GBBO In The Media

[Cetacean]

 

6 hours ago, Rickster said:

Coming soon…Great British Bake Off - The Musical

Some lines from soon to be famous tunes:

I’m as corny as Mary’s polenta, high as Paul Hollywood’s lemon souffle…..

My grains in flames will kill my hopes to remain.

It’s a most unusual day, Paul Hollywood came this way, he stuck out his hand and he shook mine so grand it’s a MOST unusual day!!!!!!

Oh what a beautiful game pie, oh what a lovely souffle, since I’ve had no soggy bottoms, I’ll be Star Baker today!

 

[laredhead]

Thanks to a previous poster, I found the Great Canadian Baking Show on You Tube and have enjoyed watching it.  The hosts are very nice, and don't try to turn their every appearance into a comedy routine.  The judges are great too.

[Lois Sandborne]

On 1/2/2022 at 1:12 PM, dargosmydaddy said:

They're currently still on Hoopla (free streaming service provided by some public libraries). 

It's been removed from Hoopla too, apart from one of the Masterclass specials. Maybe this is in preparation for all of the series being available on a new service. That seems to be the way things go now. Paramount+ just swept up all of the loose Star Trek; Disney+ did the same for all the Marvel stuff. Bake Off isn't quite so much of a franchise as they are, but otherwise what's the reason for completely pulling it off of streaming platforms?

[Aulty]

There is a new cycle of Celebrity Bake Off on at the moment - they are already a couple of episodes in.

[RealityCheck]

Paul Hollywood on THE VIEW.  Paul said they have finished filming this year's season shows.  The weather was cold during filming but they had to appear as if it was warm.

[ombre]

17 hours ago, RealityCheck said:

Paul Hollywood on THE VIEW.  Paul said they have finished filming this year's season shows.  The weather was cold during filming but they had to appear as if it was warm.

I can't wait for the inevitable tell-all interview that reveals that it was freezing outside but they pumped massive amounts of heat into the tent just for chocolate week! :D

[RoxiP]

I'm just happy my favorite baking show will be back on!

[Rickster]

Not exactly GBBO news, but the TODAY show just did a short piece that said Paul and Prue will be on a revamped Great American Baking Show next year, along with Ellie Kemper and some guy whose name I didn’t catch as the hosts.

[Aulty]

3 hours ago, Rickster said:

Not exactly GBBO news, but the TODAY show just did a short piece that said Paul and Prue will be on a revamped Great American Baking Show next year, along with Ellie Kemper and some guy whose name I didn’t catch as the hosts.

How many 'revamps' has the American version had so far? Thats some determination to make it work. The US is a big market, to try and recreate the 'magic' this show has in the UK must be a challenge. Especially with so many other cooking shows available to viewers.

[magdalene]

12 hours ago, Aulty said:

How many 'revamps' has the American version had so far? Thats some determination to make it work. The US is a big market, to try and recreate the 'magic' this show has in the UK must be a challenge. Especially with so many other cooking shows available to viewers.

IMO they'll never be able to create the charm in an American version.  The US is just so big and the Food Network  commercial atmosphere too pervasive for me to buy any of the American baking contestants genuinely trying to support each other. It's always going to be phony as heck.

What I associate with American baking competitions is anathema to the British or the New Zealand versions, etc.

[Rickster]

4 hours ago, magdalene said:

IMO they'll never be able to create the charm in an American version.  The US is just so big and the Food Network  commercial atmosphere too pervasive for me to buy any of the American baking contestants genuinely trying to support each other. It's always going to be phony as heck.

What I associate with American baking competitions is anathema to the British or the New Zealand versions, etc.

I don’t know if you mean the FN commercial atmosphere pervades any American based show, but  the American version has never been on the Food Network. The article linked says it had been on ABC, but I thought I vaguely remembered one season on CBS.

I do agree there’s something about the size of the US and the way they cast shows in general that works against the charm of the original concept.

I didn’t realize they had previously announced the new version will be on the Roku streaming channel.

Great American Baking Show

Edited August 19, 2022 by Rickster

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Rickster said:

I do agree there’s something about the size of the US and the way they cast shows in general that works against the charm of the original concept.

I think we need to give it a chance.  The Canadian version is just as nice as the British version and they are, after all, our close neighbors.  It can't be impossible to find a nice group of people, persumably who have seen GBBO and are willing to work in the same way.  GBBO has a huge following in the US so I imagine viewers would expect the same high standards and bail out if it turns into the boastful crap that FN normally airs.

It all remains to be seen, of course.  I can only hope it is unique in the normal FN challenges.

