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The competition baking show The Great British Bake Off, which first aired in 2010, quickly became a cultural phenomenon on BBC One and later on Channel 4. The judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith offer their insightful feedback and culinary knowledge to the competing home bakers who battle it out in a series of challenges to win the top prize. Our The Great British Bake Off facts include why the show moved to Channel 4 in 2017, who has achieved the most star-baker wins and why viewers are upset by the show’s portrayal of international bakes.
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The Great British Bake Off, also referred to as GBBO, is the well-loved British baking competition. The show first aired in 2010 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon inspiring many other craft competition TV shows in the UK and worldwide. The Great British Bake Off follows a group of amateur bakers who compete against each other in a series of challenges to showcase their baking skills and creativity. With its warm and friendly atmosphere, the show has captured the hearts of millions of viewers around the world.
The show was originally hosted on BBC One by comedians Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins but the production later moved to Channel 4 and comedians Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig were the new hosts. Matt Lucas and Alison Hammond have since replaced Toksvig as the second host.
The judging panel on The Great British Bake Off features renowned baking experts. Paul Hollywood, an acclaimed professional bread baker, brings his expertise and critical eye to the competition, while Prue Leith, a highly respected restaurateur and food writer, offers her own insightful feedback and culinary knowledge. Longstanding home cook Mary Berry joined Hollywood as the original judge on the BBC series.
The contestants themselves come from diverse backgrounds and bring a range of baking skills to the competition. They are everyday people with a passion for baking, selected through a rigorous audition process.
The Great British Bake Off is also loved outside of the UK because of its charming and nostalgic aesthetic. The show is filmed in picturesque locations, such as the iconic white tent in the English countryside, which adds to its cosy and inviting atmosphere.
Our The Great British Bake Off facts include why the show moved to Channel 4 in 2017, who has achieved the most star-baker wins and why viewers are upset by the show’s portrayal of international bakes.
The Great British Bake Off is produced by Love Productions. The first episode of the show aired on 17 August 2010, initially broadcast on BBC Two. However, due to its increasing popularity, the BBC moved it to BBC One for the next three series. Love Productions later signed a three-year deal with Channel 4 to produce the series after its seventh season.
Mark Lawson of The Guardian noted that the Channel 4 version of The Great British Bake Off remained largely the same but with subtle differences, and argued against claims that the show had soured or deteriorated.
Michael Hogan of The Telegraph believed that despite the absence of Mary, Mel, and Sue, the show's winning recipe of chemistry, camaraderie, comedy, and cakes remained intact. However, Anna Leszkiewicz of the New Statesman expressed disappointment, stating that every change made to the show had been for the worse.
The Great British Bake Off is widely credited with revitalising interest in baking across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It has spurred a surge in sales of baking ingredients and accessories, with numerous participants, including winners, pursuing careers in the bakery industry.
The Great British Bake Off's impact extended beyond membership growth, influencing the sales of bakery books, the formation of baking clubs, and even bolstering the presence of independent bakeries. According to analysts, over three-fifths of adults in 2013 baked at home, compared to just a third in 2011.
The Great British Bake Off has also spawned various specials and spin-off series, such as celebrity charity editions for Sport Relief/Comic Relief or Stand Up to Cancer, Junior Bake Off for young children (originally broadcast on CBBC, then Channel 4 from 2019), the after-show series An Extra Slice, and Bake Off: The Professionals, which features teams of pastry chefs.
The international appeal of the series has led to its broadcast in other countries. In the United States and Canada, where the trademark "Bake-Off" is owned by Pillsbury, the show is known as The Great British Baking Show.
The format of The Great British Bake Off has been successfully adapted for local versions worldwide and served as the inspiration for other BBC Two series like The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down.
The idea for the baking competition originated from producer Anna Beattie, who was inspired by American "bake-offs" and the traditional English village fête baking competitions. Despite facing initial challenges in generating interest, Beattie persisted for four years before finally finding success.
In early 2009, Beattie and the team pitched the concept to Janice Hadlow, the controller of BBC Two at the time. The pitch resonated with Hadlow and Commissioning Editor Charlotte Moore, leading to the commissioning of the program. Over the next six months, the show was developed, with Mary Berry selected as a judge and Paul Hollywood joining after a successful audition. Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc were approached and became the presenters of the show.
To create an authentic atmosphere reminiscent of English village fêtes, the series is filmed in picturesque gardens with charming marquees adorned with bunting. While the filming locations varied in the first series, subsequent series have consistently used a single location. Typically, the show is filmed over a period of 12 to 13 weeks, primarily taking place on weekends. However, the eleventh series had a shortened filming schedule of six weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Season One of The Great British Bake Off the rounds were held in different locations throughout the UK, each corresponding to a specific theme. For instance, the episode dedicated to puddings was filmed in Bakewell, while the bread baking challenge occurred near Sandwich.
