The Great British Bake Off

"GBBO" redirects here. For the ornithological organisation, see Great Basin Bird Observatory.

For the current series, see The Great British Bake Off series 15.

The Great British Bake Off
Genre	Baking Reality
Directed by	Jeanette Goulbourn (2017–present) Andy Devonshire (2010–2012, 2014–2016) Scott Tankard (2012–2013)
Presented by	Mel Giedroyc Sue Perkins Sandi Toksvig Noel Fielding Matt Lucas Alison Hammond
Judges	Mary Berry Paul Hollywood Prue Leith
Theme music composer	Tom Howe
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	15
No. of episodes	140 (and 43 specials)
Production
Executive producers	Anna Beattie (2010–present) Richard McKerrow (2010) Sarah Thomson-Woolley (2016–2017) Kieran Smith (2012)
Producers	Samantha Beddoes (2013–2014) Amanda Westwood (2012)
Production locations	Cotswolds, Scone Palace, Sandwich, Bakewell, Mousehole, Fulham Palace (all 2010) Valentines Mansion (2011) Harptree Court (2012–2013) Welford Park (2014–2019, 2022–present) Down Hall (2020–2021)
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	Love Productions
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	17 August 2010 (2010-08-17) – 22 October 2013 (2013-10-22)
Network	BBC One
Release	6 August 2014 (2014-08-06) – 26 October 2016 (2016-10-26)
Network	Channel 4
Release	29 August 2017 (2017-08-29) – present
Related
Bake Off: The Professionals The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice Junior Bake Off

The Great British Bake Off (often abbreviated to Bake Off or GBBO, or as known in the US and Canada as The Great British Baking Show) is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress two judges with their baking skills. One contestant is eliminated in each round, and the winner is selected from the three contestants who reach the final.

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. On 24 September 2024 it was announced that The Great British Bake Off has been renewed for its sixteenth series in 2025.

The series is credited with reinvigorating interest in baking throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, with shops in the UK reporting sharp rises in sales of baking ingredients and accessories. Many of its participants, including winners, have gone on to careers in baking, while the BAFTA award-winning program has spawned a number of specials and spin-off shows: a celebrity charity series in aid of Sport Relief/Comic Relief or Stand Up to Cancer; Junior Bake Off for young children (broadcast on the CBBC channel, then on Channel 4 from 2019); after-show series An Extra Slice; and Bake Off: The Professionals for teams of pastry chefs.

The series has proven popular abroad; in the United States and Canada, where "Bake-Off" is a trademark owned by Pillsbury, it airs as The Great British Baking Show. The series format has been sold globally for production of localized versions, and was adapted for both BBC Two series The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Background

Development

Competitive baking, such as making Victoria sponge (pictured), is part of the classic English village fête which inspired the series.

The baking competition was conceived by producer Anna Beattie after she spoke to a friend who had seen 'bake-offs' in America. Beattie was also inspired by the classic English village fête baking competitions; she said: "I loved that idea of village fetes and an old-fashioned baking competition with people who only wanted to bake a good cake." However, Beattie failed to interest any channel in the idea for four years.

In early 2009, they pitched the idea to Janice Hadlow, then controller of BBC Two. The pitch was successful, and Hadlow and Commissioning Editor Charlotte Moore commissioned the programme, which was then developed over the next six months. 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.

Production

Reproducing the surroundings of the English village fête, the series is filmed in bunting-draped marquees in scenic gardens. 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 series is normally filmed over a 12 to 13 weeks period, and the 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.

Amateur bakers who apply to appear in the show are first assessed by a researcher, followed by an audition in London with two of their bakes. They then undergo a screen test and an interview with a producer. A second audition involves the applicants baking two recipes for the judges in front of the cameras. After a psychological evaluation, between 10 and 13 applicants are selected for the show, with two further bakers on standby should any of those selected drop out. What the bakers intended to bake during a particular challenge is illustrated using animated graphics. These graphics have been created by illustrator Tom Hovey since the show's inception in 2010.

Broadcast and personnel changes

On 17 August 2010, the first episode of The Great British Bake Off was shown on BBC Two. It stayed on BBC Two for four years, grew in popularity and became the most popular programme on that channel. In its fifth series it was moved to BBC One where it stayed for three years. It was the most-watched programme on British television in 2015 and 2016. Following extended negotiations, Love Productions announced that the seventh series of the show would be the last broadcast by the BBC. On 12 September 2016, Love agreed to a three-year deal to broadcast the show on Channel 4. Despite the move, BBC Studios retains global distribution and format rights to the series except in North America and are set for renewal in 2028.

Giedroyc and Perkins subsequently announced that they would not be returning when the show moved to its new network. On 22 September 2016, Berry announced that she would also be leaving the show when it moved to Channel 4, while Hollywood later announced he would stay. In March 2017, it was announced that Prue Leith would join Hollywood as a judge, while Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig would take over as presenters. After 3 years presenting the show, Toksvig announced her departure in 2020, and was replaced by Matt Lucas. On 6 December 2022, Lucas announced that he would leaving the show after three series. On 17 March 2023, it was confirmed that Alison Hammond will replace Lucas as a presenter.

Format

The programme operates on a weekly elimination process to find the best all-around baker from the contestants, who are all amateurs. Ten contestants were chosen for the first series, twelve for the following two series, thirteen for the fourth and tenth, and twelve from series five to series nine, and series eleven onward.

In each episode, the amateur bakers are given three challenges based on that week's theme: a signature bake, a technical challenge, and a show-stopper. The three challenges take place over two days, and the filming takes up to 16 hours a day. Except for Series 9, the first week of the competition was usually "Cake Week". The contestants are assessed by the judges who then choose a "Star Baker" for the week (introduced in series 2), and a contestant is also eliminated although if the contestant numbers in certain years are not even or there is a non-elimination a week before, then two bakers may be eliminated. In the final round, three bakers are left and a winner is chosen from the three.

Signature Challenge

This challenge is for the amateur bakers to show off their tried-and-tested recipes for bakes they might make for their friends and family.

Technical Challenge

This challenge requires enough technical knowledge and experience to produce a certain finished product when given only limited – or even minimal – instructions. The bakers are all given the same recipe and are not told beforehand what the challenge will be. The finished products are judged blind and ranked from worst to best. They place their bakes behind the person's photo.

Showstopper Challenge

This challenge is for the bakers to show off their skills and talent. The judges favour a bake that has a professional appearance but is also outstanding in flavours.

In the first series, the location of the cast and crew moved from town to town each week, but from the second series, the competition is held in one location in a specially constructed marquee. Interspersed in the programme are the backgrounds of the contestants as well as, in the earlier series, video vignettes on the history of baking.

Series overview

See also: List of contestants, List of finalists (series 1–7), and List of finalists (series 8–present)

Series	Episodes		Location	Presenters	Judges	Originally aired		Network	Winner	UK viewers (millions)
1	6		Various	Mel Giedroyc & Sue Perkins	Paul Hollywood & Mary Berry	17 August – 21 September 2010 (2010-08-17 – 2010-09-21)		BBC Two	Edd Kimber	2.77
2	8		Valentines Mansion			16 August – 4 October 2011 (2011-08-16 – 2011-10-04)			Joanne Wheatley	4.00
3	10		Harptree Court			14 August – 16 October 2012 (2012-08-14 – 2012-10-16)			John Whaite	5.00
4	10					20 August – 22 October 2013 (2013-08-20 – 2013-10-22)			Frances Quinn	7.35
5	10		Welford Park			6 August – 8 October 2014 (2014-08-06 – 2014-10-08)		BBC One	Nancy Birtwhistle	10.04
6	10					5 August – 7 October 2015 (2015-08-05 – 2015-10-07)			Nadiya Hussain	12.50
7	10					24 August – 26 October 2016 (2016-08-24 – 2016-10-26)			Candice Brown	13.85
8	10			Noel Fielding & Sandi Toksvig	Paul Hollywood & Prue Leith	29 August – 31 October 2017 (2017-08-29 – 2017-10-31)		Channel 4	Sophie Faldo	9.29
9	10					28 August – 30 October 2018 (2018-08-28 – 2018-10-30)			Rahul Mandal	9.66
10	10					27 August – 29 October 2019 (2019-08-27 – 2019-10-29)			David Atherton	9.64
11	10		Down Hall	Noel Fielding & Matt Lucas		22 September – 24 November 2020 (2020-09-22 – 2020-11-24)			Peter Sawkins	11.28
12	10					21 September – 23 November 2021 (2021-09-21 – 2021-11-23)			Giuseppe Dell'Anno	9.56
13	10		Welford Park			13 September – 15 November 2022 (2022-09-13 – 2022-11-15)			Syabira Yusoff	9.89
14	10			Noel Fielding & Alison Hammond		26 September – 28 November 2023 (2023-09-26 – 2023-11-28)			Matty Edgell	8.57
15	10					24 September – 26 November 2024 (2024-09-24 – 2024-11-26)			TBA	TBA