[Irlandesa]

I've seen baking shows where contestants are supportive of one another in the US.  And where they're not trying to kill the contestants--which I think is another issue with may US reality competitive shows.  "Bake a 3 course meal in 15 minutes." 

But I think another difference with the US is its inherent production schedule.  Because of its size, they never do what the UK did and send the contestants home in between challenges.  Even without COVID, the productions schedule on these competitions is daily. Instead of lasting 10 weeks, it lasts about 3 or 4.

[Cetacean]

A good example of a nice show in the US was the Julia Child Challenge. The contestants were very supportive of each other, and when they all sat down to eat together they gave wonderful positive reviews of each other and the food. I absolutely love that show. There's no reason to think that they can't replicate something like that with Paul and Prue.

[caitmcg]

9 hours ago, Cetacean said:

It can't be impossible to find a nice group of people, persumably who have seen GBBO and are willing to work in the same way.  GBBO

Hulu has the final two seasons of the American show (called the holiday edition), with Paul Hollywood and Sherry Yard as judges, and the contestants are just as pleasant and copacetic as in GBBO and the other versions I’ve seen some of (Canada, Australia, NZ).

[blueray]

I just went to netflix and the top thing was "Junior baking show". I didn't know they did a kids version. Is this worth watching? Or is it new?

[AZChristian]

19 minutes ago, blueray said:

I just went to netflix and the top thing was "Junior baking show". I didn't know they did a kids version. Is this worth watching? Or is it new?

We watched it. The kids were fine, but it seemed to us that the time given to complete their bakes was really on the short side.  Former GBBO contestant Liam is one of the judges.  Somebody named Harry Hill was the host. He was beyond annoying and some of the things he said around these kids seemed inappropriate. 

To be honest, the kids on the American Kids' Baking Championship were more talented.

[blueray]

 ^ I watched the first half of it, the kids aren't bad, but wow the American kids in their show would have creamed these kids if in the same competition. These seemed like "normal" kids, where as the ones in that show at least the earlier seasons were already at professional level at 9. That being said, I didn't mind the kids but the host is annoying. 

[Phebemarie]

I thought it was charming although the format was a bit confusing.   Instead of going into the finals after the first six or so episodes, there is a second group of children introduced who go through the preliminary rounds as well.  I haven't gotten through the second group, but I'm assuming they must compete against each other before the finale.  

So far, the second group has shown a tendency to drop their bakes on the floor and claim the five second rule more than the first group.

[AZChristian]

12 hours ago, Phebemarie said:

I thought it was charming although the format was a bit confusing.   Instead of going into the finals after the first six or so episodes, there is a second group of children introduced who go through the preliminary rounds as well.  I haven't gotten through the second group, but I'm assuming they must compete against each other before the finale.  

So far, the second group has shown a tendency to drop their bakes on the floor and claim the five second rule more than the first group.

Your assumption is correct.  Online, they two groups are referred to as Heat 1 and Heat 2.

[RealityCheck]

I thought this was an interesting video about the show.  I just have one minor observation.  It's true that the Home Economics team bakes the technical challenge items now.  But in Mary Berry's biography, she said she and Paul baked the technical challenge items for the first three seasons, which makes sense since the show wasn't a hit yet and probably had a smaller production team.

[caitmcg]

Series 13 premiere is Tuesday, September 13 in the UK. If the previous years' pattern holds, I presume that means it’ll be on Netflix in the US by the end of the week.

[Rickster]

Some people might find this…amusing. A humor article from The New Yorker popped up in my email today. Don’t believe it would be paywalled since I’m not a subscriber:

British vs. American Baking Show Contestants

[ombre]

2 hours ago, Rickster said:

Some people might find this…amusing. A humor article from The New Yorker popped up in my email today. Don’t believe it would be paywalled since I’m not a subscriber:

British vs. American Baking Show Contestants

As someone who has only once or twice made a decent plate of brownies*, golly do I appreciate this! 

* thank you Stella parks. Fail proof, as near as I can tell, but so intense that you coast on the memory for years! 

[Adiba]

On 8/19/2022 at 10:43 AM, Irlandesa said:

I've seen baking shows where contestants are supportive of one another in the US.  And where they're not trying to kill the contestants--which I think is another issue with may US reality competitive shows.  "Bake a 3 course meal in 15 minutes." 

But I think another difference with the US is its inherent production schedule.  Because of its size, they never do what the UK did and send the contestants home in between challenges.  Even without COVID, the productions schedule on these competitions is daily. Instead of lasting 10 weeks, it lasts about 3 or 4.