From the second series onwards, the competition takes place in a specially constructed marquee at a fixed location. The show also features background stories of the contestants and, in previous seasons, video vignettes highlighting the history of baking.
Aspiring amateur bakers who wish to participate in The Great British Bake Off go through a multi-step selection process. They are initially assessed by a researcher and then invited to an audition in London, during which they present two of their bakes. Successful applicants proceed to a screen test and an interview with a producer. A second audition involves baking two recipes for the judges while being filmed.
Following a personality evaluation, a final group of 10 to 13 applicants is selected to participate in the show, with additional standby bakers in case of dropouts.
To showcase what The Great British Bake Off bakers plan to create for each challenge, animated graphics by illustrator Tom Hovey have been used since the show's inception in 2010.
When the show transitioned to Channel 4, original presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins decided not to continue, while Mary Berry also announced her departure. Paul Hollywood, on the other hand, chose to remain with the show. Prue Leith joined Hollywood as a judge, and Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig became the new presenters in March 2017.
After three years, Toksvig announced her departure in 2020, and Matt Lucas took over as co-presenter. However, on 6 December 2022, Lucas revealed that he would be leaving the show after three series. Alison Hammond was confirmed as his replacement on 17 March 2023.
The Great British Bake Off competition follows a weekly elimination format to determine the best all-around amateur baker among the contestants. The number of contestants varies from series to series, with ten chosen for the first series, twelve for the next two, thirteen for the fourth and tenth, and twelve from series five to series nine, and onwards from series eleven.
There are three regular challenges each week. These are:
Signature Challenge:
During the Signature Challenge, the amateur bakers have the opportunity to showcase their tried-and-tested recipes, which they would typically prepare for their friends and family.
Technical Challenge:
The Technical Challenge puts the bakers' technical knowledge and experience to the test. They are provided with limited, or sometimes minimal, instructions to produce a specific finished product. All contestants receive the same recipe and are unaware of the challenge details in advance. The judges evaluate the finished products blindly and rank them from worst to best. The bakers place their creations behind their respective photos.
Showstopper Challenge:
In the Showstopper Challenge, the bakers have the chance to display their skills and talent. The judges are particularly impressed by bakes that exhibit a professional appearance while delivering outstanding flavours.
Throughout the series, various accidents and errors have had notable effects on the outcomes of judging rounds. Some incidents that significantly impacted the bakers' presentations include:
In Series 4, presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins unintentionally interfered with several bakes. Sue leaned on Howard Middleton's English muffins during the technical challenge, and in Series 6, she accidentally broke Nadiya Hussain's biscuit lid in the showstopper challenge.
During Series 2, Robert Billington accidentally dropped his tiered showstopper while applying finishing touches to the cake. The judges and presenters came to his aid, managing to salvage the bottom tier. He presented the incomplete showstopper as a single-tiered cake.
In Series 3, John Whaite suffered a severe cut to his finger while using a food processor and was unable to complete his bake. Despite attempting to continue while wearing a rubber glove, the bleeding required medical attention. Danny, another contestant, left her own bake to assist him. Consequently, John had to abandon the final bake, and no elimination took place that week.
During Series 4, Deborah Manger mistakenly used Howard Middleton's custard instead of her own. Howard had to use Deborah's custard as a result, and the judges considered this when assessing the trifles and custards individually.
Series 5 witnessed a controversial incident during the Baked Alaska challenge. Diana Beard removed Iain Watters's ice cream from a freezer to make space for her dessert. Frustrated upon discovering his melted ice cream on the counter, Iain threw it into the bin and briefly left the tent. When he returned, as he had no cake to present for judging, he brought his bin instead, resulting in his elimination. This incident sparked viewer backlash, with many believing Diana had interfered with his ice cream.
In Series 9, one of Rahul Mandal's storage jars burst due to the heat within the tent, causing glass to cover his workbench and potentially contaminate his mixtures. The production team had to dispose of all his mixtures and clean his station. Rahul was given an additional fifteen minutes, compensating for the lost time, after the other finalists had finished.
During the technical challenge of the first episode in Series 11, Sura Selvarajah accidentally knocked over four of David Friday's pineapple upside-down cakes as he was placing them on the gingham table. Paul and Prue were informed of the incident and judged the remaining intact cakes.