Series 1 (2010)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 1)

Series 1 of The Great British Bake Off saw ten home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned the Great British Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each week the nationwide tour saw the bakers put through three challenges in a particular discipline. The rounds took place in various locations across the UK, with the final round being held at Fulham Palace, London.

The three finalists were Ruth Clemens, Miranda Gore Browne, and Edd Kimber. On 21 September 2010, Kimber was crowned the best amateur baker.

Series 2 (2011)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 2)

The number of amateur baker contestants increased to twelve for the second series. Unlike Series 1, this year The Great British Bake Off stayed in one location – Valentines Mansion, a 17th-century mansion house in Redbridge, London.

The finalists were Holly Bell, Mary-Anne Boermans, and the winning contestant Joanne Wheatley.

Series 3 (2012)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 3)

The third series of The Great British Bake Off began on 14 August 2012. The series was filmed at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset.

The finalists were Brendan Lynch, James Morton and John Whaite, the last of whom won the final in a surprise result.

In the US, the third series was broadcast as season 5 on PBS, and on Netflix as The Great British Baking Show: The Beginnings.

Series 4 (2013)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 4)

The fourth series of The Great British Bake Off started on 20 August 2013 on BBC Two. The series was again filmed at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset. The final was won by Frances Quinn, with Ruby Tandoh and Kimberley Wilson as runners up.

In the US, the fourth series was broadcast as season 2 on PBS, and on Netflix as Collection 2.

Series 5 (2014)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 5)

The fifth series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on 6 August 2014 on BBC One. This series was filmed at Welford Park in Berkshire. There were twelve bakers taking part. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood returned as judges, whilst Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc continued to present the series. Richard Burr was awarded the largest number of star baker designations of any series so far but was beaten by Nancy Birtwhistle in the final.

A spin-off show The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, hosted by comedian Jo Brand on BBC Two, was also launched as a companion series in the same year. Each episode was broadcast two days after the main show but later moved to the same night. The show includes interviews with eliminated contestants.

In the US, the fifth series was broadcast as season 1 on PBS, and on Netflix as Collection 1.

Series 6 (2015)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 6)

The sixth series began on 5 August 2015 on BBC One, again from Welford Park in Berkshire. The spin-off show The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice returned for a second series, with Jo Brand as host. This series was won by Nadiya Hussain, with Ian Cumming and Tamal Ray as runners up.

In the US, the sixth series was broadcast as season 3 on PBS, and on Netflix as Collection 3.

Series 7 (2016)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 7)

The seventh series began on 24 August 2016 on BBC One, once again from Welford Park in Berkshire, a later than usual start following the BBC's coverage of the Olympic Games. This series was won by Candice Brown, with Jane Beedle and Andrew Smyth as runners up.

In the US, the seventh series was broadcast as season 4 on PBS, and on Netflix as Collection 4.

Series 8 (2017)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 8)

The eighth series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on 29 August 2017. This is the first series of The Great British Bake Off to be broadcast on Channel 4 following its move from the BBC. The series features new hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig, and new judge Prue Leith along with returning judge Paul Hollywood. This series was won by Sophie Faldo, with Kate Lyon and Steven Carter-Bailey finishing as runners-up.

The eighth series is broadcast on Netflix as Collection 5.

Series 9 (2018)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 9)

The ninth series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on 28 August 2018.

On 30 October 2018, Sheffield University researcher Rahul Mandal, from Rotherham, was announced as the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2018. The runners-up were Ruby Bhogal and Kim-Joy Hewlett.

The ninth series is broadcast on Netflix as Collection 6.

Series 10 (2019)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 10)

The tenth series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on 27 August 2019. On 29 October 2019, David Atherton was announced as the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2019, becoming the first winner never to have won Star Baker during the competition. The runners-up were Steph Blackwell and Alice Fevronia.

The tenth series is broadcast on Netflix as Collection 7.

Series 11 (2020)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 11)

The eleventh series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on 22 September 2020. Matt Lucas replaced Sandi Toksvig as host, alongside returning host Noel Fielding and judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood. The first three episodes ran for 90 minutes rather than the previous 75 minutes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming was shortened to six weeks. The cast and crew had to live in a "self-contained biosphere", which was Down Hall Hotel in Bishop's Stortford where a marquee was put up in its garden for the competition. On 24 November 2020, it was announced that this series was won by Peter Sawkins, with Laura Adlington and Dave Friday finishing as the runners-up.

The eleventh series was broadcast on Netflix as Collection 8, released weekly three days after the UK air date.

Series 12 (2021)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 12)

The twelfth series began airing on Tuesday 21 September 2021. The twelfth series was broadcast on Netflix as Collection 9, released weekly three days after the UK air date.

On 23 November 2021, Giuseppe Dell'Anno was announced as the winner, becoming the first Italian to win the programme. The runners-up were Chigs Parmar and Crystelle Pereira.

Series 13 (2022)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 13)

The thirteenth series of the Great British Bake Off began airing on Tuesday 13 September 2022 on Channel 4. The thirteenth series was broadcast on Netflix as Collection 10, released weekly three days after the UK air date.

On 15 November 2022, Syabira Yusoff was announced as the winner of the programme. The runners-up were Sandro Farmhouse and Abdul Rehman.

Series 14 (2023)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 14)

The Great British Bake Off began airing on Tuesday 26 September 2023 on Channel 4 with Alison Hammond replacing Matt Lucas as host alongside Noel Fielding. The fourteenth series was broadcast on Netflix as Collection 11, releasing weekly on Fridays three days after the UK air date.

On 28 November 2023, Matty Edgel was announced as the winner of the programme. The runners-up were Josh Smalley and Dan Hunter.

Series 15 (2024)

Main article: The Great British Bake Off (series 15)

The Great British Bake Off returned on Tuesday 24 September 2024 on Channel 4 with returning hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding.

The fifteenth series will be broadcast on Netflix as Collection 12, released weekly three days after the UK air date.

