Undeniably the jewel in the crown of British TV, The Great British Bake Off is back with a vengeance. After its move to Channel 4 and the loss of Mel, Sue, and Mary Berry, most of us sat with baited breath to see what would remain of the star show. Well, in all honesty, everything remained. If you squint your eyes enough it is exactly the same. The tent, the structure, the equipment, Paul’s snakey-ness, it’s all present. Sandy Toksvig is the new Mel, Noel Fielding is Sue, and Prue Leith is almost indistinguishable from Mary Berry.
Of course there are now ad breaks to contend with but for me, these are perfectly timed. They never interrupt a challenge yet still manage to provide a bit of suspense before the big ‘Star Baker’ announcement and chance to make a cuppa to settle your nerves. There’ve been a few new technical bakes so far but otherwise the format is an identical copy and paste job. What more could you want?
“Channel 4 have definitely not got themselves a soggy bottom”
Some eyebrows have been raised in particular about Noel Fielding’s capabilities as a host. True, he’s not quite Sue but he’s not half bad. His subtle, nervous humour which reminds me of when you meet your significant other’s parents for the first time yet certainly shows promise. Sandy Toksvig is hilarious as ever and provides a nice balance when paired with Noel.
Some die-hard bake off fans may disagree, but for me, Channel 4 have definitely not got themselves a soggy bottom. Bake Off is, and will always be, quintessentially BBC and hold the dearest place in the nation’s hearts.
