GBBO gets the message

September 5, 2023·Darcie

After a few years of poorly conceived country-based theme weeks, the producers of the Great British Bake Off have finally seen the light. They have eliminated these types of themes and are returning to the basics that made the program an international success. The show's producer, Kieran Smith, acknowledged the missteps in an interview with The Guardian.

“We didn’t want to offend anyone, but the world has changed, and the joke fell flat,” Smith told the newspaper, discussing Season 13’s disastrous “Mexican Week.” He added, “We’re not doing any national themes this year.” It wasn't clear what he meant by "the joke," perhaps referring to the cringy mispronunciations of guacamole.

Smith also noted the criticism that the show was doing too much cooking and not enough baking, saying the show would focus on more traditional topics. He was careful not to provide any spoilers, but said the basic weeks would still be there (Cakes, Biscuits, Bread, Patisserie, Chocolate) and announced one new theme called Party Cakes. This year will be pivotal for GBBO but by all accounts this series will hew more closely to the original, providing promise for some fantastic viewing. The show's season 14 debuts later this month.

7 comments

gamulhollandSeptember 6, 2023

I already wrote this in response to a previous post, but we were binge-watching the recent season with Maxey in it, and since she’s from Sweden, she was one of the few who didn’t seemingly deliberately butcher a lengthy Swedish word for a pastry. It was vaguely xenophobic, I guess. There was a lot of mockery there. Mexican Week just took that energy and made a whole show with it. They used to have these great educational segments with Mel and Sue going to the monastery where they invented a particular bake or whatever, but the show sort of lost its international curiosity at a certain point and just started making fun. So I’m glad they’re putting an end to those, and to the cooking instead of baking. Now to just give the contestants something even remotely close to adequate time— and also, Paul needs to grow up and deal with flavors that are not his favorite instead of having contestants cater to him. He’s a grown man, not a toddler. OK, off my soapbox. :)

rileySeptember 6, 2023

I just want to see great baking. I like seeing things made that I thought might be hard and to see a homebaker can do it. They should go back to the beginning and do the same challenges over. It would be new people putting their ideas into the bakes. They were things people would like to bake and be inspired by. No more gimmicks, that's where US cooking shows fail. No more cookie puzzles and chandeliers. The bakes can be very difficult but still be things that people would actually want to make or buy in a patisserie.

FoodycatSeptember 6, 2023

I totally agree with Riley - PLEASE no more chandeliers and things that are more about engineering than baking something delicious!

I really don't think they actually understand why people were upset at the themed weeks. Paul's "But I was JUST THERE and it's what I ate there" is so superficial and doesn't acknowledge that the sombrero & poncho stereotype is harmful.

Also, I want them to do less setting people up for failure. I want bakes that can be done perfectly in the set time with careful time management, not bakes that will always be bad because they don't allow enough time. If every single person has underproved bread, it's not the bakers, it's the challenge that is wrong.

pitterpat4September 6, 2023

I hope they do return to the basics of baking. Stop with the cakes shaped like people and engineering projects. I also miss the educational segments the different types of bakes.

elizaSeptember 6, 2023

I’m always a year behind on bake off so I just recently saw the Mexican episode, and yes it was quite horrible. I’ve been irritated before with the stereotyping, especially in recent years, so I’m glad they seem to have got the message. I echo everyone else’s comments about the ridiculous time constraints and cooking vs baking so I hope they’re back to the roots of the show. I want to see talented amateur bakers with original flavour ideas who have been set up to succeed.

CookbookoligistSeptember 6, 2023

I agree that the too-short times are maddening. They give them 2 hours to do something that takes 3 and then complain that things are messy, underbaked, or underproved. Of course they are! The current show runners seem to have no idea what people actually like about the show.

avabakesloveSeptember 9, 2023

I feel relieved! I am not the only both irritated and disappointed in the time allotment. The beauty of the show is seeing a meaningful challenge that can be executed by very good bakers. I always found the ridiculous time constraint baffling. What was the point? How does this make for good baking? Baking in knowledge of ingredients and technique, art, and organization. These are the elements that allow these bakers to showcase their expertise and produce interesting and beautiful bakes.