Incomplete bakes and other incidents

Periodically, accidents and other errors have influenced the results of a round of judging. Several have had a significant impact on what a baker presents, notably:

• Presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins accidentally interfered with several bakes. In Series 4, Sue leaned on Howard Middleton's English muffins in the technical challenge and in Series 6, she broke Nadiya Hussain's biscuit lid in the showstopper challenge.
• In Series 2, Robert Billington accidentally dropped his tiered showstopper while applying finishing touches to the cake. Both judges and presenters came to his aid to salvage the bottom tier of his cake. He was able to present the incomplete showstopper as a single-tiered cake.
• In Series 3, John Whaite was unable to complete his bake after he suffered a severe cut to his finger on the food processor. He tried to continue working on his strudel wearing a rubber glove, but the bleeding required medical attention, including assistance from Danny, who left her bake to help him. As a result, John had to abandon the last bake, and no one was eliminated that week.
• In Series 4, contestant Deborah Manger accidentally used Howard Middleton's custard instead of her own. As a result, Howard was forced to use Deborah's custard, and this was taken into account by the judges, who judged the trifles and custards individually.
• In Series 5, during the Baked Alaska challenge, contestant Diana Beard removed Iain Watters's ice cream from a freezer in order to make room for her dessert. Upon discovering his melted ice cream on the counter, Watters threw it into the bin in frustration and left the tent. He returned shortly after, and as he had no cake for judging; he produced his bin instead, leading to his elimination. The event provoked anger from many viewers, who believed Diana Beard had interfered with his ice cream, causing it to melt.
• In Series 9, one of contestant Rahul Mandal's empty storage jars burst from the heat within the tent and glass covered the workbench and potentially contaminated the mixtures. The production team had to dispose of all of his mixtures and clear his station. He was then given an extra fifteen minutes after the other finalists had finished to make up for the time he had lost.
• In Series 11, during the technical challenge of the first episode, contestant Sura Selvarajah accidentally knocked over four of David Friday's pineapple upside down cakes as he was putting them on the gingham table. Paul and Prue were informed of the incident and judged the cakes based on the two which remained intact.
• In Series 14, Tasha Stones had to abandon the technical challenge halfway through and could not participate in the showstopper due to illness. As a result, no one was eliminated that week.
• In Series 15, Jeff had to withdraw from Cake Week after the signature due to illness. As a result no one was eliminated. Jeff later withdrew from the competition the following week due to illness.

The Great Christmas/Festive Bake Off

Since 2016, two-holiday specials have been transmitted between each series. The special will typically feature four returning bakers from the previous series to compete in three holiday-themed challenges (excluding the second 2019 special which featured the cast of the sitcom Derry Girls, the first 2021 special which featured the cast of the drama It's a Sin, and the first 2022 special which featured Channel 4 legends to commemorate the channel's 40th anniversary). Since 2017 (following the move from BBC), one special is broadcast on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and the other on New Year's Day on Channel 4.

Series	Winner	Other contestants
2016	Mary-Anne Boermans (Series 2)	Cathryn Dresser (Series 3), Ali Imdad (Series 4) and Norman Calder (Series 5)
	Chetna Makan (Series 5)	Janet Basu (Series 2), James Morton (Series 3) and Howard Middleton (Series 4)
2017	Paul Jagger (Series 6)	Beca Lyne-Pirkis (Series 4), Selasi Gbormittah (Series 7) and Val Stones (Series 7)
	Rav Bansal (Series 7)	Rob Billington (Series 2), Sandy Docherty (Series 6) and Benjamina Ebuehi (Series 7)
2018	Jane Beedle (Series 7)	Andrew Smyth (Series 7), Flo Atkins (Series 8) and Liam Charles (Series 8)
	Steven Carter-Bailey (Series 8)	Kate Henry (Series 5), Tamal Ray (Series 6) and Candice Brown (Series 7)
2019	Briony Williams (Series 9)	Tom Hetherington (Series 8), Yan Tsou (Series 8) and Terry Hartill (Series 9)
2019 (Derry Girls edition)	Saoirse-Monica Jackson	Dylan Llewellyn, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Nicola Coughlan and Siobhán McSweeney
2020	Rosie Brandreth-Poynter (Series 10)	James Hillery (Series 8), Ruby Bhogal (Series 9) and Jamie Finn (Series 10)
	Rahul Mandal (Series 9)	Nancy Birtwhistle (Series 5), Helena Garcia (Series 10) and Henry Bird (Series 10)
2021 (It's a Sin edition)	Nathaniel Curtis	Olly Alexander, Lydia West and Shaun Dooley
2021	Kim-Joy Hewlett (Series 9)	Jon Jenkins (Series 9), Hermine Doussou (Series 11) and Rowan Williams (Series 11)
2022 (Channel 4 legends edition)	Miquita Oliver	Terry Christian, Tony Robinson, Gaby Roslin and Claire Sweeney
2022	Manon Lagrève (Series 9)	Antony Amourdoux (Series 9), Lottie Bedlow (Series 11) and Chigs Parmar (Series 12)
2023	Sophie Faldo (Series 8)	Dan Beasley-Harling (Series 9), Amelia Le Bruin (Series 10), Linda Rayfield (Series 11), George Aristidou (Series 12), Carole Edwards (Series 13)
	Maxy Maligisa (Series 13)	Mark Lutton (Series 11), Jürgen Krauss (Series 12) and Maggie Richardson (Series 12)

Reception

Critical reception

The early reviews for the first series were mixed. Lucy Mangan of The Guardian wondered if "competitive baking [is] a contradiction in terms" and found the proceedings humourless. Iain Hollingshead of The Daily Telegraph was scathing, describing the presenters as "annoying", the judge Paul Hollywood as looking "sinister without being interesting", and that the audience would be so bored that they "could certainly forgive the cameraman if he were to commit hara-kiri in a giant pool of egg and flour."

However, reviews from the later series were more positive. Andrew Collins of The Guardian called it "the nicest show on television" and judged it the best TV programme of 2012. Rachel Ward of The Daily Telegraph thought the programme "had just the right consistency of mouth-watering morsels, good humour, and fascinating history", while Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent considered the contest "perfectly baked". Meredith Blake of Los Angeles Times wrote that the show is "Escapist entertainment at its sweetest."

Bake Off was moved to Channel 4 in 2017, and reviews of the programme on the channel were largely positive, although a few felt that it did not compare well to the BBC version. Mark Lawson of The Guardian described the programme on Channel 4 as "both exactly the same but also just subtly different enough", and that "only someone desperate to dislike the re-plated show could argued that [it] has soured, spoiled or binned its recipe". Michael Hogan of The Telegraph thought that "Mary, Mel and Sue might be gone but the show's recipe remains as winning as ever. The four Cs – chemistry, camaraderie, comedy, cakes – were all present and correct." Anna Leszkiewicz of the New Statesman however considered that while the format had been left largely unchanged and the contestants "irresistibly likeable", "every single change to the show has been for the worse".

Its American broadcast has a Metacritic rating of 88, indicating "universal acclaim".

Cultural impact

Bake Off is credited with spurring an interest in home baking, with supermarkets and department stores in the UK reporting sharp rises in sales of baking ingredients and accessories. The show is also credited with reviving Women's Institutes, whose membership reached its highest level since the 1970s. Between 2010 and 2013, the Bake Off effect had seen membership grow by a quarter to over 211,000. It was the largest impact on membership since the release of the 2003 British comedy film Calendar Girls, starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, where a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research under the auspices of the Women's Institutes. Ruth Bond, chairwoman of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, said Bake Off has inspired women to take up baking by 'taking away the fear factor' and making it look fun. The show also boosted the sales of bakery books and the number of baking clubs, and independent bakeries also showed an increase. According to one analyst, more than three-fifths of adults baked at home at least once in 2013 compared with only a third in 2011.

A stage musical written by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary based on the series and endorsed by Love Productions opened in Cheltenham in July 2022. In addition, a whole host of similar shows started getting commissioned on TV including The Great British Sewing Bee, Forged in Fire, Lego Masters and The Great Pottery Throw Down.

TV ratings

The first series of The Great British Bake Off premiered in August 2010 with moderate ratings of just over 2 million viewers for its first episode. This was enough to place it in BBC Two's top ten for that week, and over the series the audience grew to over 3 million, with the semi-final and final both achieving first place in BBC Two's weekly ratings. During the second series, the ratings gradually increased, and it became a surprise hit with nearly 4 million watching each episode. Week two was the last time that the show was out-rated by another BBC Two programme in the same week (it came second to the drama Page Eight); from then until the show's move to BBC One, every competition episode would be the channel's number one rated programme of the week. By its final episode it had averaged 4.56 million viewers, peaking at 5.1 million in its last 15 minutes.

