Applied online with photo accepted on 26th July and passport sent off 27th to Durham. Email confirmed receipt on 5th August. Email today says passport is being printed and will be sent when ready. Was quoted 11/12 weeks from application originally, will be interesting to see the real time it takes when you hear and see all the horror stories in the british media.
From our, and others on here, speedy experience I’d say they prioritise overseas passports as we need them more than a holiday maker.
You may also like to review this recent topic on the same subject:
Just woke up to new email saying passport is ready to be despatched and old one will follow in seperate envelope. Hoping this info may help others about deciding to do it online rather than the forms and sending etc. You just need someone with a mobile phone/tablet to take a photo of you at home which when submitted is accepted or you are told to do it again.
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I had that issue with mine… OH was taking the shot - she’s no Annie Leibovitz when it comes to photography - but it was almost impossible to get it right to be acceptable - it kept insisting that I had my eyes closed (which I didn’t). We used the camera on her phone too with which I had (successfully) taken her photo for the passport but still to no avail.
I have a similar problem at eye RDVs with the pressure test… The machine reckons I’ve got my eyes closed…
In the end, we just submitted the best of the “bad” bunch with an explanation (ISTR there is a facility to note an “issue”) and it was accepted so it is possible even if the odds seems stacked against you.
It might be that you have a fast blink reflex to flash photography.
Use constant lighting, a proper camera which allows you to set a faster shutter speed or download an app that allows you to control the camera on your phone.
I didn’t blink… and there’s no flash with the pressure test nor with the phone camera which automatically adjusts for the light 
I do have eye issues though, particularly with my left eye the sight from from which has degraded significantly which is why I have regular RDVs at the eye clinic at Limoges.
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My son just applied for his and had it back within about two weeks. It seems to be a bit of a lottery. He made sure his photo was top notch.
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Apparently its on it’s way and an email earlier asked me to sign it in Black pen as soon as it arrives.
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New passport just arrived at my door courtesy of DHL, total of 27 days from submitting forms and photo online to arriving as finished product and…the previous expiry date of some six months was not taken off the new ten years so pleased about that.
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So - your passport is “valid” for more than 10 years?
Watch that if presenting it at a Schengen border.
No, it is valid from the date they sent it to be printed. It originally expired in mid Jan this year but as I was moving and had no permanent address I had to let it run out so I could eventually be somewhere to accept it. I assumed they would have dated it from the previous expiry date but they did not.
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So in reality it is a new passport not a replacement.
Certainly encouraging knowing the whole process only took 27 days.
Yes, to replace the old one which had expired and which I had to return to them to officially deface, it is coming back but by ordinary post as proof I had one before. 27 days is good considering it is August as in the beginning they quoted 11/12 weeks but obviously this is a dept which deals with UK nationals overseas who need their passports more than a 2-weeks in Benidorm holidaymaker.
who should know better 
I was a bit - shall we say - puzzled to be told on starting the online application process that it would cost £75-something but in fact I was charged £86 plus nigh on £20 “courrier”. Is that what everyone else was charged?
Looking at the receipts we obtained from our online applications in July 2020. we paid £105.86 each…
That matches then - thanks for the reassurance @graham
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I paid €124 this time which included DHL to my door.
The most difficult part of all this, for me, was how long it took to get a photo! For French official documentation,I always use the little local photographer and the digital images are loaded onto some common site somewhere with a code. I decided to try getting my partner to take a photo and the experience was … er… interesting…
I knew of course that our house was small and crammed with stuff but I hadn’t really realised that there are no unencumbered light-coloured walls at all and as for natural light, - well! We ended up draping a sheet over some wardrobes and even then couldn’t get enough distance and even lighting for the photo. After 20 or so goes, the system accepted one of them (my lovely partner even ironed the sheet so the background wouldn’t be “textured” 
) - It was probably the worse ever photo of me but they accepted it so what the heck!!!
Those of you with nice airy, light, modern, uncluttered houses do have some advatanges…