So the juggernaut baking reality competition show, GBBO, will be moving from BBC to Channel 4. Judge Mary Berry and hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins decided not to go, leaving male judge (lol) Paul Hollywood the sole survivor of the move.
Their replacements were named today. Mary’s replacement is some lady called Prue of whom I know nothing. Mel ‘n’ Sue will be replaced by…
Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding.
I have many feelings.
I’ve not been terribly impressed by Noel Fielding the few times I’ve seen him. But I don’t really know what’s involved in hosting the Great British Bake Off. Will he have to do anything complicated, like eating?
I think that it might just be a little bit of genius.
Sandi is a (dual) national treasure and Noel is a Camden leisure pirate. I predict kaftans, glitter, heels, glitter, hats, glitter, glitter and glitter.
Plus their paths have crossed previously on QI and they seemed to riff off each other quite nicely.
Prue Leith is very much in the Mary Berry mould. She’s a safe pair of hands.
So is Sandi Toksvig, obviously. Noel is…a bold choice.
Sandi + Noel is brilliant.
I’ve never seen the show, but might check it out.
Is it worth checking out this show on Netflix? I…thought it was just some random baking show. It’s quite big in the UK for some reason, though.
I don’t know if it’s available on Netflix, but I’ve watched and enjoyed previous series on PBS. Normally I hate reality competition shows, but like this. The contestants are uniformly very nice and a mixture of ages and ethnicities. I like Paul Hollywood’s technical explanations and Mel & Sue are fun.
I’ll have to check it out. The first two seasons(are there more than two seasons?) are on Netflix in the US.
Seven seasons/series according to Wikipedia.
It’s everything an American competition show isn’t. There’s no big prize on the line, there’s no yelling and screaming, there’s no attacking or undercutting competitors, and the lack of commercials means there’s no big build-up right before a commercial. The last, at least, is going to become an issue going to Channel 4. It is a pleasant way to spend an hour watching television.
This difference between the US and UK versions of shows is common. I can’t stand watching Masterchef in the US, but I’ll happily watch all the versions on the BBC. Gordon Ramsey comes off much better in UK Kitchen Nightmares than he ever did in the US. There’s all sorts of other examples.
The PBS/Netflix version is retitled “The Great British Baking Show” since General Mills/Pillsbury owns the copyright to “bake off” in the US. This version also removes the charming history lesson segments, in which Mel or Sue explores some of the backstory of baked goods.
It’s a fantastic show. I’ve been a fan for years. Asterion is completely right, it is a big 180 from american style competition shows. The drama and the focus is on the baked goods, not the contestants sniping at each other. The biggest drama I remember the show having was Iain’s throwing away his baked alaska after the ice cream didn’t set and accusations that the episode was deceptively edited to give the appearance one of the other contestants took his ice cream out of the freezer maliciously.
But 99 percent of the time, the contestants are there to lend a helping hand when a tart won’t come out of the tin or offer advice or support when a bake goes awry. It’s such a sweet, happy show. I miss the historical interludes though.
That’s weird; I remember seeing the history backstory on the PBS broadcasts.
You can watch seasons 2 and 3 on the show’s PBS site too:
I’ve also seen them on the PBS broadcasts, and some of them are available on the PBS site in the Clips section - they’re called Baking Bites:
Prue Leith has a potentially withering sneer which may be fun.
Toksvig is extremely personable, so that’ll work I’d think.
To my mind Noel Fielding relies heavily on outfits, to plaster over the gaping crack in his wit. Worst case scenario you end up with ageing Edward Scissorhands making awkward small-talk and freaking out the bakers. Maybe they’ll tweak the format to accommodate him.
I loved Noel’s time on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, though. I think Sandi will help bring out the best and most fun in him.
I think it’s a very odd, but smart fit.
I think there’s a parallel with Top Gear - it’s almost all about chemistry and specificity of format. Both took several seasons/series to find the perfect formula and when they did it was gold.
Who knows … it’s a punt. Personally, I wish both shows were still with the BBC but hey-ho …
He can impress me, too. But Mel & Sue have always been the quirky confidantes to the bakers. He greatly outquirks them, which is a worry.
Ah, so the Netflix versions are also edited, then? I prefer unedited versions of shows.
The American version on abc turned out to be about as pleasant as the British one. It was understated and the competitors seemed like they were friendly with one another. The color commentary was Nia Vardolas and Ian Gomez and they were funny and cute. I was pleasantly surprised with how it was translated.