The ratings continued to strengthen in the third series, and the show began to beat its competition in its timeslot. The final of the series where John Whaite was crowned the winner saw its highest rating yet, with an average of 6.5 million viewers that peaked at 7.2 million, which made it the second highest-rated BBC Two-originated show after Top Gear since at least 2006. The fourth series achieved some of the highest ratings seen on BBC Two. The viewer count for its premiere episode was more than two million higher than that of the previous series, while the final episode was seen by 9.1 million viewers at its peak, more than twice the number of viewers on BBC One and ITV. The final episode is the most-watched show on BBC Two since the present ratings system was introduced in 2002, beating the previous record set by Top Gear. As a result of its high ratings, the show was moved to BBC One.

After its move to BBC One, the opening episode was watched by over 7 million viewers according to overnight figures, beating the figure of 5.6  million for the opening episode of the previous year. The Bingate controversy surrounding episode four helped the show gain its biggest ever audience of 10.3 million viewers, with 2 million people who watched it on BBC iPlayer. The final of the show gained an overnight viewing figure of 12.29 million, then the highest viewing figure of the year for a non-sporting event on British TV. In the following year, the top ten ratings for 2015 was also dominated by The Great British Bake Off, with seven of the year's ten most-watched television programmes being episodes of the show, topped by the final episode with 15.05 million viewers. In the last series on the BBC in 2016, nine of the top ten most-watched programmes of the year were episodes of the show, with 16.03 million viewers watching the finale.

The first series broadcast by Channel 4 opened with average viewing figures of 5.8 million, rising to 6.5 million to include those watching on Channel 4+1, and 9.46 million for the 7-day rating. Although the overnight figure was the lowest for an opening episode since 2013, it was Channel 4's biggest audience since the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics. This series attracted an average audience of 9 million viewers on Channel 4.

The eleventh series in 2020 received the highest audience for a TV series ever seen on Channel 4 in 35 years, after the miniseries A Woman of Substance which was watched by 13.9 million viewers in 1985. Its opening and final episodes were watched by 11.2 and 11.5 million viewers respectively, with a consolidated audience figure averaging at 10.6 million for the series. The series, which was available on Netflix in the US, was also the fifth most-streamed show among American audience in October 2020 according to Nielsen.

Controversies

Product placement sanction

In September 2012, production company Love Productions was sanctioned by the BBC for product placement of Smeg fridges. The issue came to light after a viewer wrote to the Radio Times complaining of "blatant product promotion". After an investigation, the BBC said Love Production's loan agreement with Smeg did not meet editorial guidelines and was being revised for the third series, and that appropriate retrospective hire payments would be made. The BBC asked Smeg to remove a notice from its website promoting its association with the show, which it did.

Favouritism

During the fourth series allegations arose regarding Paul Hollywood's favouritism toward Ruby Tandoh, resulting in personal attacks against Tandoh including by the chef Raymond Blanc who derided her for being thin and at times crying, which he called “female tears”.Tandoh subsequently defended herself with an article in The Guardian and reflected on the anger and misogyny in online commentary about the show. Both Hollywood and Tandoh denied the accusation. Late in the ninth series, allegations of judges' favouritism toward Rahul Mandal arose among a small group of fans loyal to Kim-Joy, after judges gave Mandal compensatory time to complete his task. A shattered glass jug forced Mandal to stop and rendered his bake in progress unsafe. The producers awarded Mandal the time (15 minutes) he lost while his station was cleaned, after which he started his bake again from the beginning.

Baked Alaska controversy ("Bingate")

In the fourth episode of the fifth series, there was controversy around the elimination of contestant Iain Watters. During the final showstopper round contestants were tasked with producing a Baked Alaska. Iain's ice cream was shown as having not set and in a show of frustration he threw his bake in the bin. The editing of the show suggested that another contestant, Diana Beard, had caused the failure by removing the ice cream from a freezer, and the perceived "sabotage" resulted in an uproar on social media networks. However, unseen footage broadcast in the accompanying programme An Extra Slice shows Luis holding the large floor freezer that contained Iain's ice cream open as he piped the sides of his own baked Alaska, while Mel warns him to pipe quickly and close the freezer. Later in the episode, when Iain removes his ice cream to begin the next step of his dish, it is still quite soft, indicating it went into the freezer he shared with Diana without being completely frozen. Various members of the cast posted comments in support of Diana and a BBC spokesman later issued a statement that "Diana removing Iain's ice cream from the freezer for less than a minute was in no way responsible for Iain's departure."

More than 800 complaints were lodged with the BBC over the incident and some also complained to the communication watchdog Ofcom.

Use of innuendo

A number of viewers complained to the BBC feedback show Points of View in the fifth series about the "constant smutty remarks" from the presenters Mel and Sue. This series was seen as having more innuendos than previous ones; some reviewers noted the "extra pinch of saucy spice" and "the increasingly filthy-minded hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins". However, the series 3 winner John Whaite argued that innuendo is part of what made the show a success, whilst judge Paul Hollywood described the innuendos as banter in the spirit of the Carry On films and a part of British culture, a view shared by others.

Clones, legal challenges and move to Channel 4

The success of The Great British Bake Off led to the BBC commissioning many other series closely following the format from Love Productions for example The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down. However, when the 2014 series Hair using the same format was produced in house by the BBC, Love Productions responded by making preparations to sue the BBC for infringing their copyright. Although the matter was kept quiet, with the BBC settling out of court and compensating Love Productions, the matter soured relations between the BBC and Love Productions. In September 2016, it was announced that the BBC had lost the broadcast rights of the show to Channel 4. Channel 4 offered £25 million for the show outbidding the £15 million offered by the BBC. In January 2017 the BBC waived its rights to keep the programme off the air until 2018, and wished it "well for the future".

Accidental revelation of Series 8 winner

On 31 October 2017, judge Prue Leith accidentally revealed that Sophie Faldo was the winner of Series 8 on her Twitter account, twelve hours before the finale was due to air. This caused uproar among many fans of the show. She quickly deleted the tweet and apologised to the fans who saw it. The first episode of Series 9 poked fun at the incident by having hosts Toksvig and Fielding dress as Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future and travel back in time via a DeLorean time machine to stop Leith from tweeting out the season's winner.

In the Bake Off 2023 Festive Special, this controversy was referenced by Prue Leith where she jokes "this time I won't Tweet it" while speaking to Sophie Faldo.

Nationally-themed weeks

Recent series have included weeks themed around a designated country, many of which have been criticised for their use of inauthentic dishes, fostering of stereotypes and "casual" racism.

In season 11, "Japan Week" was widely and heavily criticised for not having any actual Japanese pastries. One of the participants opted to make an Indian-inspired bun with a dahl filling, while another chose a Chinese stir-fry filling, neither of which would be found in traditional Japanese baking. Viewers of the show were particularly offended with contestant Hermine styling her steamed buns to look like panda bears, a species that is native to China and not Japan, and another baker's looked like an American-style cheeseburger and fries. Most contestants chose to do Chinese or Indian flavours, resulting in the show being called out for assuming "all Asians are Japanese".

After the airing of the "German Week" episode in series 12, Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas were criticised on social media for mocking a German accent during the show. It was widely described as 'irritating and inappropriate', raised the question over whether this would be allowed if it were another nationality. Lucas in particular was criticised by many viewers for his "casual racism". In the same episode, Paul Hollywood apologised to German contestant Jürgen because the week's showstopper challenge was not something German: participants were given the task of making a three-tier cake with yeast. Jürgen was reportedly "baffled" by this challenge, and said that it was not something that he would normally see at home. Hollywood joked that he had "anglicised" the challenge.

During series 13, the episode broadcast on 4 October 2022, was "Mexican week". Like many previous weeks celebrating foreign cuisine, the show was branded with allegations of cultural appropriation. Additionally, criticism was directed at the incorrect pronunciation, inaccurate labelling of Mexican dishes, and a sketch where Matt and Noel dressed in sombreros and ponchos, which was deemed disrespectful. The New York Times restaurant critic Tejal Rao called the episode "casually racist."

September 2023, prior to series 14, the show's producers announced the series would no longer include nationally-themed weeks, replacing them with a new party-cake week.

