The Great British Bake Off is such a cultural phenomenon that this year it received its own official musical, which will premiere on the West End in early 2023. Will the show end in 2022?
It goes without saying that this multiple-BAFTA-winning baking competition is a top-tier hit: since its understated debut in 2010, it has racked up record ratings (up to 16 million), that unique kind of adoration most shows can only dream of, plus over 35 international versions, and even its celebrity charity spin-off, The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off, which consistently attracts ratings of over five million viewers.
But in reality, it has been gradually disintegrating for the past few years, much like Ruby’s vegan showstopper, and this year it has finally gone kaput.
It’s turned into a baking program without doing any baking, which is a really huge case of losing the ball. Pistachio and praline ice cream, pizza, and spring rolls have all presented technical difficulties during the unfortunate Series 13, and don’t even get us started on the taco tragedy that occurred during Mexican week.
Even though it was enjoyable to watch Sandro succeed at making ice cream (and if you check Twitter, most people seem content to watch Sandro do just about anything), these tasks lack the essential elements of a baking competition.
Please, give us some cakes! enigmatic Bulgarian pastries compel them to attempt to duplicate Kinder Happy Hippos! It’s not complicated science, and it’s not tacos either.
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The production team’s stubborn resistance to repeating problems appears to be a contributing factor to the issue, but guess what? The British love repetition! In every second Doctor Who episode, the Daleks return.
People would riot if Strictly dared to cancel Halloween week. On I’m a Celebrity, former soap stars have eaten some unfortunate animal’s genitalia so many times that we’ve lost count.
Let’s face it, the majority of us bake the same old favorites every year, sometimes even foods that nobody really loves (stollen?! ), but The Great British Bake Off rarely includes baked goods that would inspire people to attempt them at home any longer since they wouldn’t dare.
Since allegedly inspiring over a third more UK adults to start baking between 2011 and 2013 and assisting the Women’s Institute in reaching its greatest membership levels since the 1970s, the show has come a long way.
And to be really honest, The Great British Bake Off isn’t much fun anymore. The producers seem to favor drama above talent lately, raising the stakes and giving the competitors improbable time constraints to finish ever-more-stressful tasks. Previous seasons gave the candidates enough time to enjoy some baking humor, such as Sue Perkins’ Baklava dough on her face, Howard’s explanation of hemp to Mary Berry, or Rahul’s endearing existential crisis.
Today’s participants are too busy losing their will to live while trying to construct fifteen various types of mille-feuille in the shape of their favorite prime minister to even have time to giggle disinterestedly at Matt Lucas and Noel Fieldings’ cheeky, surreal humor.
And that’s before Paul Hollywood, the Debbie Downer of baking, deflates their spirits with his constant complaints about the bakers’ unimaginative decorations, overcooked dough, and dry pies.
Nowadays, Hollywood seldom allows Prue to speak at all, giving her only enough time to apologetically add things like: Could we think of something kind to say? While prior seasons have emphasized the fun of baking, Paul’s demands for nothing less than perfection are unlikely to inspire viewers to try baking themselves.
As a result, the bakers simply aren’t that great. It’s not their fault; the casting is as excellent as ever, but they haven’t had many opportunities to shine due to a combination of overly demanding jobs and demoralizing criticisms. Yes, we had Janusz’s cake within a cake surprise and Syabira’s pina colada gateau masterpiece, but compared to prior series, actual showstoppers are scarce.
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The Great British Bake Off is beginning to leave a bad taste in the mouths of its devoted fans after the third year in a row the country-themed baking week (this time Mexico, previously Germany and Japan) has created controversy over the accuracy, lack of respect, and cultural appropriation.
The show might be revived by a cunning person who makes a significant change to the presenters or format. Perhaps it can return to its kinder, nicer beginnings. Or perhaps there is no more room for sugarcoating it, like Iain’s baked Alaska. The Great British Bake Off should just be thrown away because it is beyond saving.