For so many people around the world, The Great British Baking Show offers them a sense of comfort and tranquility, which became more and more needed as COVID-19 spread across the globe. After all, there is nothing quite as comforting as staring into the bright blue eyes of Paul Hollywood as he remarks on moist dough. Like every TV show, it was unclear what would happen to the new season when COVID-19 hit in spring, but finally, fans have their answer: The Great British Baking Show is back!
Although The Great British Baking Show is (obviously) British, it became a smash hit in America when it premiered on PBS in 2015 and on Netflix soon after. The show centers around amateur bakers who compete week after week in a different themed challenge. Each week, a Star Baker is announced and someone is eliminated until the winner of Bake Off (as it's called in the UK) is chosen. Typically, the series would premiere in the UK long before it crossed the pond to US screens. This was frustrating for some American viewers, who had to avoid spoilers for a very long time. Baking Show judge Prue Leith showed UK viewers just how that felt when she accidentally tweeted the winner of season eight an hour before the show premiered in the UK.
Recently, salvation came for those who were waiting desperately for a new season. The show premiered on Netflix on September 25 and introduced a new host, Matt Lucas, and returning host Noel Fielding. The duo detailed how The Great British Baking Show was able to film safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. For starters, each contestant had to self-quarantine for 14 days at the filming location. What the hosts didn't mention is that 120 people working on the production, from cameramen to cleaners, were quarantined as well. Furthermore, everyone had to self-isolate for nine days before taking a COVID-19 test, and only then did their 14-day quarantine begin. The hosts also didn't mention how this season almost didn't happen. The show was postponed in April 2020, and production didn't know what filming would look like, if it returned at all. Thankfully, by July they had it figured out (via Refinery29). Along with quarantining, the show drastically shortened its filming schedule. In normal years, contestants would film on weekends and return to their homes during the week to go back to their day jobs and practice their bakes. This time, they filmed almost every day, living in isolation at the Down Hall Hotel in Bishop's Stortford for six weeks and practicing their recipes in the hotel kitchens. One contestant even missed his anniversary to be there for the first round – cake week just can't be missed.
Another change to The Great British Baking Show this season is the format. Rather than every episode being added at once, episodes air weekly, every Friday. And rather than being months behind the UK, for this season each episode will be coming to Netflix only three days after it premieres abroad. Although it's very satisfying to not feel left out of the loop like usual, the new weekly schedule will take some adjusting to. Specifically, viewers won't be able to watch a whole season in one weekend. On the bright side, the Bake Off high will last much longer than usual thanks to the forced schedule.
The premiere was a huge ratings success in the UK, evidence that the COVID-19 precautions and long postponement were not an issue for audiences. In fact, you'd hardly know there was a pandemic going on if the contestants didn't mention it from time to time. Despite this unique season, the bakes promise to be just as mouthwatering, the judges just as intimidating, and the cast just as lovable as ever.
Source: Refinery29