REVAMPED RECIPE
We review the Berry-less Great British Bake Off
After a seemingly endless wait, the much-anticipated revamp of The Great British Bake Off makes its Kiwi debut on Prime TV on Tuesday night (7.30pm).
It might have somewhat controversially shifted channels from the BBC to Channel 4 in the UK, but it still boasts the same Berkshire marquee, the same jaunty music and the same Mike Gatting-lookalike in returning judge Paul Hollywood.
However, as most readers and viewers will know there have been a few changes to the tried and tested recipe and I’m sad to report that this (Mary) Berryless Bake Off is a pale imitation of the original – judging by the first episode anyway.
On paper, the new dynamic hosting duo of Sandi Toksvig (Q.I.) and Noel Fielding (The Mighty Boosh) sounds like an absolute hoot, but in reality they seemed stiff and awkward, with the pair lacking the same chemistry that allowed Mel (Giedroyc) and Sue (Perkins) to be both warm and wickedly subversive.
Fielding in particular appeared out of sorts as 12 new bakers took on a fruity cake challenge, chocolate mini rolls and illusion cakes, struggling to deliver the dialogue with his usual flair and having to resort to physical comedy to elicit any kind of smiles.
He did however provide the highlight of the first round, eating an ‘‘inedible’’ marigold and announcing that it ‘‘tasted like a clown’s nose’’. That moment was also reflective of the strange surrealness that surrounded proceedings – from the rejigged opening credits to the watermelons, Russian dolls and bacon and egg pies that were actually cakes.
It might have added a little extra spice but it also left a bad taste in one’s mouth – everything felt and sounded slightly wrong – especially new judge Prue Leith.
Even she herself admitted, on Bake Off’s sister show Extra Slice (which makes its debut on Sunday, March 18 at 6pm on Prime), that she ‘‘thought it might be beyond me’’. And it’s true, the romance-novelist’s toothy grin couldn’t hide that she lacked the charisma and chutzpah of Mary Berry.
Even the bakers seemed uninspired by her presence, with one producing a self-described ‘‘Peter Beardsley of cakes’’.
Watching Extra Slice simply hammered Leith’s tentativeness home, as the superbly acerbic Jo Brand lead a studio audience through behind-the-scenes footage of the mostrecent Bake Off episode, took the mickey out of some failed viewer creations and bantered with guests Roisin Conaty and Richard Osman.
The latter made particularly insightful comments, describing Fielding as ‘‘the first ever goth baker’’ and admitting that the Channel 4 version of the show wasn’t nearly as hideous as it could of been.
‘‘There we no facial tattoos or spray tans and not one person said ‘totes’,’’ he commented, in reference to the channel’s more traditional offerings like Big Brother or Sex Box.
And, at least the show is still better than our own awful take – the Colin Mathura Jeffree-fronted New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker.
However, compared to the excellent 2015 Aussie series, which has just finished screening on Prime, it is a massive letdown.
That showcased a quartet in perfect harmony with one another. The affable Matt Moran and the endearingly enthusiastic Maggie Beer providing the perfect foils for dual hosts Mel Buttle and Clare Hooper.
Neither Fielding nor Toksvig could come up with anything to match Buttle’s perfectly timed one-liner: ‘‘Maggie and Matt would like you to make eight doughnuts. I’d like you to make 36, but I’m not in charge.’’