Cake off

[Gob]

A new series to find the UK's most diverse participants, sorry, best baker, starts Tuesday.

Last week a visitor to the Great British Bake Off set was on the phone to her mother in South Africa. “She was having her hair done at the time, and she said to the hairdresser, my daughter is on the set of The Great British Bake Off,” says its co-creator, Richard McKerrow. “And quick as anything the hairdresser said: ‘Does she know Paul Hollywood? I love him!’”

The story is testament to the extraordinarily successful international reach of the programme, which returns to UK screens this week. It’s now licensed for home-baked productions in no fewer than 35 countries, with Morocco, Mexico and Uruguay the latest in the line-up; in Morocco, the series premiere achieved a lip-smacking 40% audience share. Denmark, France and Sweden all celebrate their 10th season this year, and more than 1,500 episodes have been made across the world, featuring 1,300 bakers.

The distinctive white tent has been pitched at a castle (in the German version); by a lake (Poland); by the sea (Israel and Belgium) – and in Australia, dispensed with altogether in favour of a huge shed. In Argentina and Mexico it’s called El Gran Pastelero (The Great Pastry Chef); in Denmark it’s Den Store Bagedyst (The Big Baking Contest) and in Germany it’s Das Grosse Backen (The Great Bake). In Italy, where it’s Dolci In Forno (Sweets in the Oven), they have the oldest judge of any region, 83-year-old Clelia D’Onofrio; and the winner there in 2015 was a male professional boxer. In Norway, the winner is given a new kitchen; in Sweden, they’re thrown into a lake.

The licensed productions, though, are only part of Bake Off’s story abroad: because in addition to that, more than 200 territories around the world take the UK show, these days very soon after it’s been broadcast in Britain. In the US, for example, it will be shown on Netflix just three days after it runs on Channel 4. “Netflix don’t disclose viewing figures – but it’s easy to see how much watched it is, from Twitter and from the celebrities who want to take part,” says McKerrow, chief executive of Bake Off producer Love Productions.

Continues here...

[BoSoxGal]

The UK is 86% white and the show is only 58% white. Shockingly distasteful! Clearly a woke agenda at work there.

[Bicycle Bill]

The UK is 86% white and the show is only 58% white. Shockingly distasteful! Clearly a woke agenda at work there.

And I'm sure there are several of the 'Alphabet People' (LGBTQQ etc) represented there as well.
There is nothing less real than a 'reality show', I'm afraid.

-"BB"-

[MajGenl.Meade]

And why a "white tent"? What's up with that! Does it use non-gender-ropes? Enquiring minds want to know!

[Joe Guy]

I hope at least one of those people in the photo wears a hair net when baking a cake.

[BoSoxGal]

I hope at least one of those people in the photo wears a hair net when baking a cake.

Which one, I wonder? And why only one? Do you suffer from the misconception that hair of one ethnicity sheds differently than hair of another ethnicity?

Even the two guys with almost no length could shed into the batter, including from a beard. The hairs would be shorter but that’s still hair in the cake.

[Joe Guy]

I said "at least one". I hope they all do. And masks too....

[BoSoxGal]

I said "at least one". I hope they all do. And masks too....

Sounds good. But just so you know, hair that sheds in an Afro is more likely to get stuck in the natty texture of the Afro and not actually fall out until wash time. White people’s hair on the other hand falls out very easily and into everything. I just chopped mine all off because it was annoying me so much to always have long tickling hairs sliding down my neck/back and wrapped around my arms and such. At middle age and beyond the shed intensifies.

[Joe Guy]

Sounds good. But just so you know, hair that sheds in an Afro is more likely to get stuck in the natty texture of the Afro and not actually fall out until wash time........

That may be true. But I figure in this case the more clouds, the better the chance of rain.

[Jarlaxle]

Everyone except the white guy in the blue shirt should wear a hair net.

[Gob]

What the contestants would look like in a real contest to find Britain's best baker.and yes, I'm taking the piss.

[BoSoxGal]

Wow, how sexist can you be?

I know lots of older women who couldn’t bake their way out of a Duncan Hines box. Women are not genetically preprogrammed to be excellent cooks and bakers, and many women intentionally choose to not focus their energies on the kitchen - including plenty of women of the generation depicted in that photo.

Further there are many men who are wonderfully talented pastry chefs aka bakers.

And there are many YOUNG people of any gender who are the same.


Opened this board this morning and got a whopping dose of sexism, racism and ageism. Happy Monday at Plan B!

[MajGenl.Meade]

What the contestants would look like in a real contest to find Britain's best baker.and yes, I'm taking the piss.

Half of those are tranmas!

