On Your Marks, Get Set, Bake!

The wait is finally over. The bakers have been busy baking, Mel and Sue have been thinking up puns and Mary Berry has been perfecting her wardrobe. It can only mean one thing; The Great British Bake Off is back!                                                                                       Caricature by @RichNairn the Artful Doodler

Who would have thought when it first aired back in 2010 that The Great British Bake Off would be such a runaway success? But now, five series later, the show has a BAFTA under its belt and has become a firm favourite amongst British viewers. The BBC acknowledged the popularity of the show with a welcome move after series 4 from BBC2 to BBC1. With the first episode of series 6 due to air tonight does the Bake Off still hold the recipe for success?

Thankfully the show does not seem to have fallen foul of the need to shake things up and has stuck to the classic format that everyone knows and loves. Queen of the Bake Off, Mary Berry is back alongside fellow judge (and king of the steely eyed stare) Paul Hollywood. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins present and offer support, humour and, on occasion, hindrance to the contestants as they battle against the oven timer to rise above three weekly challenges. Thankfully the producers have recognised that the charm of this show is in the contestants and have not felt the need to introduce further jeopardy in a desperate attempt at entertainment. But that does not mean that the show is without its drama, far from it! Who could forget ‘bingate’ after Series 5 contestant Iain Watters’ baked Alaska melted, resulting in him throwing it away and presenting Mary and Paul with the bin when it came to judging. The whole incident sparked a Twitter storm as viewers tried to determine if another contestant was to blame.

Series 6 will see 12 new contestants battle it out in the Bake Off tent to win the crown of Best Amateur Baker. Each week they will undergo a signature, technical and showstopper challenge, all under the watchful blue eyes of Mary and Paul. Despite its humble format there is something irresistible about the Great British Bake Off, from the cheeky humour of Mel and Sue, to the good natured competition between the contestants, it is hard not to fall in love with the quaint charm  of the Bake Off tent. 

Maybe it’s the delicious looking cakes and buns that keep us tuning in or maybe it’s the surprising amount of delicate drama that ensures when you put twelve amateur bakers in a tent together. Whatever the key to the series success we hope it continues. So with no further ado and in the words of Mel and Sue, “On your marks, get set, bake!”.     

*All images courtesy of The Great British Bake Off Facebook Page