Joining judges Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and host Noel Fielding this time around is comedian and actor Matt Lucas (Doctor Who, Bridesmaids) who takes over from previous host Sandi Toksvig. Filmed under pandemic conditions, the hosts and judges had to form a social bubble together so they could work without social distancing and the famous tent was made open-air.
The televisual equivalent of a warm bath, TGBBS (aka The Great British Bake-Off in its home country) was first broadcast in 2010 and quickly became part of the cultural furniture. Originally broadcast by the BBC with hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins joining judge Mary Berry, it jumped channels in 2017 to U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 who originally commissioned Black Mirror. How's that for variety?
The format of TGBBS sees a group of amateur bakers facing a series of baking challenges with their efforts judged by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith who decide which contestant is eliminated that week. Think Survivor but with sponge cakes.
The main reason Bake-Off is such a lovely watch is because unlike most reality programs, everyone is kind and supportive of each other. Original hosts Mel and Sue almost quit the show on the first day of filming when they realized the original intent was to be more unpleasant. In an interview with Radio Times magazine, Sue Perkins said “We resigned, basically, because it was not a kind show. They were pointing cameras in the bakers’ faces and making them cry and saying, ‘Tell us about your dead gran. So we had very stiff words about how we wanted to proceed." One way Mel and Sue made sure the show remained affectionate was to render any potentially cruel footage unusable. "If we see them crying or something, Mel and I will go over there and put our coats over them or swear a lot because we know then that the film won't be able to be used," Perkins explained in a behind the scenes feature for The Guardian.
The Great British Baking Show season 11 will be aired on Channel 4 in the U.K. on Sept 22 with episodes released every week on Netflix in the U.S. from Sept 25.
Source: Entertainment Weekly