[Scooter]

Bake Off winner David Atherton on life in the tent: ‘I weed all over my apron’

David Atherton, winner of the Great British Bake Off 2019, on embarrassing moments, crushes and what this year’s bakers should expect.

What was going through your mind when you first walked into the tent?

I was amazed that it looked exactly like it does on TV. Because usually TV shows are made in studios, so you are surprised when you get there and: ‘Oh it’s smaller. Oh, it’s this room within this big horrible room that’s full of lots of equipment.’ Whereas with Bake Off, you really do walk across the grass in the sun, and you walk straight into the tent. And that kind of made it feel more real than anything else, I think.

What was your most embarrassing moment during Bake Off?

One that I’ve not shared before, actually, was that I ran off to go to the toilet – you don’t get any time, the time doesn’t stop – so I ran out of the tent, across the grass to the toilets. Then I ran back and realised I’d weed all over my apron. I never told anyone, just went straight back into the tent.

Have you ever had a Bake Off crush?

Yes! Tamal. It was the series when Nadiya won. I totally loved Tamal and I was convinced I was going to bump into him one day. Never have.

Who’s your best Bake Off friend?

Helena, who was the spooky one from my year. We speak every single day. I don’t speak every day to anyone else.

What advice would you give to this years bakers?

The only advice you really can give, which is impossible to really follow, is just to stay calm and enjoy it. Every single person that gets into the tent can bake and deserves to be there, and really, often the difference is people that have a wobble. When you start getting stressed, you don’t make decisions properly. So by staying calm, you have a clear head. And so if things do go wrong, you can usually steer yourself through them. Whereas if you let things spiral, it is impossible to come back from that.

What’s the best thing that’s happened to you since you won Bake Off?

Bake Off has gifted me with so many incredible experiences and opportunities. But I do think probably being able to publish my own cookbook, that has always been such a dream.

And what should we cook from that cookbook?

I actually have three cookbooks out now – but one that I love teaching people, I love baking for people, and that I think everybody should learn how to do, is a really good cinnamon roll.

What did you learn from being a COVID vaccinator?

I was already a vaccinator, I’ve done lots of programs before. I’ve never seen people so excited to get the vaccine! It was a huge operation, it was amazing to see and to be part of.

How is your wedding planning going?

It’s… not really. Nik is better than me, sometimes he’ll say: “Right, we’ll start looking at this.” But so far, we have just been doing too many things. This is going to remind us to sit down and do it.

Would you ever do Strictly?

One hundred per cent. It would terrify me, but 100 per cent.

You’ve just released My First Green Cook Book, for young cooks. Why should we all going more green?

Vegetarian cookbooks are not just for vegetarians. We should all be more green to help the planet; even if you’re somebody who eats meat it can be quite nice to have a vegetarian meal once a week, twice a week, or even more than that. Some people struggle with that to eat instead, so this book can give inspiration.

David Atherton’s My First Green Cook Book, a collection of vegetarian recipes for young cooks, is out now and can be bought at bookshop.org or amazon.co.uk.

The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 Tuesday (21 September) at 8pm

[Joe Guy]

And the winner of the Bake Off is….

The guy with all that pee on his apron.

[Gob]

David Atherton was a great contestant, but was very lucky that the favourite, Steph Blackwell, went to pieces in the final bake.

Of the 2021 contestants, Crystelle is is currently my firm favourite, (probably Paul Hollywood's too, but possibly on the other bus.)

[Gob]

The UK is 86% white and the show is only 58% white. Shockingly distasteful! Clearly a woke agenda at work there.

Amanda, 56, London
Chigs, 40, Leicestershire (Spanish)
Crystelle, 26, London (Indian) (G)
Freya, 19, North Yorkshire (Y) (Vegan)
George, 34, London (Greek)
Giuseppe, 45, Bristol (Italian)
Jairzeno, 51, London (Trinidadian) (G)
Jurgen, 56, Sussex (German)
Lizzie, 28, Liverpool (G)
Maggie, 70, Dorset (O)
Rochica, 27, Birmingham (Jamaican)
Tom, 28, Kent (G)

I think that's all the boxes ticked? OH, fuck me, no disabled!!! (Or at least none noted yet)

[Bicycle Bill]

Gob, what is the meaning of 'G'. 'Y', and 'O', and why are only six of the contestants so designated?

-"BB"-

[ex-khobar Andy]

I assume that Gob was trying to make the point that the program producers were trying to check various 'diversity' boxes which were respectively Gay, Young and Old. The ages are given so I concur with the Y and O designations but I don't know if the G contestants so self identified, if I am correct about the meaning of G.

[Long Run]

There's checking the boxes, and then there is trying to appeal to a wider audience.