S10.E12: The Great Festive Bake Off

[Athena]

Quote

Noel, Sandi, Prue and Paul welcome the cast of Derry Girls to the festive tent as they compete for Star Baker and see in the New Year with the London Community Gospel Choir

UK Air Date: January 1, 2020

[Danny Franks]

This was a fun Bakeoff, and the dynamics between the cast members don't seem to be worlds apart from the dynamics between the characters. Dylan as the awkward, quiet one, Nicola being a little fussy and mothering (and, of course, competent but panicky), Saoirse and Jamie-Lee as more mouthy and confident. Siobhan is obviously the biggest departure from her character. But her little "god, I've been in England too long"  and "this is what the English think is fun" snark were perfectly Sister Michael.

Blinis was an odd idea for a technical challenge. They really should have asked them to do potato pancakes from scratch, because those are very popular in Northern Ireland.

But I feel like these celebrity episodes should be more of a break from the format, and have Paul and Prue actively giving advice where needed. Make it a little more collaborative, because none of them know what they're doing, but they usually give it their all.

[Aulty]

Siobhan had a few good lines like when she said that what she will take away from this experience ... are a few of the bowls she has grown rather fond of and they seem to have more than enough of them around here anyway.

I wasn't quite sure whether they tried to be in character for this or if thats how they really are. I've seen a few interviews with them where they seemed less like their respective characters but thats quite different from the stressful situations arising in that tent. My favourite part was probably Saoirse reading the technical recipe out loud in a full on Derry accent.

The celebration scene at the end: you get a few more extra's in and film them more close up to make it look like a proper party and not just 7 people standing behin a table prentending to enjoy themselves.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Woo! GBBO + Derry Girls!

Ha, when Paul asked how the bakers could possibly mess up a trifle, I thought have you really not seen that episode of Friends?

Jamie-Lee's trifle with caramelized clementines, orange curd swiss roll, chocolate orange custard, and chocolate shavings looked a bit flat and a little messy. It was adorabl how excited she got after the judges' comments.

Saoirse's Irish cream trifle with chocolate custard, chocolate malt balls, and swiss roll was also flat and messy like Jamie-Lee's. She gets bonus points for the malt balls.

Dylan's Bakewell trifle with raspberries, sherry soaked almond sponge, and white chocolate buttons had more height and more distinct layers than the previous two, and it looked slightly neater.

Siobhan's champagne and blackberry trifle with champagne jelly, and chocolate sponge sounded great. Considering that she only had three layers, I was imprssed that she managed to fill her trifle bowl all the way to the top. "Unbranded champagne - my favorite kind." Nice attempt at getting a handshake.

Nicola's trifle with strawberry and rhubarb swiss roll and mascarpone sounded delicious and it looked great. She was so smart to display the swiss rolls that way.

The salmon and beetroot blinis were so pretty but I'm biased because I love the color of things made with beetroot. Awwww, poor Dylan coming in last place in the technical. Congrats to Siobhan - her blinis looked great!

Dylan's VW bus cake with lemon curd, vanilla buttercream, and Victorian sponge looked like it was made out of Play Doh. I loved that he painted Sandy's name on the side in honor of the grooviest chick he knows.

Jamie-Lee's Amelia Earhart cake with Swiss roll, vanilla sponge, coconut buttercream, and raspberry jam was a mess but I'm glad she had a sense of humor about it. Putting Amelia's head next to the plane made me laugh. It was hilarious when Paul said his mouth was burning from the baking powder and she said she might have mixed up the teaspoon and the tablespoon.

Nicola's Cabaret/Art Deco inspired cake with chocolate sponge, white chocolate, and raspberry ganache was a little lacking in execution. Ha, but no coffee but something musty in the cake.

Saoirse's tie dye cake with lemon blueberry sponge and berry jam sounded pretty good. I had to laugh when the judges questioned the muddy look of her heart and she said that sometimes peace doesn't look like you thought it would.

Siobhan's camping cake with chocolate and raspberry cake and the Cork version of Battenberg sounded delicious. I felt bad that this was a tribute to her parents and that she was laughing and almost crying when she presented it. I couldn't help but laugh when she was smearing green frosting onto the cake with her bare hands.

