Lauren Jones
The Great British Bake Off is a family-friendly baking show that has become something of a British classic, inspiring many viewers to give baking a go. Its popularity has led to the creation of spin-off shows ‘Junior Bake Off‘ and ‘Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off’, and other programmes that follow its format such as the Great British Sewing Bee and the Great Pottery Throw Down. But in its thirteenth series, is the show still as adored as it once was? Or has it become samey and tired?
The Evolution of Bake Off
“Although the main concept has remained the same, the much-loved series has evolved since it first came to our screens.”
Bake Off captured the nation’s hearts from its very first series back in 2010, and has seen more than 150 bakers compete across 13 series for the title of the UK’s Best Amateur Baker. Each episode of the baking show follows the same format of signature challenge, technical challenge, and showstopper challenge. The bakers compete across these challenges to impress the judges, avoid elimination, and win the much sought-after title of Star Baker.
Although the main concept has remained the same, the much-loved series has evolved since it first came to our screens. The first seven series were presented by comedy duo Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, with Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood as expert judges. The earlier series of Bake Off also featured history segments, which were discontinued in later episodes. In 2017, ahead of the eighth series, it was announced that Bake Off would move from BBC to Channel 4. It was also announced that Berry, Giedroyc, and Perkins would not make the move to Channel 4. They were replaced by Prue Leith, Noel Fielding, and Sandi Toksvig respectively. The show has remained largely unchanged since then, with the exception of Toksvig’s departure after series 10. She was replaced by Matt Lucas ahead of the eleventh series.
Keeping Bake Off’s format fresh
When a show like the Great British Bake Off is so popular, it can be hard to preserve that popularity across later episodes and series of the show. Because episodes of Bake Off religiously follow the same stringent structure, there is undoubtedly the risk that the show will start to feel stagnant and tired.
The introduction of new episode themes has been a great way to introduce new challenges and keep the show fresh. Free-from Week in Series 12, and contestant Freya Cox, the show’s first vegan baker, demonstrated that it’s possible to create amazing bakes in line with strict dietary requirements. 80’s Week in Series 11 was a fun way to include some retro bakes that would maybe have been otherwise overlooked.
“There needs to be more consideration about how such a popular and wide-reaching show is presenting other cultures”
Japanese Week and Mexican Week in recent series have both faced criticism for cultural ignorance and cultural appropriation thanks to generalisations, insensitive skits, and poorly executed jokes. There absolutely needs to be more consideration about how such a popular and wide-reaching show is presenting other cultures and whether this is done sensitively and appropriately – with particular focus on skits and contextual information about bakes.
Classic Comfort Show or Too Challenging?
Bake Off found its niche as a family-friendly, feel-good watch very early on, and there are some reasons for its popularity that are intrinsic to the nature of the show. Part of Bake Off’s charm is that we get to know the bakers each series and become emotionally invested – there’s nothing quite like rooting for your favourite, celebrating their successes, and keeping your fingers and toes crossed that they’ll avoid elimination and make it to the final.
“in an age of burnout and too much stress, higher-pressure and harder challenges don’t make Bake Off better”
Bake Off’s feel-good vibes make it such an easy, enjoyable watch. However, these positives are somewhat compromised by harsh criticism from the judges and by staggeringly tricky challenges. It’s difficult to watch contestants spend hours baking only for it to end in criticism, disappointment, or tears – what’s feel-good about that? Especially in the latest episodes, it seems like one bad challenge makes the bakers feel deflated. It’s time to recognise that in an age of burnout and too much stress, higher-pressure and harder challenges don’t make Bake Off better: they only make it harder to watch.
“the show acts as a platform to celebrate diversity, creativity, and innovation”
That said, Great British Bake Off is undoubtedly a celebration of culinary delights. The show acts as a platform in mainstream pop-culture to celebrate diversity, creativity, and innovation. Each baker brings incredible talent to the tent, and it’s fun to see how the contestants use both traditional and non-traditional ingredients in their creations. This is exactly what makes Bake Off stand out against other TV shows: it’s fun, feels less scripted than other shows, and is about a love of baking, creativity, and friendship – not just about winning.
What’s next for Great British Bake Off?
Bake Off is becoming a show with harder challenges that are more about perfect execution than creativity and fun. While it’s commendable that the show is attempting to evolve, rather than grow tired and stale, producers must decide if the show will diverge towards the more competitive nature of other cooking shows, or if Bake Off will return to being a refreshing, light-hearted watch that viewers already love. Ultimately, this will decide whether or not Bake Off remains popular amongst current viewers.
Featured image courtesy of Vojtech Okenka on Pexels. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
Lauren Jones
Lauren is an Au Pair and a recent languages graduate. She is an aspiring journalist and is particularly interested in politics, social issues, and the arts.