Awards and nominations

The Great British Bake Off has been nominated a number of times in various categories for the BAFTA awards and won in 2012, 2013, and 2016. The programme was nominated for a Rose d'Or in the Lifestyle section of the 2012 competition and won. It also won two 2015 National Television Award for Skills Challenge Show.

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Results	Ref.
2012	Rose d'Or	Lifestyle	The Great British Bake Off	Won
	BAFTA TV Awards	Features	Anna Beattie, Andy Devonshire, Simon Evans, Richard McKerrow	Won
		YouTube Audience Award	The Great British Bake Off	Nominated
2013		Features	Anna Beattie, Kieran Smith, Amanda Westwood, Scott Tankard	Won
		Radio Times Audience Award	The Great British Bake Off	Nominated
	National Television Award	Factual Entertainment		Nominated
2014	BAFTA TV Awards	Features	Anna Beattie, Amanda Westwood, Samantha Beddoes, Simon Evans	Nominated
	National Television Award	Factual Entertainment	The Great British Bake Off	Nominated
2015	BAFTA TV Awards	Features	Anna Beattie, Samantha Beddoes, Andy Devonshire, Simon Evans	Nominated
		Radio Times Audience Award	The Great British Bake Off	Nominated
	National Television Award	Skills Challenge Show		Won
2016	National Television Award	Challenge Show		Won
	BAFTA TV Awards	Features	The Great British Bake Off production team	Won
		Radio Times audience award	The Great British Bake Off	Nominated
	Asian Viewers Television Awards	Best Of British		Nominated
2017	National Television Award	Challenge Show		Nominated
		TV judge	Mary Berry	Won
	BAFTA TV Awards	Features	The Great British Bake Off production team	Nominated
	Asian Viewers Television Awards	Best Of British	The Great British Bake Off	Nominated
2019	National Television Award	Factual Entertainment		Nominated
	BAFTA TV Awards	Features		Nominated
2020	National Television Award	Challenge Show		Won
2021	Critics' Choice Real TV Awards	Best Competition Series		Won
	National Television Award	Challenge Show		Won

International

The British version of The Great British Bake Off is broadcast in many countries and it has been sold to 196 territories as of 2015. The format has also been sold to 20 territories by 2015, making it the third most successful BBC format after Strictly Come Dancing and The Weakest Link. Many of these shows have been successful. The Junior Bake Off format has also been sold to Thailand.

Broadcast

Canada

CBC Television began broadcasting The Great British Bake Off in Canada in August 2016, starting with the sixth series under the title The Great British Baking Show. Subsequent seasons have aired the summer following their British airings, with Series 9 debuting in July 2019.

The CBC also produces a Canadian version called The Great Canadian Baking Show with an identical format.

United States

The Great British Bake Off airs in the United States under the name The Great British Baking Show because "Bake-Off" is a registered trademark of Pillsbury in the U.S. As of October 2022, the British series 1–7 were available in the United States on The Roku Channel, labeled as Seasons 1–7, and the British series 8–13 were available in the United States on Netflix, labeled as Collections 5–10.

From 2014 to 2018, the US broadcaster PBS aired five series of the show. PBS broadcast the fifth British series as Season 1 in winter 2014–2015, shortly after it aired in the UK, and in autumn 2015 PBS broadcast the fourth British series as Season 2 because the new British series was not ready. The sixth series was broadcast as Season 3 in summer 2016, and the seventh series was broadcast as Season 4 in summer 2017. After the show moved to Channel 4, PBS purchased the BBC's third series and broadcast it as Season 5 instead of licensing the eighth series from Channel 4. PBS chose not to license the Channel 4 series.

In 2018, Netflix acquired the rights to stream the eighth British series, which was the first from Channel 4, and debuted it as a "Netflix Original Production" labeled as Collection 5; the service already had PBS's Seasons 1–4 available for streaming, labeled as Collections 1–4. Netflix added the third British series as a separate show, The Great British Baking Show: The Beginnings, later in 2018. In January 2022, Collections 1–4 and The Great British Baking Show: The Beginnings left Netflix. Netflix also added the Holiday and Masterclass episodes as separate shows from the individual seasons they were originally part of. The Great British Baking Show: Holidays includes the holiday episodes that have aired since 2018. The Masterclass episodes were added to Netflix in April 2017 as The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass, but were removed in April 2021.

In 2022, The Roku Channel began streaming the seven British series that originally aired on the BBC, including the first and second series that had not previously been available in the U.S.

The following table shows the analogous series numbers between the major distributors; the series in italics are no longer available from that distributor:

Original UK series number	The Roku Channel	Netflix	PBS
Series 1 (2010)	Season 1	–	–
Series 2 (2011)	Season 2	–	–
Series 3 (2012)	Season 3	The Beginnings	Season 5
Series 4 (2013)	Season 4	Collection 2	Season 2
Series 5 (2014)	Season 5	Collection 1	Season 1
Series 6 (2015)	Season 6	Collection 3	Season 3
Series 7 (2016)	Season 7	Collection 4	Season 4
Series 8 (2017)	–	Collection 5	–
Series 9 (2018)	–	Collection 6	–
Series 10 (2019)	–	Collection 7	–
Series 11 (2020)	–	Collection 8	–
Series 12 (2021)	–	Collection 9	–
Series 13 (2022)	–	Collection 10	–
Series 14 (2023)	–	Collection 11	–

