By going back to basics, “The Great British Baking Show” has officially staged a comeback.
For those who aren’t familiar with “Bake Off,” as fans commonly refer to it, it may seem odd that it would even need a comeback. Twelve of Great Britain’s “best amateur bakers” compete each week inside a laughably iconic pastel tent — that’s it, right?
Wrong!
Well, right, but, as any other fan of the iconic competition show would tell you, it’s so much more than that. Beyond the puns, the abundance of quirky British humor, the dramatic crescendos of music when someone pulls a loaf out of the oven and accents that occasionally make this American viewer wonder if they even speak English after all, “Bake Off” has come to represent the simple joy of creating something in a positive, supportive environment. It’s the epitome of feel-good TV that still manages to avoid artificiality.
Critic Sebastian Stoddard writes, “The bakers on The Great British Bake Off aren’t out to get each other. They aren’t mean, or trying to sabotage each other. They’re friendly to one another. They joke and talk as they wait for their projects to finish baking, they try to help each other when things go wrong, and when one of them leaves, they wish them good luck.”
Despite all of this, the past few years have found “Bake Off” in a bit of a slump, losing the endearing, earnest footing it once stood on. “Bake Off” has struggled to find challenges that aren’t either too difficult, blatant cultural insensitivity (we do not speak of “Mexican Week”) and, as The New York Times’ Tejal Rao put it, the tragic shift from “comfort to cringe.”
Last year’s Season 14, however, represented a positive step for the show — a step backward. With daytime TV darling (and recent Tik Tok sensation) Alison Hammond (“This Morning”) now co-hosting with Noel Fielding (“The Mighty Boosh”), replacing the ill-matched Matt Lucas (“Little Britain”), and a general return to its traditional format, it seemed like “Bake Off” had saved itself. But, one season isn’t enough to really prove that — which is where Season 15 comes in.
Episode 1, “Cake Week,” opens as every premiere has thus far: with a skit any sensible viewer would immediately turn off if it weren’t so irresistibly “Bake Off.” It doesn’t matter that they’re spoofing the “Barbie” movie a year too late, or that the lackluster quips were probably written in 40 seconds by a Channel 4 executive. Hammond and Fielding’s joyful chemistry could make a mixing bowl fun to watch — and thank god for that, because this show involves a lot of mixing bowls. I wasn’t the only one to find the pairing of Fielding and Lucas more awkward — even grating — than appropriately delightful, and it’s so exciting to see Fielding’s comedic sensibilities and natural kindness come back to life with Hammond.
As important as the personality of the hosts is in ensuring the quality of the show, it’s the personality of the bakers themselves that’s most important, and this cast of 12 is truly one of the best in years. From Illiyin, a midwife specializing in birth trauma, to Nelly, a hilariously dry Slovakian immigrant, and Mike, a farmer and part-time theatre actor — Season 15 is full of diverse and talented competitors.
“Bake Off” has always been praised for its representation of a “kinder, more diverse and inclusive Britain,” even when the content itself suffers from ignorance (I repeat: we do not speak of “Mexican Week”), and this season is no different. This inclusivity, importantly, does not come across as anything but authentic. Gill’s tidbit about being part of a long generation of “church bell ringers” in her native Lancashire doesn’t make her any more British than Dylan, who learned baking from his Indian grandmother. On “Bake Off,” diversity is not only good, but expected. This season even includes the series’ very first former American: Bronx native Jeff (how he’s retained his New York accent after 30 years in West Yorkshire, I don’t know).
It’s this very diversity that allows the show to stay interesting and creative within the confines of its classic structure. “Cake Week,” “Biscuit Week” and “Bun Week” have all featured a wide variety of tastes, styles and histories, without being met with any of the surprising callousness of the recent seasons. These tastes, styles and histories are most effectively showcased due to the sheer talent of the group.
A current judge on “Bake Off,” Prue Leith says, “I have never seen such a bunch of great bakers. I don’t want to lose any of them!”
While the unprecedented lack of elimination on Episode 1, “Cake Week,” was in fact due to one baker’s health troubles, Leith’s comments aptly reflect the caliber of talent seen so far this season. Three episodes in, it’s still difficult to pick out any clear front-runners, or anybody that’s absolutely getting sent home. The skill — coupled with the palpable determination and creativity — of this cast will only make for a more interesting season.
Burnout and stress levels are higher than ever on campus. If I can recommend anything to my peers, it’s to grab some cookies (store-bought is fine), your coziest blanket and tune in to this showstopper of a season of “The Great British Baking Show.” Thank me later.
Daily Arts Contributor Caroline Cahill can be reached at ccaroli@umich.edu.
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