OVEN-READY FUN AND FROLICS
Marion McMullen looks at the recipe for TV success as The Great British Bake Off returns
1 THE Great British Bake Off first hit our screens on BBC2 on August 17, 2010, with judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry and presenters Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc. The first winner Edd Kimber, right, has gone on to bring out three cookbooks and became resident baker on The Alan Titchmarsh Show and now has his own The Boy Who Bakes website.
2 THE format has been sold to 30 different countries so far including New Zealand, Greece and Thailand. Chile’s El Gran Pasterlero – which translates as The Great Baker – is the second Spanish language adaption of the show following Argentina’s series. In Poland it is known as Bake Off – What A Cake! while Swedish viewers call it All Sweden Bakes.
3 CBBC’S Horrible Histories does its own spoof version of Bake Off called The Great Historical Bake Off. The award-winning children’s series has seen many kitchen-based sketches over the years featuring Roald Dahl, Lewis Carroll and Enid Blyton cooking up the likes of worm cake, edible teacups and water that can shrink in a Staggering Storytellers special.
4 THE baking competition moved to BBC1 in 2014 and more than 13 million saw Nadiya Hussain, inset, crowned the winner after an emotional final in 2015. It came after 10 weeks and 30 challenges, including, a wobbly Charlotte Russe. Nadiya said: “I went in as the smallest baker at 4ft 11 ins but I walked out feeling a giant.”
5 THE Great British Bake Off was sold by Love Productions to Channel 4 in 2016 and made its debut on the channel last year with Paul Hollywood, new judge Prue Leith and hosts Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding. They return with a tent full of new amateur bakers as the new series starts on Tuesday August 28.
6 THE TV contest was one of the biggest ratings hits in Channel 4’s 35-year history when it launched and it attracted 10 million viewers for last year’s final... even though Prue Leith accidentally tweeted the name of the winner just hours before the show aired.
7 THE trailer for the new series features sad-looking cupcakes and chocolate iced cakes belting out Christina Aguilera’s hit Beautiful. The voices used include gospel singers from The Kingdom Choir, who performed at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Last year’s trailer had assorted pastries singing Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus’s We All Stand Together.
8 JO BRAND will also be back to give fans An Extra Slice starting on Channel 4 next Friday. Jo, right, will serve up her favourite pictures of viewers’ home baking – from triumphs to the heroic fails. Inspired by Paul and Prue, Jo will also test the celebrity guests’ baking skills with dastardly challenges of her own.
9 THIS year’s contestants, below, include a techno DJ a research scientist, a banker, a mental health specialist and a retired air steward. The first week will see the hopefuls tackling biscuits and, this year, the series will also feature a ‘vegan week’.
10 RICHARD McKERROW, of Love Productions never imagined the show would have a global impact. He said last year: “You see an absolute passion. Bakers are doing it for themselves, but they’re ultimately doing it for other people, because that’s the end result they care about – sharing it with family and friends.”