I'm glad that the girls all said they had fun and didn't take it too hard.

[cherrypj]

I think this episode is airing this Friday, 04 December 2020, on Netflix. 

[SailorGirl]

On 11/30/2020 at 6:59 PM, cherrypj said:

I think this episode is airing this Friday, 04 December 2020, on Netflix. 

You are correct, and I'm SO EXCITED!! I just discovered Derry Girls a few weeks ago and was on a desperate hunt for their GBBO episode!!

https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2020/11/16/episode-of-derry-girls-on-the-great-british-baking-show-coming-to-netflix/

Edited December 3, 2020 by SailorGirl
edited to add confirmation link

[SailorGirl]

Not sure whether to post this here or in the Derry Girls forum -- probably both -- just watched the episode -- laughed out loud many times, just as with the show. 

Dylan is just the cutest thing, and Siobhan is a freakin' riot. The bakes were definitely entertaining and you can tell they all truly enjoy being around each other. 

Good way to spend an hour! 

[MartyQui]

I was CRYING laughing during the showstopper.  This was just what I needed tonight.

[festivus]

I have no idea who these people are but that was fun! Slime girl was my fave, I lol'd several times at her. 

[MisterGlass]

I went into this expecting a regular-ish episode and this felt so odd...does bake off do other celebrity themed episodes?  Was this for charity?  Clearly a couple people knew how to cook but this was like a weird mash up between Nailed It and GBBO.

Not that this wasn't entertaining.  I enjoy Derry Girls, and the cast is great.  Siobhan really made me laugh multiple times.

I just don't know how to feel about it as an episode of GBBO, even as a special.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

9 minutes ago, MisterGlass said:

I went into this expecting a regular-ish episode and this felt so odd...does bake off do other celebrity themed episodes?

Yes, they have the Great Comic Relief Bake Off, the Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off, and the Great Sport Relief Bake Off which all feature celebrities like John Lithgow, Russell Brand, Tan France, Geri Halliwell (Spice Girls), Louis Theroux, Teri Hatcher, Russell Tovey, Richard Dreyfuss, Michael Sheen, Joanna Lumley (Ab Fab), Warwick Davis, Bonnie Wright (Harry Potter), Michael Ball (Les Mis), Kimberley Walsh (Girls Aloud), Will Young, Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), and Alexa Chung.

Edited December 5, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[MerBearHou]

I can’t find it on Netflix — help!

ETA:  found it — never mind. Such fun!

Edited December 5, 2020 by MerBearHou

[meep.meep]

So great to finally get to see this!

Best part was Siobhan trying to convince the judges that slime was part of her culture.  She's so different from Sister Michael!  Loved how everyone kept sampling the alcoholic beverages.

[blueray]

I've never heard of Derry Girl's so no idea who any of these people are. I do wish they brought back past constants instead of celebrities. That being said I did laugh a good amount. I totally would spray batter everywhere too if I were to try to use a mixer.  It was kind of like watching worst cooks in America Ireland.  It really shows how hard it actually is to do.  I do think the right one did win, as her cake was at least eatable lol. 

[estellasmum]

I was not expecting this, I thought it was just a regular episode, and had no idea what Derry Girls was, and almost turned it off. But now after binging all 2 seasons (which didn't really take that long), I'm so happy to have watched this.

[SemiCharmedLife]

I was really rooting for Siobhan with her wicked sense of humor.  I couldn't believe she iced her green cake with her hands- she was doing fine up until then.  

I was literally yelling at the television for Saoirse not to mix up that fondant in the mixer, or just a tad.  It could have been so pretty.  I'm surprised she won Star Baker, but I didn't get to taste the bakes, so...

It was fun seeing all the actors attempt these bakes, some for the first time.  They all seemed to really have fun together and loved the positive critiques.

For those who are fans of GBBO and haven't seen Derry Girls, I would highly recommend it, especially if you love comedies.  (Turn on your Closed Caption if you are an American like me...)

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

For those who are fans of GBBO and haven't seen Derry Girls, I would highly recommend it, especially if you love comedies.  (Turn on your Closed Caption if you are an American like me...)

