Does Paul Hollywood really bake all of those example cakes?
Who comes up with the show's smutty jokes?
And is any of the show fake?
Grab your aprons and oven mitts — we’re sneaking our way under the "Great British
Bake Off" tent.
Overnight fame is as integral to "The Great British Bake Off" as flour, eggs, and soggy
bottoms.
Picking a favorite and rooting for them to survive the tribulations of bread week, whilst
under the taut white canopy of the "Bake Off" tent, is part of what makes the show so enjoyable.
Fortunately, the arduous audition process ensures that the final 12 contestants are
capable of coping with the sudden global attention, primarily through a meeting with the show's
psychologist prior to filming.
And for some, the spotlight does not fade, but only intensifies with time.
Nadiya Hussain is one such contestant.
Labeled the "nation's sweetheart," Hussain has given a masterclass in how to use a cooking
show to permanently change your life.
She had the best start possible, winning Season 6 in impressive fashion.
After her victory, she wasted no time in returning to the television screen, hosting a two-part
travelogue titled "The Chronicles of Nadiya" on BBC One.
Now, with her sixth cookbook on the way, and a monthly column in The Times, Hussain has
solidified her place amongst Britain's culinary superstars, even making a cake for the Queen's
90th birthday.
"My dad now introduces me as, 'This is the daughter that made the cake for the queen,
I don't even have a name anymore.'"
With an MBE for services to broadcasting and the culinary arts to her name, Hussain shows
no sign of slowing down, and remains a near-permanent fixture on TV screens throughout Britain and
beyond.
How many times have you watched "Bake Off," and then instantly gone to the store to stock
your cupboards full of ingredients you had never previously heard of?
If the answer is frequently, rest assured that you do not stand alone.
"The Bake Off Effect," a term coined to describe the sudden surge in sales of products used
on the show, has firmly taken root in the United Kingdom.
As reported by The Express, the 2015 season alone caused a 33% leap in sales of salted
caramel sauce, a 180% spike for Peruvian goldenberries, and a 300% increase in the sales of crystallized
ginger.
Whilst a boost in baking essentials such as flour and cooking chocolate is a common feature
with each season, the surge in unusual ingredients is much harder to predict.
And as supermarkets get no warning as to what ingredients are going to be used in the upcoming
season, many are left scrambling to stock up on previously unknown, and unstocked items.
Morrison's, which is reportedly the fourth largest supermarket in the U.K., takes "The
Bake Off Effect" extremely seriously.
In fact, in 2016 they appointed a Bake Off Officer to monitor the show for buying trends.
We wouldn't be human if we didn't occasionally imagine ourselves striding confidently into
the "Bake Off" tent, maybe even high-fiving host Noel Fielding on the way.
But realizing this dream is not as simple as you may think.
As Season 8 finalist Steven Carter-Bailey revealed, the application process is pretty
grueling.
Detailing the process, he told Mashed,
"Constant questions, interviews, questions, interviews, credit checks, police checks,
health checks, psychiatric checks, ability checks.
You're constantly going down in front of cameras, [getting] checked for stress levels."
As reported by Tellymix, the audition process for "The Great British Bake Off" in 2022 involved
a set of strict rules.
For example, contestants could not make their living as a professional baker, chef, or cook,
and could not have acquired a cooking qualification within the 10 years prior to their application.
"Never baked before, let alone competitively.
Let alone on Bake Off."
Even after meeting these requirements and completing a long application form, contestants
still have a phone interview to look forward to before being invited to London for further
interviews and a screen test.
Applicants are also obligated to bring some of their own bakes for this visit, at their
own cost.
Talk about stressful.
“Uh, could you tell us about your flapjack, please?”
“Started make it, had a breakdown…bon appétit!”
"Bake Off" is just as much about the people as it is about the cakes, and this fact has
not been lost on the production team.
Throughout the show's 12 seasons, contestants of all ages, professions, body types, sexualities,
and ethnicities have been represented.
More importantly, the series never turns a person's diversity into a sob story for entertainment
value.
For instance, 2018 semi-finalist Briony Williams' limb difference was given so little focus
by the production team that many viewers didn't even notice it until after the third episode.
The show has also come to represent a modern, ethnically diverse British population, which
has been used as a counter to anti-immigration rhetoric.
Global Citizen has even highlighted the importance that the show's inclusion of all British identities
brings.
The sight of Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith sitting around the table with a perfectly
formed, impeccably baked technical challenge in front of them is the endearing image of
"The Great British Bake Off."
Despite viewers being led to believe otherwise, the judges do not take turns baking the masterpieces
themselves.
In actuality, the judges never bake the example cakes themselves.
It all boils down to timing.
Shooting days are so long and the judges' efforts are usually required elsewhere, so
it doesn't make sense to have them working in a kitchen for hours.
Instead, the baking is done by the show's home economics team, whose ability is readily
apparent for all who watch the show.
Unfortunately, they also get stuck with more mundane tasks which include cooking Paul Hollywood's
breakfast and reviewing all the contestants' planned signature and showstopper recipes.
They also must source all the necessary ingredients and equipment.
It's worth noting that the team begins sourcing ingredients up to two months before the show
starts.
"Bake Off" is built upon a competitive but friendly environment.
Bunting flaps in the wind, contestants hug and support each other, while hosts have been
known to cry when their new friends are voted off the show.
In short, "The Great British Bake Off" is a testament to the undeniable power of decency
in stressful situations.