International versions

Current

  Airing or in production   Upcoming season

Country	Local title	Host(s)	Judges	Channel	Premiere
Middle East and North Africa	Arab Bake off	Juliana Saada	Pierre Kurdi Michel Selim Jamal Al-Ali	Al-Dar 4	11 February 2022
Algeria	Le Meilleur Pâtissier الجزائري (The Algerian Best Pastry Chef)	Mehdi Yades	Mehdi Hadj Mebarek Lella Louza	Echourouk TV	28 January 2023
Argentina	Bake Off Argentina, El Gran Pastelero (Bake Off Argentina, The Great Baker)	Paula Chaves	Damián Betular (seasons 1-3) Pamela Villar (seasons 1-3) Dolli Irigoyen (season 3) Christophe Krywonis (seasons 1-2)	Telefe	8 April 2018
	Bake Off Famosos Argentina (Celebrity Bake Off Argentina)	Wanda Nara	Damián Betular Maru Botana Christophe Krywonis		2024
Australia	The Great Australian Bake Off	Shane Jacobson Anna Gare	Dan Lepard Kerry Vincent	Nine Network	9 July 2013
		Claire Hooper Mel Buttle	Maggie Beer Matt Moran	LifeStyle Food	13 October 2015
Belgium (Flanders)	De MeesterBakker (The Master Baker)	Rani De Coninck	Sofie Dumont Bernard Proot	vtm	4 April 2012
	Bake Off Vlaanderen (Bake Off Flanders)	Wim Opbrouck	Regula Ysewijn Herman Van Dender	VIER	30 August 2017
Canada	The Great Canadian Baking Show	Dan Levy (seasons 1–2) Julia Chan (seasons 1–2) Aurora Browne (season 3) Carolyn Taylor (season 3) Ann Pornel (season 4-) Alan Shane Lewis (season 4-)	Bruno Feldeisen (seasons 1–) Rochelle Adonis (seasons 1–2) Kyla Kennaley (seasons 3-)	CBC	1 November 2017
Canada (Quebec)	Le meilleur pâtissier du Québec	Marie-Ève Janvier Joël Legendre	Joël Lahon Gaël Vidricaire	Vrai	17 January 2022
Chile	Bake Off Chile, El Gran Pastelero (Bake Off Chile, The Great Baker)	Carolina de Moras	Yann Yvin Gustavo Sáez Millaray Vallejos	Chilevisión	6 August 2018
Czech Republic	Peče celá země (Whole country bakes)	Tereza Bebarová Václav Kopta	(Mirka van Gils Slavíková) Michaela Landová Josef Maršálek	ČT1	4 January 2020
Denmark	Den store bagedyst (The Great Baking Bout)	Neel Rønholt (season 1) Peter Ingemann (season 1–2) Timm Vladimir (season 3–)	Mette Blomsterberg (season 1–6) Jan Friis-Mikkelsen (season 1–6) Katrine Foged Thomsen (season 7–) Marcus Grigo (season 7-)	DR1	28 August 2012
Estonia	Eesti parim pagar	Kristjan Rabi (2015) Indrek Vaheoja (2015) Alari Kivisaar	Angeelika Kang Ants Uustalu	TV3	31 August 2015
Finland	Koko Suomi leipoo (All of Finland bakes)	Anne Kukkohovi	Mika Parviainen Sami Granroth	MTV3	24 September 2013
France	Le Meilleur Pâtissier (The Best Pastry Chef)	Faustine Bollaert (2012–17) Julia Vignali (2017–21) Marie Portolano (2021–23) Laëtitia Milot (2024-)	Cyril Lignac Jacqueline Mercorelli	M6 RTL-TVI (Belgium)	26 November 2012
Germany	Das große Backen (The great Bake)	Britt Hagedorn (2013) Meltem Kaptan (2013) Enie van de Meiklokjes (2014–16, 2018–) Annika Lau (2017)	Christian Hümbs Enie van de Meiklokjes (2013) Andrea Schirmaier-Huber (2013–14) Betty Schliephake-Burchardt (2015–)	Sat.1	1 December 2013
Hungary	Ide süss! (Az ország nagy cukrászversenye)	Hajós András Sass Dániel	Baracskay Angéla Szabadfi Szabolcs	Viasat 3	26 March 2018
Italy	Bake Off Italia - Dolci in forno (Bake Off Italy – Sweets in the oven)	Benedetta Parodi	Ernst Knam Clelia d'Onofrio Damiano Carrara	Real Time	November 2013
Israel	בייק אוף ישראל (Bake Off Israel)	Paula Rosenberg Aya Kremerman	Ran Shmueli Oded Brenner Carine Goren	Channel 2	9 April 2016
Kenya	The Great Kenyan Bake Off	June Gachui Nick Ndeda	Kiran Jethwa Myra Kivuvani Ndungu	KTN Home	7 October 2019
Japan	ベイクオフ・ジャパン (Bake Off Japan)	Maki Sakai Asuka Kudo	Toshihiko Yoroizuka Yoshimi Ishikawa	Amazon Prime Video	22 April 2022
Morocco	Pâtissier أحسن (The Best Pastry Chef)	Fadwa Hirate	Othmane Belefkih Bouchra Tamimi	2M	26 January 2021
Netherlands	Heel Holland Bakt (All of Holland bakes)	Martine Bijl (2013–15) André van Duin (2016–present)	Robèrt van Beckhoven Janny van der Heijden	MAX (NPO 1)	5 June 2013
New Zealand	The Great Kiwi Bake Off	Madeleine Sami Hayley Sproull	Dean Brettschneider Sue Fleischl	TVNZ 2 (2018–2019) TVNZ 1 (2021)	16 October 2018
Norway	Hele Norge baker (All of Norway Bakes)	Line Verndal	Pascal Dupuy Øyvind Lofthus	TV3	10 March 2013
Romania	Bake Off Romania	Nicolle Stanese	Alex Stan Simona Pope Tudor Constantinescu	Pro TV	29 February 2016
Slovakia	Pečie celé Slovensko	Juraj Bača Milan "Junior" Zimnýkoval	Petra Tóthová Jozefína Zaukolcová	RTVS	10 October 2021
South Africa	The Great South African Bake Off	Anne Hirsch Donovan Goliath (series 1) Lentswe Bhengu (series 2–3) Lesego Tlhabi (series 4) Glen Biderman-Pam (series 4)	Shirley Guy Tjaart Walraven Siba Mtongana (series 4) Paul Hartmann (series 4)	BBC Lifestyle	9 August 2023
Spain	Bake Off: Famosos al horno (Bake Off: Celebrities to the oven)	Paula Vázquez	Paco Roncero Eva Arguiñano Damián Betular	La 1	11 January 2024
Sweden	Hela Sverige bakar (All of Sweden Bakes)	Tilde de Paula	Johan Sörberg Birgitta Rasmussen	TV4 (Sjuan)	20 September 2012
	Hela kändis-Sverige bakar (Celebrity All of Sweden Bakes)				11 November 2014
Thailand	The Great Thai Bake Off (ยอดนักอบขนม)	TBA	TBA	PPTV HD 36	June 2019
Uruguay	Bake Off Uruguay	Jimena Sabaris (2022–present) Annasofía Facello (2021)	Sofía Muñoz (2021–present) Hugo Soca (2022–present) Rose Galfione (2022–present) Stephanie Rauhut (2021) Jean Paul Bondoux (2021)	Canal 4	26 August 2021

Former

  No longer airing

Country	Local title	Host(s)	Judges	Channel	Premiere
Brazil	Bake Off Brasil	Ticiana Villas Boas (2015–16, 2020) Carol Fiorentino (2017) Chris Flores (2020) Nadja Haddad (2018–23)	Carol Fiorentino (2015–16) Fabrizio Fasano Jr. (2015–17) Olivier Anquier (2018–21) Carlos Bertolazzi (2023) Giuseppe Gerundino (2022–23) Beca Milano (2017–23)	SBT Discovery Home & Health	25 July 2015
	Bake Off SBT				23 December 2017
	Júnior Bake Off Brasil				6 January 2018
	Bake Off Celebridades				20 February 2021
Bulgaria	Bake Off: Най-сладкото състезание (Bake Off: The Sweetest Competition)	Aleksandra Raeva Raffi Bohosyan	Julia Pandzherova Yuri Baltaliyski	Nova TV	15 November 2016
Greece	Bake Off Greece	Ioanna Triantafyllidou	Nikolas Straggas Akis Petretzikis Dimitris Xronopoulos	Alpha TV	23 September 2018
Ireland	The Great Irish Bake Off	Anna Nolan	Biddy White Lennon Paul Kelly	TV3	19 September 2013
Poland	Polski turniej wypieków [Polish baking contest]	Piotr Gąsowski (1–2) Marta Grycan (1) Katarzyna Skrzynecka (2)	Bożena Sikoń (1–2) Tomasz Deker (1–2)	TLC [Polish]	10 October 2012
	Bake Off – Ale ciacho! [Bake Off – what a cupcake!]	Paulina Mikuła (1) Anna Gacek (1) Marcelina Zawadzka (2–5) Dorota Czaja (2) Katarzyna Kołeczek (3–4) Ida Nowakowska (5)	Krzysztof Ilnicki (1–5) Małgorzata Molska (1–2) Michał Bryś (3–5)	TVP2	5 September 2016
	Bake Off Junior [Junior Bake Off]	Marcelina Zawadzka (1) Ida Nowakowska (1)	Krzysztof Ilnicki (1) Michał Bryś (1)		6 September 2018
Spain	Bake Off España (Bake Off Spain)	Jesús Vázquez	Dani Álvarez Betina Montagne Miquel Guarro	Cuatro	6 March 2019
	Celebrity Bake Off España (Celebrity Bake Off Spain)	Paula Vázquez Brays Efe	Clara Villalón Frédéric Bau	Amazon Prime Video	16 December 2021
Turkey	Ver Fırına	Burcu Esmersoy	Arda Türkmen Emel Başdoğan	TV8	20 October 2014
Ukraine	Velykyy Pekarsʹkyy Turnir (Великий пекарський турнір; Great Bakers Tournament)	Yuri Nikolaevich Gorbunov	Serge Markovic Catherine Ahronik Olga Ganushchak	1+1	1 September 2013
United States	The American Baking Competition	Jeff Foxworthy	Marcela Valladolid Paul Hollywood	CBS	29 May 2013
	The Great American Baking Show	Nia Vardalos (seasons 1–2) Ian Gomez (seasons 1–2) Ayesha Curry (season 3) Anthony Adams (seasons 3–4) Emma Bunton (season 4)	Johnny Iuzzini (seasons 1–3) Mary Berry (seasons 1–2) Paul Hollywood (season 3–4) Sherry Yard (season 4)	ABC	30 November 2015 (as The Great Holiday Baking Show)

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
Genre	Cooking Baking
Presented by	Mel Giedroyc Jennifer Saunders Ed Byrne Sarah Millican Sue Perkins Jo Brand Omid Djalili
Judges	Mary Berry Paul Hollywood
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	12
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	Love Productions
Original release
Network	BBC Two (2012–2013) BBC One (2014–2016)
Release	10 January 2012 (2012-01-10) – 23 February 2016 (2016-02-23)

Episode viewing figures from BARB.

