Great British Bake Off
A night of splatted sponge and muttered oaths
The Great British Bake Off
BBC One
Who needs medals in Brazil when we’ve got a marquee in Berkshire? Arriving in the nick of time to haul the nation out of its post-Olympic slump came The
Great British Bake Off, back for a seventh series of waist line-endangering creation sand compelling competition.
Last year’s contest was the top-rated TV show of 2015, pulling in 15 million viewers and delivering its most popular champion yet in Nadiya Hussain. Could the show maintain its seemingly unstoppable upward trajectory on BBC One, which has seen ratings steadily self-raise since 2010’s launch episode was watched by a trifling 2.2 million on BBC Two?
The other crucial question is whether BBC keeps hold of its prized asset. Its deal with Love Productions, which makes the programme, expires after this series and there will be no shortage of rivals keen for, well, a slice of the action.
So does this year’s field include sufficient standout characters?
Early signs were promising. Val, a retired head teacher, was endearingly scatty; Ghana-born Selasi charmingly laid-back; gardener Jane was a
Coronation Street character come to life. Lee, a pastor at a Baptist church, had crinkly eyes and a burbling Bolton accent. Young pup Andrew resembled a cross between Eddie Redmayne and Prince Harry. The male intake lacked variety, though, with five of the six aged under 30.
We began with Cake Week (isn’t it always Cake Week?), which meant a drizzle cake, Jaffa cakes and a mirrored glaze cake.
Towards the end, as the clock counted down on the bakers’ showstoppers, tension built and panic set in. There were dropped tins, spilt jugs and muttered oaths. Timers beeped, hands shook and bakers peered anxiously into ovens. Pouty PE teacher Candice threw her “horrendous” Genoese sponge out of the marquee window – which was zipped shut.
Jane pipped Selasi to Star Baker and blinked back tears, while Reverend Lee suffered the indignity of being the first contestant sent home.
Apart from the odd lick of paint, it was a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. The judges slipped straight back into their good cop/bad cop routine, while Mel and Sue pepped up proceedings. Bake Off’s format is a well-oiled (well-buttered?) machine and it would be foolish to change the recipe. If this opening episode was a cake, it would have earned the coveted “Hollywood handshake”. Good bake.