The Great British Bake Off

The Great British Bake Off is a British television baking competition. A group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds. One contestant is eliminated in each round, and the winner is selected from the contestants who reach the finals. The first episode was aired on 17 August 2010, with its first four series broadcast on BBC Two.

About The Great British Bake Off in brief

Summary The Great British Bake OffThe Great British Bake Off is a British television baking competition. A group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds. One contestant is eliminated in each round, and the winner is selected from the contestants who reach the finals. The first episode was aired on 17 August 2010, with its first four series broadcast on BBC Two, until its growing popularity led the BBC to move it to BBC One for the next three series. After its seventh series, Love Productions signed a three-year deal with Channel 4 to produce the series for the broadcaster. The format of the series is used as the basis for two BBC Two series, The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down. The series has also been shown in the United States and Canada. It was the most-watched programme on British television in 2015 and 2016. On 27 October, it was announced that the Great British bake-Off has been renewed, with a twelfth series due to air in 2021. The programme has spawned a number of specials and spin-off shows: a celebrity charity series in aid of Sport ReliefComic Relief or Stand Up to Cancer; Junior Bake Off for young children; after-show series An Extra Slice; and Bake Off: The Professionals for teams of pastry chefs. It also has appeared in other countries, and has been sold to television producers globally, where local versions are made. The baking competition was conceived by producer Anna Beattie after she spoke to a friend who had seen ‘bake-offs’ in America.

In chronological order, the winners are Edd Kimber, Joanne Wheatley, John Whaite, Frances Quinn, Nancy Birtwhistle, Nadiya Hussain, Candice Brown, Sophie Faldo, Rahul Mandal, David Atherton and Peter Sawkins. After a psych evaluation, between 10 and 13 bakers are selected for the show, with two further bakers on standby should any of the bakers drop out of the competition. In the first series, the filming locations varied in different episodes, but only one location was used for each series from the second series onwards. The show is filmed in bunting-draped marquees in scenic gardens. It is normally filmed over a 12 to 13 weeks period, and filming usually takes place over the weekends with the exception of series 11 when filming was shortened to six weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The development team first selected Mary Berry as a judge, and following an audition Paul Hollywood was also appointed. Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc were approached to be presenters of the show. In early 2009, they pitched the idea to Janice Hadlow, then controller of BBC Two. The pitch was successful, and it was then developed over the next six months. It became the most popular programme on that channel for three years. In its fifth series it was shown on BBC One where it became themost popular programme.