These incidents have added unexpected twists and challenges to the competition, often requiring improvisation and adaptability from both the bakers and the judging panel.
The initial reviews for the first series of The Great British Bake Off were mixed.
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian questioned if "competitive baking [is] a contradiction in terms" and found the atmosphere lacking humour.
Iain Hollingshead of The Daily Telegraph was highly critical, describing the presenters as "annoying" and the judge Paul Hollywood as uninteresting and sinister-looking. He even suggested that the audience would be so bored that they would forgive the cameraman if he were to commit hara-kiri in a pool of egg and flour.
However, as the show progressed, reviews became more positive. Andrew Collins of The Guardian hailed it as "the nicest show on television" and named it the best TV program of 2012.
The Great British Bake Off is credited with revitalising the Women's Institutes, resulting in the highest membership levels since the 1970s. Between 2010 and 2013, the Bake Off effect led to a 25% growth in membership, surpassing 211,000 members. This surge in membership was the most significant since the release of the 2003 film Calendar Girls, which featured a group of Yorkshire women from the Women's Institutes producing a nude calendar to raise funds for Leukaemia Research.
Ruth Bond, chairwoman of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, acknowledged that Bake Off has played a pivotal role in inspiring women to embrace baking by removing the fear factor and making it enjoyable.
The inaugural season of The Great British Bake Off debuted in August 2010, garnering moderate ratings of just over 2 million viewers for its first episode. Despite its modest start, the show gained momentum over the course of the series, with the audience growing to over 3 million. The semi-final and final episodes captured the top spot in BBC Two's weekly ratings. During the second series, viewership steadily increased, transforming the show into an unexpected success, with nearly 4 million viewers tuning in for each episode. After week two, The Great British Bake Off consistently claimed the number one spot in BBC Two's weekly ratings, outperforming all other programs in its time slot. The final episode of the second series achieved an average of 4.56 million viewers, peaking at 5.1 million in its last 15 minutes.
The ratings of The Great British Bake Off’s third series continued to strengthen, as the show surpassed its competition in the same time slot. The series finale, in which John Whaite was crowned the winner, attained the highest ratings yet, with an average of 6.5 million viewers and a peak of 7.2 million. This made it the second highest-rated BBC Two-originated show since at least 2006, trailing only Top Gear.
Due to its exceptional ratings, the show was subsequently moved to BBC One.
Following its transition to BBC One, the opening episode attracted over 7 million viewers, surpassing the previous year's figure of 5.6 million.
The "Bingate" controversy surrounding episode four propelled the show to its largest-ever audience, with 10.3 million viewers, including 2 million viewers on BBC iPlayer. The series finale amassed an overnight viewing figure of 12.29 million, the highest for a non-sporting event on British TV that year.
When the show moved to Channel 4, the opening episode of the first series garnered average viewing figures of 5.8 million, rising to 6.5 million when accounting for those watching on Channel 4+1, and reaching 9.46 million for the 7-day rating. Although the overnight figure was the lowest for an opening episode since 2013, it marked Channel 4's largest audience since the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics. The series maintained an average audience of 9 million viewers on Channel 4.
In September 2012, Love Productions, the production company behind the show, faced sanctions from the BBC due to product placement of Smeg fridges. The issue came to light after a viewer raised concerns about "blatant product promotion" in a letter to the Radio Times.
Following an investigation, the BBC determined that Love Productions' agreement with Smeg did not adhere to editorial guidelines. The agreement was subsequently revised for the third series, and appropriate retrospective hire payments were arranged. The BBC also requested that Smeg remove any promotional notice linking the brand to the show from its website, which Smeg complied with.
During The Great British Bake Off’s fourth series, allegations of favouritism towards contestant Ruby Tandoh were raised, particularly involving judge Paul Hollywood. This led to personal attacks against Tandoh, including remarks made by professional chef Raymond Blanc! Both Hollywood and Tandoh denied the accusations.
In The Great British Bake Off’s ninth series, similar allegations of favouritism arose regarding contestant Rahul Mandal, raised by a small group of fans who were loyal to another baker.
The controversy arose when the judges granted Mandal additional time to complete his task after a shattered glass jug interrupted his progress. The producers awarded Mandal 15 minutes to compensate for the lost time while his station was cleaned. Mandal then restarted his bake from the beginning.
In the fourth episode of the fifth series, a controversial incident occurred involving the elimination of contestant Iain Watters. During the final showstopper round, contestants were tasked with creating a Baked Alaska. In a moment of frustration, Iain's ice cream failed to set, and he threw his bake in the bin.
