

How did Peter react to winning the show?

Nobody knew whether Peter or Dave were going to be crowned winner of the Great British Bake Off 2020.

As the contestants gathered outside for the decision, there was palpable tension in the air.

But, thank goodness, as Peter was announced as the winner - and his obvious delight and humble pride reduced a lot of fans to tears.

Speaking after the nail-bitingly close final, Peter said his win had opened up a “huge chapter” in his life.

"I can’t quite believe that I am here,” he said. “I can’t quite believe that I made it onto the show, and I can’t quite believe that the show happened.

"This is going to be a really huge chapter in my life, and what a way for it to end.

"I am a Bake Off nerd, and I think 12 year old Peter would be in awe, and just the most excited giddy kid. I am that excited giddy kid right now.

“Honestly it was never in my mind that I thought I could win this.”

How did he celebrate after winning?

As the series was filmed in the summer, Peter watched the final in Edinburgh with a few drinks and his flatmates - and two of them had no idea that he had triumphed.

After his success, Peter had to smuggle his trophy onto the plane back to Edinburgh without giving his win away before the final was aired on Channel 4.

"I was a bit stressed when we went through the scanners,” he said.

"And then it stayed on my family worktop in the kitchen hidden in a box. I can’t wait to crack it out of the box and give it as much use as I possibly can.”

What did Peter say about the other finalists?

There’s no bad blood between Peter and the other finalists, as he spoke of how “close” the three were during the show’s last stages.

“Dave, Laura and I were so happy to be in the final together, we were so close and really supported each other.

“This year particularly all the bakers helped support each other through the journey, from day one. It’s a shame we can’t all win.”

How does he feel to be the first Scot to win?

As for being the first Scot to ever win the baking competition, Peter said he hoped he had “made Scotland proud”, adding that he tried to incorporate Scottish flavours and themes throughout the competition.

What does the future hold for Peter?

The student said he had no plans to drop out of university to become a full-time baker, pledging to finish his degree in the next two years while continuing to bake in his spare time.

He added: “I think GBBO has changed my life. I’m looking forward to baking a few things at a relaxed pace for friends and family who won’t be scrutinising my bakes quite as closely as the judges.

“I don’t know what will come out of this but I hope there are a few fun opportunities that I can take up.”

What did the judges and contestants say about his win?

Paul said at the end of the show: “Peter should be exceptionally proud. He is the youngest winner we have ever had and the first Scottish winner.”

Runner up, Dave, said: “I gave Peter a good run for his money, but he really deserves it. I am not at all disappointed, if someone had told me at the beginning that I would be a runner up, I would take that all day long.”

What did Peter say about winning Bake Off? Highlights from Great British Bake Off 2020 final as Edinburgh student crowned winner