Wasn't the last American show filmed in the UK? I don't understand why that did it that way--other Baking Shows are filmed in their respective countries.

[xfuse]

5 hours ago, Adiba said:

Wasn't the last American show filmed in the UK? I don't understand why that did it that way--other Baking Shows are filmed in their respective countries.

It's because they want Paul as a judge and that GBBO tent vibe. 

[RealityCheck]

Great British Bake Off (2022): Meet The Bakers

Edited September 4, 2022 by RealityCheck

[illdoc]

Yeah!!! Officially scheduled for Netflix (US) (per TVLine): 

Bakers, get ready: The Great British Baking Show Season 10 will premiere Friday, Sept. 16 on Netflix, with new episodes debuting every Friday.

The 10-episode run follows “a group of amateur bakers as they compete against each other in a series of challenges, attempting to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with their baking skills. One contestant is eliminated each week, and the winner is selected from the contestants who reach the finals.”

[Quilt Fairy]

Will the premier be delayed due to the Queen's passing?  I understand there will be 10 days of mourning and only "serious" programming will be aired.  

[SuprSuprElevated]

47 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Will the premier be delayed due to the Queen's passing?  I understand there will be 10 days of mourning and only "serious" programming will be aired.  

Well, Im pretty serious about my choux pastry, but yes, if what you say is true, it likely will be held I would imagine.

[Ceindreadh]

57 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Will the premier be delayed due to the Queen's passing?  I understand there will be 10 days of mourning and only "serious" programming will be aired.  

I think the only 'serious' programming applies just to BBC and ITV, at least I hope so.  

[Cetacean]

It would be pretty interesting if Netflix airs it before it's shown in Great Britain.

[SuprSuprElevated]

37 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

It would be pretty interesting if Netflix airs it before it's shown in Great Britain.

Imagining that contractually, they wouldn't be able to do that.

[Quilt Fairy]

4 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

I think the only 'serious' programming applies just to BBC and ITV, at least I hope so.  

I'm pretty sure it only applies to the official channels, but if the whole nation is in mourning wouldn't most people find it churlish if all the independent channels don't go along? 

[Ceindreadh]

16 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I'm pretty sure it only applies to the official channels, but if the whole nation is in mourning wouldn't most people find it churlish if all the independent channels don't go along? 

A few comedy shows have already been pulled from broadcast. 

But there's a difference between a show that's pure comedy and something like Bake Off that just has humorous bits in it.  And besides, Bake Off is such a quintessentially British show that it would be practically unpatriotic to not air it.  (and yes, I'm talking very much tongue in cheek!).

Seriously though, it is still listed on the official Channel 4 schedules online.  I will be most disappointed if it doesn't go ahead on Tuesday. 

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, Ceindreadh said:

A few comedy shows have already been pulled from broadcast. 

@Ceindreadh, are you in the UK?  What kind of programming is on that is NOT related to the late Queen?  I had one evening of watching BBC America and BBC World News last night and I figured between between that and The Crown I know everything about her I ever want to know.   I'll probably watch the funeral, which is unfortunately scheduled for my birthday. 

Damn, I can't get used to seeing "King Charles". 

Edited September 9, 2022 by Quilt Fairy

[Ceindreadh]

57 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

@Ceindreadh, are you in the UK?  What kind of programming is on that is NOT related to the late Queen?  I had one evening of watching BBC America and BBC World News last night and I figured between between that and The Crown I know everything about her I ever want to know.   I'll probably watch the funeral, which is unfortunately scheduled for my birthday. 

Damn, I can't get used to seeing "King Charles". 

I'm in Ireland, not the UK, but my cable subscription has most of the main UK channels.

It looks like BBC1s programming is all about the late Queen for the next few days.  Some of its flagship shows (Eastenders, Casualty etc) have been pushed to BBC2. 

There were a few commercial channels that were airing their regularly scheduled programming but weren't showing any commercials in the breaks, just had the channel logo up. 

[blueray]

On 9/8/2022 at 7:22 PM, SuprSuprElevated said:

Imagining that contractually, they wouldn't be able to do that.

I wonder, it's possible that they have a set release date as well. Hopefully neither get moved. 

Edited September 11, 2022 by blueray

[Athena]

All good to go for tonight. Official posts on their Facebook and Instagram confirm it.

[janie jones]

Well after reading this thread, I better understand this meme that a friend in the UK shared recently.

[caitmcg]

Freya Cox, the S12 vegan contestant, has a new cookbook out, Simply Vegan Baking.