Unfortunately, the goodwill demonstrated on the show is not always reflected by those
watching.
Bullying of the contestants on social media by so-called fans is a depressingly familiar
occurrence.
The most infamous incident was undoubtedly the bullying of contestant Laura Adlington,
who made the final in 2020.
Paul Hollywood stepped in to label the behavior "disgusting."
Alas, the trolling shows no sign of abating with 2021 contestants detailing the hate mail
they've received on social media.
When COVID-19 hit, whether "Bake Off" would be canceled or not was the least of most people's
worries.
However, the nation rejoiced when it was announced that the show would go ahead after the creation
of a bubble system that saw all staff and contestants isolated together for six weeks
at Down Hall Hotel Essex.
There was an opportunity for some sort of normality to reign, and many saw the cast
and crew as heroes for putting up with the bubble to deliver a "Bake Off" similar to
the one we all know and love.
"Once we all walk into the tent, I think it'll get back to something very very familiar."
However, the bubble was not all as mundane and self-sacrificial as one may initially
have thought.
Indeed, both presenters Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas hosted events, whilst all of the
staff, including Hollywood and Leith, were at the hotel bar often.
The 2021 season finale of "Bake Off" drew an audience of over 7 million viewers.
As a result, it's not hard to see why the famed baking show has inspired the BBC to
launch many other similar television programs.
Most of these shows follow a familiar format wherein several amateur enthusiasts battle
through a range of challenges, with one person being eliminated each week, until a champion
is crowned.
However, despite sticking to a tried and tested formula, the broadcasting company's endeavors
have been met with mixed results.
"The Great British Sewing Bee," which markets itself as "the ultimate sewing battle" has
done reasonably well, receiving a boost of viewers in the shape of aspiring enthusiasts
during the lockdown.
Yet, the show has struggled to reach a wider audience due to the seemingly less accessible
challenges.
Unsurprisingly, it is one thing to bake a Victoria Sponge, and quite another to attempt
to sew a whole outfit.
Unfortunately, another of the BBC's "Bake Off"- inspired gambits fared much worse than
"Sewing Bee."
"The Great Pottery Throwdown," which sought to ignite a national passion for pottery making,
really struggled to capture that "Bake Off" magic and was axed in 2018.
"Bake Off's" rip-roaring success is now so all-encompassing that it is hard to imagine
anyone doubting its ability to thrive on the small screen.
But it has recently become apparent that there are many who did.
Anna Beattie, who came up with the original idea behind "The Great British Bake Off,"
pitched the show for a whole four years until it was accepted.
"It's the first time the bakers have really got to impress us, and really show us what
they can do."
As for the inspiration behind the show, Beattie's friend reportedly told her about "bake offs"
that took place in the U.S. Beattie decided to match this competitive structure with a
very British village fête.
The killer combination of judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who couldn't believe his
luck when he got the callback, were then added.
Hollywood told The Daily Mail that everyone was shocked by the show's meteoric rise.
For Beattie, it must have seemed like all those long years pitching had finally paid
off.
If you think that being a contestant on the show is difficult, then please spare a thought
for the production team who have the herculean task of capturing the frantic action of 12
very stressed bakers.
Even with multiple cameras in the tent and every contestant wearing a mic, the production
team is bound to miss a few things.
But they have a few strategies in place to mitigate these losses and ensure that key
moments are not the ones being missed.
First and foremost amongst these is a rule that states all contestants must signal a
camera to capture the moment a bake is put in the oven and the moment it's taken out.
This is why you so often hear a contestant utter the famous line, "I'm going in."
"The mixture is still liquid."
However, despite the crew's best efforts, not everything can be captured in real-time,
meaning that the production team sometimes asks contestants to repeat certain actions.
This type of tweaking is commonplace in nearly all cooking and reality shows.
"Great British Bake Off" mania is everywhere, leading to a variety of spinoffs being produced.
The most beloved of these is "The Great Celebrity Bake Off," which involves various celebrities
competing across the usual challenges with the goal of raising money for charity.
To date, the supported causes have been Sport Relief, Comic Relief, and most recently Stand
Up To Cancer.
"Junior Bake Off," a children's version for aspiring bakers aged nine to twelve years
old, debuted on CBBC back in 2011.
However, it is the latest addition to the "Great British Bake Off" empire that is definitely
the most daring yet.
"The Great British Bake Off: The Musical" is a new theatre production which will chart
the journeys of multiple bakers as they vie for baking's top prize.
Launching in July 2022, the show hopes to imitate the success of other food-related
musicals such as "Waitress," which was nominated for best musical in the 2016 Tony Awards.
From soggy bottoms to hot buns, innuendo has been a part of "Bake Off" since its inception.
Not only is it a vital part of what makes the show work, but it's also a reflection
of British "banter" as a whole.
Paul Hollywood agrees, telling The Guardian,
"[British] culture has always been based off it.
'Carry On' films did it for 30 years [...] it's in our DNA to giggle at ourselves."
And giggle at themselves they certainly do.
In fact, a recent comment made by Prue Leith left Hollywood in stitches, demonstrating
that the newer members of the show are more than happy to uphold "Bake Off"'s racy tradition.
"No matter what it is, it's going in."
For some viewers, these jokes are far from funny, with a few suggesting that in recent
seasons "Bake Off" has become far too smutty.
But for the majority of viewers, the banter helps make the show so endearing.
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