The Great British Bake Off - Channel 4 edition

The episode was full of innuendo. Or it could possibly have been my wife and I and our filthy minds.

Spoiler:

Mary saying she'd eat some carpet? Anyone else? Just me then...

kergguz wrote:

The episode was full of innuendo. Or it could possibly have been my wife and I and our filthy minds.

Spoiler:

Mary saying she'd eat some carpet? Anyone else? Just me then...

It wasn't just you, it made the social media highlight reel. Candice giving her a perfect arched eyebrow.

I know I said I enjoyed it when people's cakes fall apart but the gingerbread challenge was very stressful. I'm not sure I'd have been much more stressed if it had been a mine clearing contest.

Everyone's biscuits were very good I thought. Especially Tom's and Benjamina's.

I do not enjoy watching Val at all. I've been wanting to see her go home since this series started.

Roke wrote:

I do not enjoy watching Val at all. I've been wanting to see her go home since this series started.

Agreed. #TeamSelasi #TeamCandice

Those Dampfnudel were brutal.

I know they have to come up with new things but something like that, completely outside of most people's knowledge base, just means that the person who happened to guess timings, etc correctly on the day wins and someone who was also guessing, based on an equal lack of experience, wrongly, ends up at the bottom of the field.

But they're usually similar to other things, since Val hadn't made them before, but had made dumplings, which helped. I think they're meant to be a General Baking Knowledge type test.

I do think they use the relative Technical rank too much. If they are all pretty similar, then someone being bottom of the Technical shouldn't be as bad as a case where a contestant was a lot worse than everyone else.

The technical is to show mastery of basic techniques. If they say "make a genoise sponge" in the instructions they should know what's involved in that.

Roke wrote:

I do not enjoy watching Val at all. I've been wanting to see her go home since this series started.

Just caught up on last night's episode. She's surely on borrowed time. She seems to be near the bottom every week.

Well, sod Brexit and the US elections. The real crisis has it. The BBC has lost Bake Off to channel 4!

Now, predictably, dubbed "Breadxit".

This very said, Bake-off is a quintessential BBC show: cosy, nice, supportive. I can only see Channel 4 ruding it up more and milking the hell out of it.

Aw maaaaan. I was JUST getting into it, too.

It's not even guaranteed they'll be able to keep Mel, Sue and the judges. It sounds like they were all pretty miffed about this all going on without them even being consulted. Without them....i definitely see a big ol' crash and burn in this thing's future.

Also: Adverts! Goodie! /sarcasm.

Wait, what? Can you american this this up for me, please? I'm stuck a year behind unless I... acquire it elsewhere... so I don't know what's happening.

BBC proper has lost it and it's changed channels to 4? What does that mean?

The more I read about it the less enthused I am.

If they manage to keep the format and tone, Mary, and the nice drawings of the bakes I'll probably enjoy the channel 4 format. Problem is with ads they'll either have to increase the run-time or cut down on the show and who knows if the hosting and judging talent will move over.

Can't say I blame the production company for cashing in or the BBC for not paying up when they're under a lot of pressure from the Tories but it's disappointing as a (overseas) viewer.

My first thought was, "My God, it's going to be like what happened to the Football League highlights show" but that was Channel 5.

oilypenguin wrote:

Wait, what? Can you american this this up for me, please? I'm stuck a year behind unless I... acquire it elsewhere... so I don't know what's happening.

BBC proper has lost it and it's changed channels to 4? What does that mean?

The bakeoff program started asking for more money from the BBC (about four times what they are currently paid for the show? I think?) which is outside of what the BBC was willing - or more likely able - to pay.

"Channel 4" - a commercial rival to the BBC not funded by public money, offered the series makes the money they wanted, so they appear to have jumped ship and will now be switching to C4 instead.

Apparently, none of the hosts/judges were consulted about this before hand and they seem pretty pissed off from what I read. So who knows if they'll stick around when it switches channel. Or if there'll be any meddling of the formula (Channel 4 has a reputation for being "edgier" than other channels - for better or worse).

If Mel and Sue go I'm done. I've seen what happens to this show when you try to do it without them and it ain't pretty.

I can see the show losing the essence that made it great. Especially if they can't keep Mel, Sue or the Judges. Nobody is irreplaceable but those four add immeasurably to the atmosphere. Hopefully the BBC will come up with a new baking show in a similar vein.

Oof. That's very sad.

pyxistyx wrote:
oilypenguin wrote:

Wait, what? Can you american this this up for me, please? I'm stuck a year behind unless I... acquire it elsewhere... so I don't know what's happening.

BBC proper has lost it and it's changed channels to 4? What does that mean?

The bakeoff program started asking for more money from the BBC (about four times what they are currently paid for the show? I think?) which is outside of what the BBC was willing - or more likely able - to pay.

"Channel 4" - a commercial rival to the BBC not funded by public money, offered the series makes the money they wanted, so they appear to have jumped ship and will now be switching to C4 instead.

Apparently, none of the hosts/judges were consulted about this before hand and they seem pretty pissed off from what I read. So who knows if they'll stick around when it switches channel. Or if there'll be any meddling of the formula (Channel 4 has a reputation for being "edgier" than other channels - for better or worse).

Also, for non-uk viewers who aren't aware- the BBC is commercial free, so we get a full hour of baking and double entendre chicanery. Channel 4 will squeeze in 3 commercial breaks of around 3 minutes each, reducing the show time by 10 minutes. Sucks!

aaand. Mel and Sue just quit. So there we go.

IMAGE(http://widgets.bestmoodle.net/images/mfblog/400goldengoose.png)

Well. I look forward to watching the last good series.

If the other two quit then...crumbs! It'll really look like Channel 4 and Love totally have egg on their face. Whatever they come up with will be totally half baked. It's a raw dough-eal all around.

Ok I'll stop now.

We really don't knead another pun thread thanks.

Not Mel and Sue

I spent most of last night's episode thinking. Well, this is coming to an end. Bake off is already tainted.

The Daily Mail (A paper I never knowingly agree with) pointed to all the TV series that've jumped ship to other channels and never reached their previous figures again.

A point has been made that (a) Love Productions is 70% owned by Murdoch and (b) Murdoch wants the BBC dead and gutted.

Richard Osman (a producer and presenter on Pointless) was chatting with Emma Kennedy (writer, actor and mate of Perks) on twitter this morning, and he pointed out that 4m on Channel 4 might make more money for Love Productions than 11m on BBC, it still might make sense for them even if they thought the presenters would jump ship beforehand. I'm not willing to watch the show without Mel & Sue, so this is a valedictory season for me.

After last night, I'm now determined to eat chilli in a Yorkshire pudding. It's a genius combination of two of my favourite things.

Selasi's pork and crackling yorkies looked freakin' amazing.

Maq wrote:

Selasi's pork and crackling yorkies looked freakin' amazing.

IMAGE(http://www.petmd.com/sites/default/files/0yorkie.jpg)

?

Crackling makes everything better.