[ombre]

There's an extensive interview with Prue in the New Yorker.  https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/prue-leith-cant-resist

Plenty of bits that make me make a face of some kind, but I laughed out loud at "I live a very busy life—my husband complains quite often that our house is a cake-free zone, and he should have married Mary Berry, but I do always cook everything savory from scratch."

[SnapHappy]

Nice to know some of us aren't just feeling disgruntled and snarky for no good reason....

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/the-great-british-bake-off-backlash-has-reached-a-boiling-point-can-the-show-be-saved/ar-AA140VJ8?cvid=77b94873a6f54c4eb2e95c0da52dbaf0

[justmehere]

Good article with good points but no mention of the time constraints. The time allowed for each bake may or may not be measurably less than in previous years - I haven't compared - but it has felt steadily squeezed more and more so that it's hard for bakers to complete their tasks, and fewer bakes look really finished and as good as they could be, given more time. Part of that is the challenges and part is on some bakers for trying to do too much, but there were some pretty complex creations in previous years that also looked finished. Maybe that's partly the bakers, too, not having the same depth of experience and knowledge as in previous years.

Obviously, the non-baking challenges are a problem as are the inaccurate (and sometimes offensive) cultural forays, but Paul has also upped his nastiness and is acting more and more like the ultimate expert in everything, which has become quite unpleasant to watch. Prue is speaking up a little more, but it would help to have some additional balance on Paul, whether (as suggested in the article) guest judges for weeks focusing on other cultures or an additional regular judge.... Or maybe the producers have simply told him to go that way. That would be truly unfortunate. I hope the fact that there has been significant backlash will encourage them to get back to what made the show special and stop trying to move toward being like nastier competitions. 

As an aside, I thought there were good seasons with Noel and Sandy. The short jokes got to be a little much, but I thought they were good together and interacted well with the bakers. I like Matt Lucas, but the boys together do misstep more, and Noel's interactions with the bakers now are quite different than they used to be. Maybe that's all producer interference as well. Overall, the show has lost a lot of its warmth, and that's a big mistake.

[SnapHappy]

The article was correct about going back to re-watch previous seasons.  But I won't go past season 9, as that was the last one I really enjoyed.   

[magdalene]

On 8/20/2022 at 3:59 PM, blueray said:

 ^ I watched the first half of it, the kids aren't bad, but wow the American kids in their show would have creamed these kids if in the same competition. These seemed like "normal" kids, where as the ones in that show at least the earlier seasons were already at professional level at 9. That being said, I didn't mind the kids but the host is annoying. 

And this is exactly why I think no American version is ever going to match the original version in charm.

So, the American kids would have "creamed" the British kids, in other words destroyed them. The American kids are already "professional level", so much better than the British kids, oh my.  

What I like about the British show, including the kids version, is that the contestants are normal people who are very skilled bakers because it's their hobby, their passion.  The rule is no professional bakers are allowed. I don't want any cut throat nasty American bakers "creaming" the other bakers.

I watch the British version to relax and de-stress instead of the opposite.

[Rickster]

On 11/12/2022 at 10:03 AM, SnapHappy said:

Nice to know some of us aren't just feeling disgruntled and snarky for no good reason....

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/the-great-british-bake-off-backlash-has-reached-a-boiling-point-can-the-show-be-saved/ar-AA140VJ8?cvid=77b94873a6f54c4eb2e95c0da52dbaf0

I read the Tejal Rao article in the NY Times a while ago, plus most of the hundreds of comments it generated. I’d say about 10% were supportive of her points, 70% thought she was taking the show too seriously, and 20% generally thought the show went down the tubes when it left the BBC.

On the what seems to be generally accepted point that the show could use more experts or judges versed in the cultures of the week’s challenges, my thought is,  why are you setting challenges for dishes from unfamiliar cultures to UK contestants, like spring rolls, that they have no idea how to make anyway? Then we would have an expert tell them how precisely wrong they are? Isn’t this setting up contestants to fail, just like not giving them enough time?

[Ms Lark]

Kim Joy's recipe for cute animal shortbread cookies in the Washington Post. Shouldn't hit the firewall unless you've gone over 5 free articles.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/11/30/kimjoy-shortbread-cookie-animal-recipe/

[Aulty]

21 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Kim Joy's recipe for cute animal shortbread cookies in the Washington Post. Shouldn't hit the firewall unless you've gone over 5 free articles.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/11/30/kimjoy-shortbread-cookie-animal-recipe/

I might have metioned this before, she's also done Recipes for The Guardian, they aren't paywalled either. Some of them seem pretty simple - I love the piggy bun for onion soup. The macaron snails are adorable.

[MerBearHou]

Matt Lucas -- out of GBBO.