If you haven’t heard someone raving about their obsession with The Great British Baking Show (in Europe, The Great British Bake Off), well…you must not know many people. It seems like every day, another one of my friends falls victim and ends up in a binge-a-thon that culminates in them deciding it really doesn’t look that hard to make their own croissants (or insert pastry here).
It’s a warm hug of nostalgia, so you’re definitely going to want to get on it, if you haven’t. Until then, here are some fun behind-the-scenes facts that give us a glimpse into what makes it so great.
#12. The temperature in the tent is HUGELY important.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByBN7fsAwMy/
Not only do contestants need to contend with the correct oven temperatures – the temperature inside the tent has the potential to affect a bake, too, says previous champ Frances Quinn.
“It’s completely alien to your own kitchen at home. The temperature fluctuates – you’d be making a meringue and it would start raining, or we’ try and make pastry and it would be 27 degrees outside. The technical challenges and lack of time and lack of fridge and work space are the enemy on that show.”
#11. Serious applicants only.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx4nyPqgOL9/
The application for the show is serious stuff – it’s 8 pages long and asks for details on not only your skills, but your hobbies and lifestyle, baking style, and some questions that would be at home on a philosophy exam, according to S4 contestant Beca Lyne-Pirkis.
“It’s a long application form. I think it’s designed to put some people off, essentially. It asks you about everything you have done, good and bad. It’s designed to get information about your character, stories, mishaps, and successes.”
Applications aren’t open now, but keep an eye on this link if you’re interested in being part of the next round.
#10. Why it has two different names.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxvLKydgcaK/
In England, people watch The Great British Bake Off but on Netflix (in the States), it’s The Great British Baking Show. Why? Pillsbury copyrighted the “bake off” part with The Pillsbury Bake Off, which kicked off back in 1949, and the company wasn’t keen on sharing.
#9. There’s very little interaction between the contestants and the judges.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxSNy0oAolL/
Champion Frances Quinn explained why the groups are kept as separate as possible:
“They very much tried to keep it unbiased. We saw a lot more of Mel and Sue. Mary and Paul would purely come in to do what we called the royal tour – where they’d come in and find out what you were making, then they’d come back in for judging. You’re not in the same hotel having sleepovers …they need to keep their distance on the show. They’re there as judges.”
#8. The audition process will test your resolve.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw5Gpc4gGMB/
Creator and executive producer Anna Beattie told The Telegraph that the audition process is even more in-depth than the application.
“Every person who makes it into the marquee has passed a rigorous series of tests. …a 45-minute telephone call with a researcher, bringing two bakes to an audition in London, a screen test and an interview with a producer. If they get through that, there is a second audition baking two recipes in front of the cameras, and an interview with the show psychologist to make sure they can cope with being filmed for up to 16 hours a day.”
Whew. They are not playing around.
#7. They test the ovens every single day.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw4lpJTg1oq/
Every oven, every day. And how do you test an oven? By making cakes. Victoria sponge cakes, to be exact.
#6. Someone makes sure the technical challenges are actually possible.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvw_3VjAvA0/
A behind-the-scenes “food researcher” makes sure that whatever concoction the judges have dreamt up is actually possible, given the ingredients, instructions, and the allotted time.
#5. There was no sabotage in Season 5.
Contestant Iain Watters quit after un-set ice cream ruined his Baked Alaska. He tossed the entire dish into the garbage and was (obviously) sent home as a result.
During the episode, viewers thought that fellow contestant Diana Beard removing the ice cream from the freezer may have caused the incident, and wrote to the producers complaining of sabotage. Nothing of the sort was found, a fact supported by Paul Hollywood on Twitter:
“Ice cream being left out of fridge last night for 40 seconds did not destroy Iain’s chances in the bake off, what did was his decision BIN.”
#4. They catch every oven-opening moment on camera.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvwVw5-g0lH/
Producers insist that each and every time a bake is put into or taken out of the oven, a camera is ready and waiting.
#3. They don’t waste the goodies.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvfGxksAUAz/
Even though the judges only taste a mouthful of each dish, don’t worry – the rest is handed over to crew and the other contestants, as well.
#2. They’ve been in trouble over product placement charges.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvfDphkgxZm/
BBC guidelines state that a series “may not accept free or reduced cost products in return for on-air or online credits, links, or off-air marketing,” which led to some viewers getting pissy about the colorful Smeg refrigerator in the tent.
Even though producers grabbed it as a fun “retro” addition, they ended up having to write the company a check.
#1. The contestants aren’t allowed to change clothes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvecWRkg8-B/
Even though the episodes are shot over the course of two days, the contestants wear the same clothes the entire time. Thank goodness for aprons, says Frances Quinn.
“Luckily they change the aprons so we don’t look like a Jackson Pollock painting by the end of it. I think layers is the answer, but even then you still have to wear what you had on, on top. Difficult.”
Netflix, Americans!