We did watch the first episode yesterday (with closed captions on) before watching the Festive Bake-Off . . . just so we'd have a sense of who these people were.  As soon as I saw Siobhan, I said, "Yikes!  That's Sister Michael!"  Her personality just made me love her on FBO . . . but neither us felt a need to watch the rest of DG.  Not our cuppa tea, but I can see where some might enjoy it.

[Gwendolyn]

Siobhan seems like so much fun. I loved her and Sandi drinking the champagne out of the bottle and a measuring cup. Also I now realize how much I missed Sandi this season.

Also I loved how both Paul and Nicola were puzzled by what she added to the cake to make it taste "musty".  What's "musty" cake even taste like? And what could you add to make it taste that way? Coffee usually enhances the chocolate flavor, so that wasn't it.

While we laugh at their issues with the mixers (Siobhan not having her bowl secure so it bounced when she turned the mixer on or Saorise and Jamie-Lee both turning the mixer on before putting it in the bowl) and the oven (Nicola grilling her second sponge instead of baking it), we know that even professional bakers get frazzled on camera and make similar mistakes. So for non-bakers they did decently.

And it shows that Paul and Prue can pull their punches on critiques, sometimes they need to remember that on the regular show they're dealing with amateur bakers (a step up from non-bakers, but still not professionals) for whom they've set unrealistic time constraints and it would make them come across more human if they didn't lay it on super thick critiquing a contestants efforts (or the producers should realize in the edit if Paul has cut the contestant down, maybe not show Prue doing it too). They were actually likeable here.

[dleighg]

46 minutes ago, Gwendolyn said:

Also I loved how both Paul and Nicola were puzzled by what she added to the cake to make it taste "musty".  What's "musty" cake even taste like? And what could you add to make it taste that way? Coffee usually enhances the chocolate flavor, so that wasn't it.

It was muscovado sugar, which I looked up and the description says it contains higher levels of various minerals than processed white sugar. I think I read in one of the descriptions that it has an "earthier" flavor.

[iwantcookies]

Paul lurking behind Jamie Lee was hilarious. Poor girl practically crossed herself.

This was my favorite episode. 

[Gwendolyn]

4 hours ago, dleighg said:

It was muscovado sugar, which I looked up and the description says it contains higher levels of various minerals than processed white sugar. I think I read in one of the descriptions that it has an "earthier" flavor.

I know she said something, but I watched this so late at night I had my sound turned down, so I wasn't sure Nicola's reply, though reading up on it, not sure how it'd give something a "musty flavor"...not that I'm sure what it is, though I think the closest I'd come would be the time in college I got M&M's out of a vending machine and popped some before reading the best buy date was 2 years earlier. Definitely musty and dusty.

But reading up on muscovado sugar not sure how that'd mess with the flavor. Oh well. Saoirse's pre-gray frosting cake looked good, lemons and blueberries are a nice flavor, so it was a well deserved win for a first time baker.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 12/5/2020 at 11:07 AM, estellasmum said:

I was not expecting this, I thought it was just a regular episode, and had no idea what Derry Girls was, and almost turned it off. But now after binging all 2 seasons (which didn't really take that long), I'm so happy to have watched this.

Derry Girls is awesome on its own merits, but it's also worth watching just for the great 90s soundtrack!

[truther]

We caught this last night.  It was hilarious!  So many great lines and scenes and the actors clearly all seem to have a great time being with each other.  Especially loved the "revolting" slime.  Why would anybody put that in a trifle to begin with?

Does anybody know why Prue was in crutches?  

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, truther said:

Does anybody know why Prue was in crutches?  

She tore her Achilles tendon while filming the Wizard of Oz opening skit from 2019.

[meligator]

That was a blast!  Such a pick-me-up I needed tonight.  I laughed so very hard.

[Adiba]

This was a fun watch, even though I didn't know any of the actors. The only thing I would've changed was having a carved cake as the showstopper--too difficult, imo. Just have them make a decorated New Year's themed party cake.

I was glad I had closed -captioning on-one of the actors mentioned how doing the show was great "craic" (not crack! lol)--looked up the meaning in Irish slang--basically "fun."

[AttackTurtle]

I’ve never watched the Derry Girls, but I laughed so hard at this silly episode.  