Series 1 (2012)

  Finalist   Winner

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Traybake	Wholemeal Cheese Scones	Meringue Dessert	Angela Griffin	10 January 2012 (2012-01-10)	3.52
				James Wong
				Joe Swift
				Sarah Hadland
2	Savoury Flan	Banana & Chocolate Chip Loaves	Layered Cake	Arlene Phillips	11 January 2012 (2012-01-11)	2.79
				Fi Glover
				Gus Casely-Hayford
				Saira Khan
3	Classic Crumble	Coffee & Walnut Cake	24 Miniature Tarts	Alex Deakin	12 January 2012 (2012-01-12)	2.56
				Alex Langlands
				Anita Rani
				Pearl Lowe
4	Trio of Baked Biscuits	6 Sausage Rolls	Covered Tiered Occasion Cake	Angela Griffin	13 January 2012 (2012-01-13)	3.43
				Anita Rani
				Fi Glover

Series 2 (2014)

  Star Baker

No.	Guest host	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Sue Perkins	12 Sandwich Biscuits	Tarte Tatin	3D Novelty Cake	Bonnie Wright	13 January 2014 (2014-01-13)	4.37
					Johnny Vaughan
					Michael Vaughan
					Samantha Bond
2	Jo Brand	12 Gingerbread Biscuits	Banoffee Pie	Chocolate Cake	Greg Rutherford	14 January 2014 (2014-01-14)	5.07
					Jane Horrocks
					Jason Gardiner
					Kirsty Young
3	Omid Djalili	Traybake	Iced Ring Doughnuts	Layered Cakes	Emma Freud	15 January 2014 (2014-01-15)	5.02
					Jamelia
					Michael Ball
					Victoria Pendleton
4	Ed Byrne	Pizzas	Eccles Cakes	Tiered Cakes	Alistair McGowan	16 January 2014 (2014-01-16)	4.94
					Doon Mackichan
					Helen Skelton
					Rochelle Humes

Series 3 (2016)

  Star Baker

No.	Guest host	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Mel Giedroyc	Canapés	Paris–Brest	Trophy Cake	David James	27 January 2016 (2016-01-27)	6.03
					Jason Manford
					Maddy Hill
					Samantha Cameron
2	Jennifer Saunders	American Muffins	Football Pie	Tiered Cake	Chris Kamara	3 February 2016 (2016-02-03)	7.44
					Ed Balls
					Kimberley Walsh
					Victoria Coren Mitchell
3	Ed Byrne	Savoury tarts	Chocolate and Beetroot Tray Bake	3D Biscuits	Geri Horner	17 February 2016 (2016-02-17)	7.12
					Jermaine Jenas
					John Simpson
					Louise Redknapp
4	Sarah Millican	Open-top Pie	Salmon Roulade	Cupcakes	Ade Edmondson	24 February 2016 (2016-02-24)	6.74
					Alison Steadman
					Morgana Robinson
					Will Young

The Great Comic Relief Bake Off

The Great Comic Relief Bake Off
Genre	Cooking Baking
Presented by	Mel Giedroyc Sue Perkins Jo Brand Ed Byrne
Judges	Mary Berry Paul Hollywood
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	8
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	Love Productions
Original release
Network	BBC Two (2013) BBC One (2015)
Release	21 January 2013 (2013-01-21) – 4 March 2015 (2015-03-04)

Series 1 (2013)

  Star Baker

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Shortbread	Custard Slices	Portrait Cake	Jo Brand	21 January 2013 (2013-01-21)	4.17
				Stephen K. Amos
				Lorna Watson
				Ingrid Oliver
2	Iced Biscuits	Bakewell Tart	Gateaux	Warwick Davis	22 January 2013 (2013-01-22)	4.44
				Duncan Bannatyne
				Simon Reeve
				Andy Akinwolere
3	Scones	Chocolate Éclairs	Novelty Cake	Ellie Simmonds	23 January 2013 (2013-01-23)	4.34
				Kirsty Wark
				Julia Bradbury
				Bob Mortimer
4	Chocolate Biscuits	Lemon Meringue Pie	Comic Relief Birthday Cake	Claudia Winkleman	24 January 2013 (2013-01-24)	4.39
				Ed Byrne
				Martha Kearney
				Helen Glover

Series 2 (2015)

  Star Baker

No.	Guest host	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Sue Perkins	Giant Cookie or Biscuit	12 Mini Fruit Tarts	Tiered Chocolate Cake	Dame Edna Everage	11 February 2015 (2015-02-11)	7.75
					Joanna Lumley
					Jennifer Saunders
					Lulu
2	Mel Giedroyc	24 cupcakes	20 profiteroles	Marble "Building" Cake	Jonathan Ross	18 February 2015 (2015-02-18)	8.39
					Zoe Sugg
					Gok Wan
					Abbey Clancy
3	Jo Brand	24 Shortbread	6 Mini Pork Pies	Triple-tiered Pavlova	Sarah Brown	25 February 2015 (2015-02-25)	7.92
					David Mitchell
					Michael Sheen
					Jameela Jamil
4	Ed Byrne	Tray Bake	12 Crumpets	Vegetable Self Portrait Cake	Alexa Chung	4 March 2015 (2015-03-04)	8.21
					Victoria Wood
					Chris Moyles
					Kayvan Novak

The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off

The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off
Also known as	The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up to Cancer
Genre	Cooking Baking
Presented by	Sandi Toksvig Noel Fielding Matt Lucas Alison Hammond
Judges	Prue Leith Paul Hollywood
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	7
No. of episodes	35
Production
Production company	Love Productions
Original release
Network	Channel 4
Release	6 March 2018 (2018-03-06) – present

Series overview

Series	Episodes	Premiere	Finale	Timeslot	Channel
1	5	6 March 2018 (2018-03-06)	3 April 2018 (2018-04-03)	Tuesday 8:00 pm	Channel 4
2	5	5 March 2019 (2019-03-05)	2 April 2019 (2019-04-02)
3	5	10 March 2020 (2020-03-10)	7 April 2020 (2020-04-07)
4	5	9 March 2021 (2021-03-09)	6 April 2021 (2021-04-06)
5	5	22 March 2022 (2022-03-22)	19 April 2022 (2022-04-19)
6	5	19 March 2023 (2023-03-19)	16 April 2023 (2023-04-16)	Sunday 7:40 pm
7	5	17 March 2024 (2024-03-17)	14 April 2024 (2024-04-14)

Series 1 (2018)

  Star Baker

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	12 cupcakes	6 Crêpes Suzette	3D biscuit scene	Roisin Conaty	6 March 2018 (2018-03-06)	5.91
				Martin Kemp
				Harry Hill
				Bill Turnbull
2	24 scones	Devil's food cake	Self-portrait croquembouches	Nick Hewer	13 March 2018 (2018-03-13)	5.65
				Perri Kiely
				Stacey Solomon
				Ricky Wilson
3	Loaf cake	8 Tiramisu sandwich biscuits	Meringue towers	Ella Eyre	20 March 2018 (2018-03-20)	5.95
				Ruth Davidson
				Jamie Laing
				Tim Minchin
4	12 blondies	6 fruit turnovers	Secret passion cake	Griff Rhys Jones	27 March 2018 (2018-03-27)	5.48
				Joe Lycett
				Lee Mack
				Melanie Sykes
5	12 muffins	Custard pie	Rainbow dream cake	Aisling Bea	3 April 2018 (2018-04-03)	5.53
				Alan Carr
				Kadeena Cox
				Teri Hatcher

