# Please recommend a show like Great British Baking Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [October 14, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972 "2020-10-14T23:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/62 "2021-03-08T17:39:02Z")
Oh yes, Foxes Afloat is wonderful. I’d also recommend [Taskmaster.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT5C7yaO3RVuOgwP8JVAujQ) A very silly show about clever people doing dumb challenges. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/63 "2021-03-08T17:49:15Z")
They’re all trying out for not-too-much-lookalikes over here. There’s been a [sewing bee](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03myqj2), a [pottery throwdown](https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-pottery-throw-down), something on [model railway layouts](https://www.channel5.com/show/the-great-model-railway-challenge/), [make-up](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p071ft41), [hairdressing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01nq2rh), and now (I’m not kidding) a dog-grooming competition called [Pooch Perfect](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r0pg). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/64 "2021-03-08T18:46:07Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Oh yes, Foxes Afloat is wonderful. > > I’d also recommend [Taskmaster.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT5C7yaO3RVuOgwP8JVAujQ) A very silly show about clever people doing dumb challenges. I’ve been watching Taskmaster for about the past year, via the official YouTube channel, which posts an episode each week. Each series is ten episodes, with three or four challenges in each, and five competitors each. Greg Davies is the presenter and “taskmaster” while Alex Horne is his assistant, but in reality Alex Horne is in charge. The challenges are sometimes silly but require a bit of creativity. (I’d like to see an American adaptation but apparently previous attempts failed.) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/65 "2021-03-08T19:03:07Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > They’re all trying out for not-too-much-lookalikes over here. There’s been a [sewing bee](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03myqj2), a [pottery throwdown](https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-pottery-throw-down), something on [model railway layouts](https://www.channel5.com/show/the-great-model-railway-challenge/), [make-up](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p071ft41), [hairdressing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01nq2rh), and now (I’m not kidding) a dog-grooming competition called [Pooch Perfect](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r0pg). My wife is all about the Baking Show and we’ve been watching past seasons of Sewing Bee so I’m takin’ notes over here… ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/66 "2021-03-10T07:53:03Z")
Just noticed a new one, on Channel 4 here: a group of people take it in turns to be the nude model in a life class. They’ve called it _Drawers Off_ (and I won’t get into the dating show called _Naked Attraction_) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/67 "2021-03-10T20:22:54Z")
[Grand Designs](https://www.channel4.com/programmes/grand-designs) is worthwhile if you are into house design, DIY and architecture (Its on Netflix). Basically they follow a family with a house building project then see the course of the project over the years it takes to actually come to fruition. Typically something completely over-ambitious that runs years over time and massively over budget, but ends up looking pretty impressive. ---
**Author:** ![flaming\_yawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@flaming\_yawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flaming_yawn)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/68 "2021-03-10T20:29:17Z")
I became addicted to Taskmaster! I love that show! ( Do not attempt watching american version, it will ruin the name Taskmaster) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/69 "2021-03-12T16:33:08Z")
And always involves stomping around in a lot of mud and torrential rain while the project gets paused for several months because they haven’t got the roof on before winter. Meanwhile, they’re living in a caravan with two kids, two dogs and the wife is pregnant. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/70 "2021-03-12T16:37:48Z")
Has anyone mentioned Location Location Location? It’s basically a house hunting show, but the presenters Kirsty and Phil are, for a change, professional real estate agents who really know their stuff, are very opinionated and also very entertaining (they worked together before their TV careers and there’s lots of banter). It’s so popular, it’s been going for 20 years with the same presenters. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2021, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/71 "2021-03-12T17:42:57Z")
Ah yes, Phil the Hunk and Kirstie “Knock-Through” Allsopp. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/72 "2021-03-13T10:23:22Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > [Grand Designs](https://www.channel4.com/programmes/grand-designs) [Kevin McCloud’s Man Made Home](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_McCloud%27s_Man_Made_Home) show was an interesting little short series. Had a feel a little like _James May’s Toy Stories_, which I also like. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/73 "2021-03-15T23:24:48Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > There were also some Great British Bake Off charity specials with celebrity contestants. Since we’re huge fans of GBBO, and huge fans of Derry Girls, that episode was especially good. (We keep recommending Derry Girls to everyone, and haven’t found any takers yet. It’s excellent.) ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/74 "2021-03-16T03:09:12Z")
Thank you for this. Yeah, Paul Hollywood is totally a dick. I enjoy watching his other show, _City Bakes_, just to see him flail about awkwardly without the foil of scared contestants he can intimidate. Ah well, all in good fun I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/75 "2021-03-16T04:32:51Z")
I’m not sure how available they are in the US, but they’re on Sky Arts in the UK, so might be somewhere else too given Sky’s reach: Portrait Artist of the Year and Landscape Artist of the Year. For us one of the main joys is betting on how unlikely it is that our favourite will win that week: for Landscape Artist, we’re about 100% for them not going for the one we’d have chosen. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/76 "2021-03-20T04:06:17Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > Paul Hollywood . . . I enjoy watching his other show, _City Bakes_ , just to see him flail about awkwardly without the foil of scared contestants he can intimidate. I loved the San Francisco one where he was so clearly outclassed by the bakers that he literally got the wind knocked out of him. And in Paris when he said the pastries were so amazing and the lady said so matter-of-factly “They are French.” ROFL! I can’t say enough about “TaskMaster.” It’s just an absolute crying belly laugh every time. It got me through the Trump years. There are on youtube a few episodes of the South African version of bake-off. While the baking is no where near up to the style of the British version, I loved the interaction in the same way as the British show. The judge on the Irish show was an absolute arsehole and I was desperately disappointed because I just couldn’t tolerate the man. I’ll have to go look for the Canadian one. I haven’t seen anybody mention “Crazy Delicious” on Netflix. It’s a whole lot of fun and also very upbeat. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/77 "2021-03-20T07:52:12Z")
At the risk of derailing the thread into the “smutty jokes in sitcoms” thread, a gay comedian on the celebrity version of Bake-Off caught Paul Hollywood out when they had to make some shortbread. Sampling it, PH said “Nice crack”. “Thank you” came the comeback, “but what about the shortbread?” ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Catly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@Bob\_Catly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Catly)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/78 "2021-03-20T13:03:42Z")
Not a competition show, but I’d recommend any of the Ruth Goodman series (available here on Amazon Prime) like Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, Wartime Farm…Ruth and her team live the lives of people from their target era. Fascinating to me. Life was very much harder in those past days ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/79 "2021-03-20T14:46:05Z")
Ruth Goodman’s done a number of similar “life re-enactment” programmes, as has Alec Langlands her co-presenter in the farm series. Another that springs to mind was a documentary about about [Castle Guédelon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secrets_of_the_Castle). On another tack, how about programmes following presenters on country walks? Julia Bradbury’s done loads of them, but she’s not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972/80 "2021-03-22T20:40:57Z")
Britbox has: This Farming Life Footloose in the Cotswolds Gardeners’ World British Railways Fantasy Homes by the Sea Countryfile and many more Not to mention the British version of Antiques Roadshow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-show-like-great-british-baking-show/922972.md?page=3)