[chaifan]

Derry Girls is on my Netflix watchlist, and it may have moved up a few spots after this!  This was my first celebrity Bake Off, and I loved it!  I would love to know more about the behind the scenes stuff.  Like how much notice the bakers had before filming, and who came up with their bakes.  Since more than one said they had never baked before, I assume they weren't creating their "signature" or showstopper bakes.  And was this all really short notice so they didn't have practice time, or did they just not care about practicing?  Either way, it was hilarious. 

And I loved how Paul & Prue were still professional, but looked for things to compliment (where they could). 

Does anyone know if other celebrity Bake Off episodes are available in the US?  I can't find others on Netflix, and I started to google for it but too many links have spoilers.  😞  Having more of these would make a covid winter much more bearable. 

[Aulty]

8 hours ago, chaifan said:

Does anyone know if other celebrity Bake Off episodes are available in the US?

There are quite a few, but they are not available to US viewers. When the show was still on the BBC they had the Sport Relief/Comic Relief Bake Off, since the move to Channel 4 its the Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off (Sport Relief, Comic Relief and SUTC are British charities).

[Kohola3]

I have never seen Derry Girls (and am unlikely to do so) and that made me reluctant to watch.  But overall it was kind of fun to see the fumbles and they all took the boo-boos very well.  Some great, funny comments in there!

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I have never seen Derry Girls (and am unlikely to do so) and that made me reluctant to watch.  But overall it was kind of fun to see the fumbles and they all took the boo-boos very well.  Some great, funny comments in there!

We watched just the first episode of Derry Girls.  We're not in the target audience and wouldn't watch the entire series, but it was fun seeing the actor's and actresses' real personalities after seeing their characters on DG.

[SailorGirl]

On 12/6/2020 at 6:23 PM, iwantcookies said:

Paul lurking behind Jamie Lee was hilarious. Poor girl practically crossed herself.

This was my favorite episode. 

And then she snuck up behind him and gave him the same look. I wish one of the "real" bakers would do that sometime! 

[WatchrTina]

I don't know the show "Derry Girls" so I went into this episode feeling quite ambivalent, but this episode made me laugh a LOT, for which I am extremely grateful.

[Iseut]

Quote

Siobhan seems like so much fun. I loved her and Sandi drinking the champagne out of the bottle and a measuring cup. Also I now realize how much I missed Sandi this season.

Me too. I like Matt just fine, but I loved Sandi, and thought her humor was a better complement to Noel's. 

I enjoyed this episode more than I expected to, since I didn't know the Derry Girls at all. They were great! Really funny, but took the show seriously enough to stay in the spirit, and weren't over-the-top hammy like a lot of celebrities on cooking shows. Also, this convinced us to try watching the Derry Girls show, and we love it so far! Thanks GBBO for leading us to a new binge!

 

[FoundTime]

I always save the "Festive" episode of GBBS for New Year's Day, and this sure got 2021 off to a hilarious start. I basically giggled my way through the whole thing. Have watched a couple of episodes of Derry Girls and that probably helped but it was in no way a requirement. (I'm going to recommend it to a friend who isn't all that into DG, just 'cause it's such a darn silly ep of GBBS.) It did strike me too as a cross between GBBS and Nailed It (which I watched one episode of and didn't really enjoy -- but I'll give it another chance) though I think this was helped immensely by the bakers all being comic performers who know how to bring the funny. And the natural tension between Irish and English culture went a long way too (even though Derry/N. Ireland is part of the UK) .

[Mabinogia]

14 hours ago, FoundTime said:

Have watched a couple of episodes of Derry Girls and that probably helped but it was in no way a requirement. (I'm going to recommend it to a friend who isn't all that into DG, just 'cause it's such a darn silly ep of GBBS.)

I can tell you that you don't have to like Derry Girls to very much enjoy this ep. I've seen about an ep and a half of DG and decided it wasn't my cuppa, but I did very much love how charming and fun the actors were on GBBS. So much so that I tried DG again, still not my thing though.

[jcbrown]

I finally remembered to turn on these holiday episodes over the past two days while wrapping presents. I groaned inwardly when I saw it was an episode featuring actors but then hey! It's Siobhan from the Great Pottery Throw-Down! I enjoyed it quite a lot and may rewatch when I am not elbow-deep in wrapping paper.