Series 2 (2019)

  Star Baker

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	12 brownies	Swiss roll	3D biscuit scene	John Lithgow	5 March 2019 (2019-03-05)	4.86
				Jon Richardson
				Hannah Cockroft
				Russell Brand
2	Topped flapjacks	6 cream horns	Meringue scene	James Acaster	12 March 2019 (2019-03-12)	5.30
				Russell Tovey
				Rylan Clark-Neal
				Michelle Keegan
3	Shortbread	Pork pies	Self-portrait cake	Johnny Vegas	19 March 2019 (2019-03-19)	4.48
				Big Narstie / Sandi Toksvig
				Katarina Johnson-Thompson
				Jess Phillips
4	Characterful biscuits	Chocolate Crumpets	Favourite hobby cake	Jeremy Paxman	26 March 2019 (2019-03-26)	4.58
				Joe Wilkinson
				Sally Lindsay
				Georgia "Toff" Toffolo
5	Fruity drizzle cake	Choux pastry swans	Self-portrait towering biscuit	Nicola Adams	2 April 2019 (2019-04-02)	4.60
				Krishnan Guru-Murthy
				Greg Wise
				Caroline Flack

Series 3 (2020)

  Star Baker

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Giant biscuit	Mille-feuille	Choux sculpture	Louis Theroux	10 March 2020 (2020-03-10)	5.00
				Jenny Eclair
				Russell Howard
				Ovie Soko
2	Roulade	6 Cannoli	Favourite place cake	Patsy Palmer	17 March 2020 (2020-03-17)	5.01
				Richard Dreyfuss
				James Buckley
				Scarlett Moffatt
3	Éclairs	Battenberg cake	Biggest fear cake	Johanna Konta	24 March 2020 (2020-03-24)	5.70
				Tan France
				Caroline Quentin
				Joel Dommett
4	Traybake	Mini Yorkshire puddings	Future aspiration biscuit scene	James Blunt	31 March 2020 (2020-03-31)	6.33
				Alison Hammond
				Alex Jones
				Joe Sugg
5	12 Sandwich biscuits	6 Iced buns	3D Guilty pleasure cake	Kelly Brook	7 April 2020 (2020-04-07)	5.92
				Mo Gilligan
				Robert Rinder
				Carol Vorderman

Series 4 (2021)

  Star Baker

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Millionaire Shortbread	4 Chocolate and raspberry tarts	Pet Peeves cake	Tom Allen	9 March 2021 (2021-03-09)	6.12
				Rob Beckett
				Alexandra Burke
				Daisy Ridley
2	Decorative Fruit tart	6 Cheese and chive Scones	Spirit animal marble cake	Anne-Marie	16 March 2021 (2021-03-16)	5.83
				David Baddiel
				Kelly Holmes
				James McAvoy
3	Vegetable Traybake	4 Queen of Puddings	Biscuit selfie of themselves at work	Nick Grimshaw	23 March 2021 (2021-03-23)	5.45
				Philippa Perry
				Dizzee Rascal
				Reece Shearsmith
4	Cocktail Fondant Fancies	Cherry Lattice Pie	3D Biscuit and Meringue Scene	Stacey Dooley	30 March 2021 (2021-03-30)	5.09
				KSI
				Katherine Ryan
				Jade Thirlwall
5	8 Choux buns	12 Financiers	Chocolate Bucket List Cake	Ade Adepitan	6 April 2021 (2021-04-06)	5.21
				John Bishop
				Nadine Coyle
				Anneka Rice

Series 5 (2022)

  Star Baker

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Animal biscuits	12 Maple and Pecan madeleines	3D Secret Talent choux sculptures	Clara Amfo	22 March 2022 (2022-03-22)	3.24
				Blake Harrison
				Alex Horne
				Emma Willis
2	Fruit turnovers	4 Chocolate fondants	Embarrassing moment meringue scene	Yung Filly	29 March 2022 (2022-03-29)	3.42
				Gareth Malone
				Ruby Wax
				Laura Whitmore
3	Stained glass biscuits	6 Raspberry doughnuts	Before fame novelty cake	Ed Gamble	5 April 2022 (2022-04-05)	3.42
				Example
				Matt Lucas
				Annie Mac
4	Meringue roulades	18 Lemon and pistachio biscotti	3D Favourite childhood memory cake	Mo Farah	12 April 2022 (2022-04-12)	2.97
				Katherine Kelly
				Ben Miller
				Motsi Mabuse
5	Marble Cake	Almond and cherry roly-poly	Hero biscuit portrait	Sophie Morgan	19 April 2022 (2022-04-19)	3.78
				Ellie Goulding
				Tracy-Ann Oberman
				Mawaan Rizwan

Series 6 (2023)

  Star Baker

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	Savoury Pie	6 Macarons	3D Meringue Celebrity fail Scene	Jesy Nelson	19 March 2023 (2023-03-19)	3.92
				David Schwimmer
				Rose Matafeo
				Tom Davis
2	Sandwich cake	Treacle Tart	Earliest memory choux buns	AJ Odudu	26 March 2023 (2023-03-26)	3.71
				Gemma Collins
				Jessica Hynes
				Tim Key
3	Quiche	8 Bourbon biscuits	Best day off novelty cake	Adele Roberts	2 April 2023 (2023-04-02)	3.02
				David Morrissey
				Tom Daley
				Lucy Beaumont
4	12 Jaffa Cakes	4 Cheese & Onion slices	3D Biscuit home town scene	Paddy McGuinness	9 April 2023 (2023-04-09)	3.23
				Joe Thomas
				Coleen Nolan
				Ellie Taylor
5	Cheesecake	4 Hot dog buns	Novelty cake of first celebrity crush	Mike Wozniak	16 April 2023 (2023-04-16)	3.12
				Deborah Meaden
				Judi Love
				Jay Blades

Series 7 (2024)

  Star Baker

No.	Signature Challenge	Technical Challenge	Showstopper Challenge	Contestants	Airdate	Viewers (millions)
1	8 Cake pops	4 Pretzels	Biscuit portrait of Paul and Prue	Jodie Whittaker	17 March 2024 (2024-03-17)	2.96
				Paloma Faith
				Munya Chawawa
				Spencer Matthews
2	12 Biscuit people	9 Fondant fancies	Biggest failure cake	Danny Dyer	24 March 2024 (2024-03-24)	2.92
				Rhod Gilbert
				Yinka Bokinni
				Leigh Francis
3	Arctic Roll	8 Vegan iced rings	3D biggest fear meringue scene	David O'Doherty	31 March 2024 (2024-03-31)	2.86
				Oti Mabuse
				Gabby Logan
				Suzi Ruffell
4	8 Iced buns	Chocolate & Raspberry roulade	Biscuit portrait Celebrity lookalike	Greg James	7 April 2024 (2024-04-07)	2.90
				Dermot O'Leary
				Fern Brady
				Mel B
5	12 Biscuit bars	6 Custard slices	Best friend novelty cake	Richard Coles	14 April 2024 (2024-04-14)	3.16
				Sara Cox
				Joe Locke
				Adam Hills

See also

• List of The Great British Bake Off contestants
• List of The Great British Bake Off finalists (series 1–7)
• List of The Great British Bake Off finalists (series 8–present)
• List of The Great British Bake Off Star Bakers

External links

• Official website
• The Great British Bake Off at BBC Online
• The Great British Wedding Cake
• The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
• The Great Comic Relief Bake Off
• The Great British Bake Off at UKGameshows.com
• The Great British Bake Off at IMDb
• The Great Sport Relief Bake Off at IMDb