The Great British Bake Off
CHANNEL 4, 8.00PM
Along with falling leaves and ripening hedgerow fruit, the return of The Great British Bake Off is a sure-fire portent of impending autumn. As they enter their third year in the tent, Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding are now comfortable enough to swap double for single entendres in an opening episode that manages to be both utterly filthy and entirely family-friendly from the opening Wizard of Oz skit onwards. Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith are willing foils as ever, while an extra baker adds a twist to the format, effectively guaranteeing a double elimination down the line. The contestants are another appealing bunch, from manbunned support worker Dan and vet Rosie (she proves her dough in her python’s tank) to irrepressible bordering-on-slapdash youth Jamie and straightarrow chorister Henry.
Week one is Cake Week, which means a Signature fruitcake, a retro classic for the Technical and a Showstopper based on dream childhood birthday cakes: cartoon dogs, space rockets, sweet shops, The Magic Faraway Tree, that sort of thing. Butterfingers are in evidence early on, with blood and broken sugarwork, and a few contestants already look set for the final. But as always, the joy is in the journey.