The editing of the show implied that fellow contestant Diana Beard was responsible for the failure by removing Iain's ice cream from a freezer. This perceived "sabotage" sparked outrage on social media. However, unaired footage shown in the accompanying program, An Extra Slice, revealed that it was another contestant, Luis, who had held the freezer open as he worked on his own baked Alaska, while host Mel warned him to work quickly and close the freezer.
Later in the episode, when Iain took out his ice cream to proceed with the next step, it was still soft, indicating that it had not fully frozen in the freezer he shared with Diana. Several cast members expressed support for Diana, and a BBC spokesperson clarified that "Diana removing Iain's ice cream from the freezer for less than a minute was in no way responsible for Iain's departure."
The incident received over 800 complaints to the BBC, and some viewers also lodged complaints with the communication watchdog Ofcom.
A group of The Great British Bake Off viewers have routinely expressed their dissatisfaction with the "constant smutty remarks" made by presenters Mel and Sue during the fifth series of the show. Some viewers complained about the increased use of innuendos compared to previous seasons, noting the "extra pinch of saucy spice" and the hosts, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, becoming increasingly risqué.
However, series 3 winner John Whaite argued that innuendo was part of the show's success. Judge Paul Hollywood described the innuendos as playful banter in the spirit of the Carry On films, which is considered a part of British culture. This viewpoint was shared by others as well.
The success of The Great British Bake Off led the BBC to commission similar series with a similar format from Love Productions, such as The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down. However, when the BBC produced the series Hair using the same format in-house, Love Productions prepared to sue the BBC for copyright infringement.
Although the details of the settlement were kept quiet, the BBC ultimately compensated Love Productions and settled the matter out of court.
This incident strained the relationship between the BBC and Love Productions. In September 2016, it was announced that Channel 4 had acquired the broadcast rights for the show, outbidding the BBC with an offer of £25 million compared to the BBC's £15 million. In January 2017, the BBC waived its rights to keep the program off the air until 2018 and wished it well for the future.
In a royal blunder, judge Prue Leith accidentally revealed the winner of Series 8, Sophie Faldo, on her Twitter account twelve hours before the finale was scheduled to air. This caused uproar among many fans of the show, and Leith promptly deleted the tweet and apologised to those who saw it.
The infamous incident was humorously addressed in the first episode of Series 9, where hosts Toksvig and Fielding dressed as Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future and travelled back in time to prevent Leith from prematurely tweeting the season's winner!
During "Japan Week" in Season 11 Episode, The Great British Bake Off received substantial criticism for not featuring authentic Japanese bakes. One contestant opted for an Indian-inspired bun with a Dahl filling, while another chose a Chinese stir-fry as a filling, neither of which are typically found in Japa!
Viewers took offence to contestant Hermine styling her steamed buns to resemble panda bears, which are native to China, not Japan. Another contestant even styled their creation to look like an American-style cheeseburger and fries. The show was called out for assuming that all Asian people and iconography are Japanese, prompting disappointment among viewers.
Following the "German Week" episode in series 12, Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas faced criticism on social media for their imitation of a German accent during the show. Viewers found it irritating and inappropriate, raising concerns about whether such behaviour would be tolerated if it targeted another nationality. Matt Lucas, in particular, received backlash from many viewers who actually accused him of casual racism.
In the same episode, Paul Hollywood apologised to German contestant Jurgen as the showstopper challenge was not representative of German baking. Participants were tasked with making a three-tier cake with yeast, which left Jurgen puzzled as it was not a typical German baking practice. Hollywood jokingly stated that he had "anglicised" the challenge.
In series 13, episode 4 of The Great British Bake Off, it was Mexican week. As with previous episodes celebrating foreign cuisines, the show faced allegations of cultural appropriation. Criticisms were raised regarding the incorrect pronunciation of Mexican dishes, inaccurate labelling, and a sketch where Matt and Noel wore sombreros and ponchos, which was seen as disrespectful.
The Great British Bake Off received recognition at the Rose d'Or Awards, winning in the Lifestyle section of the 2012 competition. It has also been nominated multiple times in various categories for the BAFTA awards and emerged as the winner in 2012, 2013, and 2016. The show also won the 2015 National Television Award for Skills Challenge Show.
The British version of The Great British Bake Off is broadcast in numerous countries and has been sold to 196 territories as of 2015. The format has been licensed to 20 territories, making it the BBC's third most successful format after Strictly Come Dancing and The Weakest Link. Many of these international adaptations have enjoyed significant success. Additionally, the Junior Bake Off format has been sold to Thailand.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, strict measures were implemented for Season 11. Bakers, hosts, presenters, and the entire crew had to quarantine for two weeks before the start of the season. They remained isolated together throughout the duration of their time on the show. For the final, families were not permitted to be present during the announcement of the winner. Instead, the entire production team came together for a celebratory gathering.
