Balls, baps and soggy bottoms: Is the Great British Bake Off now too rude for primetime?
Name: Bake Off
Age: The Great British Bake Off has been going since 2010, quickly becoming a family favourite. A light dusting of innuendo has been part of the recipe from the start.
So the smut wasn’t added when it moved to Channel Phwoar? You’re right about the move to Channel 4 in 2017, but there were lashings of double entendres even in its BBC days.
Soggy bottoms! Exactly. From Mary Berry herself. Possibly unintentional to begin with, but it quickly became her catchphrase.
Pretty tame though, I can’t imagine anyone getting too upset about soggy bottoms. Yeah, but then presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, never ones to knowingly pass on an opportunity for innuendo, pushed it further in – pushed it further in! – that direction.
Remind me. “Stop touching your dough balls!” “Stand away from your hot baps!”
Balls, baps, and soggy bottoms. It’s Carry On Baking, but more groaninducing than anything that would trouble Ofcom, no? You want a little extra spice? I give you: “Some of them have got a good forking,” from Queen Mary herself.
I refuse to believe that it was intentional. OK then, how about “I’ve never eaten a nun before,” from Sue. Or: “Keep your biscuits erect, you’ve got four hours to do so.”
Sue again? Sue again. Then the move to Channel 4, and how about this between Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith in the bread round: “It’s all about making both of the balls quite tight. The way you do that, the way I do it, is to drive my finger right all the way to the tray underneath.” “Do you flour your finger?” “I could oil it …”
I remember! They called it the most innuendo filled episode ever. Well, they did in 2017 …
Has it been trumped? Maybe you didn’t catch this week’s episode. The bread round again – what is it about bread?
Buns? Inevitably. “My buns are a little bit small,” said contestant Dan, while attempting Devonshire splits.
They sound painful. Host Noel Fielding, who took the innuendo baton from Sue in the changeover, said bakers didn’t want their buns to be too tight.
Groan. And contestant Josh smirked and said: “You don’t want to put cream into a hot bun.”
Cream, too far? Some said so on social media. “Too many buns and cream innuendoes,” from one. “Channel 4 programming quality hitting rock bottom … Get ready for lots of complaints from this series,” said another. And: “It’s very uncomfortable family viewing this week.”
Do say: “Bedtime kids, just mummy and daddy are watching this one.”
Don’t say: “Anything about the Hollywood handshake.”