Judge Paul Hollywood is known for giving a handshake to contestants who have excelled in a challenge. The "Paul Hollywood handshake" is highly coveted and is considered one of the top achievements on the show, along with being named Star Baker and winning the Bake-Off title.
The tradition of the handshake began in season 3 and initially occurred only during the Signature challenge. However, in season 8, Hollywood gave handshakes to two different contestants during the same Showstopper challenge.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he continued to give handshakes in season 11 while adhering to health and safety protocols.
In The Great British Bake Off season 1, a predetermined number of bakers were eliminated each week, with two eliminations in the first two weeks and one per week thereafter. In the finale, one of the three finalists was eliminated after the first bake on day one, leaving two for the final bake on day two. However, from season 2 onwards, the general convention has been to eliminate one baker per week, except for extenuating circumstances. The three finalists participate in all three bakes in the finale.
The tradition of naming a Star Baker each week began in season 2.
Throughout The Great British Bake Off, certain contestants became known for their distinctive appearance or baking conventions.
In the early seasons of The Great British Bake Off, the judges would offer technical advice to contestants during challenges, aiming to help them become better bakers. However, this practice largely stopped by season 4 to ensure fair competition without giving any contestant an unfair advantage during the challenges.
In the early seasons of The Great British Bake Off, particularly seasons 1 and 2, pre-taped segments were included in each episode. These segments featured the presenters learning about specific aspects of baking related to the challenges. Typically, there were two of these segments per episode. However, starting from season 3, these segments became less frequent and were only occasionally shown.
David Atherton is widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and consistent bakers among all the contestants. He achieved impressive results in the Technical bakes, finishing in the top two in eight out of ten challenges he participated in. He secured two first-place finishes and six second-place finishes. However, he had two instances where he didn't perform as well, finishing tenth out of thirteen contestants in one challenge and last out of nine in another.
Richard Burr holds the record for the most Star Baker wins, with five victories in season 5.
The most consecutive Star Baker wins were achieved by Richard Burr (season 5), Ian Cumming (season 6), and Steph Blackwell (season 10), each securing a three-week streak. Despite their impressive runs, none of them went on to win the Bake-Off title, although they all made it to their respective finals.
Nadiya Hussain (season 6) and Candice Brown (season 7) both received the Star Baker title three times before winning the Bake-Off title.
Marie Campbell (season 6) holds the record for the earliest elimination of a Star Baker. She was named Star Baker in week 1 but was eliminated in week 2.
There was only one instance where two contestants were named Star Baker in the same week. This occurred during Biscuits week in season 2 when Holly Bell and Jason White both received the honor. On the other hand, there was one week in season 2, specifically during Patisserie week, where no Star Baker was named. The judges wanted to celebrate the four bakers reaching the semi-finals instead.
Nancy Birthwhistle (season 5) is the only contestant who was named Star Baker in week 1 but didn't receive the title again until the finale, where she ultimately won the Bake-Off title.
Jürgen Krauss (season 12) holds the record for the most Star Baker titles without making it to the finale. He was named Star Baker three times.
Season 11 had the most number of individuals named Star Baker, with a total of seven recipients. In contrast, season 12 had the fewest number of people named Star Baker, with only four recipients. Season 11 holds the record for the longest duration without a repeat Star Baker, with eight weeks passing before someone received the title for the second time. In other words, seven different individuals were named Star Baker in the first seven weeks of the season.
Mary-Anne Boermans (season 2) and David Atherton (season 10) are the only contestants to have reached the finale without ever being named Star Baker. However, Atherton went on to win the Bake-Off title, making him the only champion who was never named Star Baker.
The oldest winner of the show is Nancy Birthwhistle (season 5), who was sixty years old when she emerged victorious. On the other hand, the youngest winner is Peter Sawkins (season 11), who won the title at the age of twenty.
The finales of seasons 2, 3, and 4 had distinct gender compositions. In seasons 2 and 4, the finales featured all-female lineups. The season 2 finale included Holly Bell, Mary-Anne Boermans, and Jo Wheatley, while the season 4 finale consisted of Frances Quinn, Ruby Tandoh, and Kimberley Wilson. Conversely, the season 3 finale was an all-male affair, featuring Brendan Lynch, James Morton, and John Whaite.
In season 2, out of the original twelve contestants, six were eliminated in the first seven weeks, with only one female contestant among them. As a result, the final five remaining contestants in the season were all female.
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