26 things you probably didn't know about 'The Great British Baking Show'

The show has a different sanction successful nan US because of Pillsbury.

The bid is called "The Great British Bake Off" successful nan UK and "The Great British Baking Show" successful nan US because nan American baking institution Pillsbury owns nan trademark for nan word "bake off."

The word was utilized successful 1949 erstwhile nan marque celebrated its 80th day by asking consumers for their best recipes utilizing its flour.

The apical 100 submissions were entered successful a unrecorded title successful New York City successful nan Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest — which later became known arsenic nan Pillsbury Bake-Off.

The UK cannot get capable of "The Great British Bake Off."

Nearly 11 cardinal people watched nan first section of nan 11th season, making it Channel 4's largest non-film broadcast since 1985, according to nan network. 

In 2016, the show besides made history erstwhile 15.9 cardinal viewers watched nan season-seven finale, nan largest assemblage nan UK's recorded since nan London Olympics successful 2012.

It's still 1 of Britain's astir celebrated shows, which cocreator and executive shaper Richard McKerrow chalked up to nan nature of nan series.

"It is simply a tv series, but we ever effort to deliberation of it arsenic an event, almost for illustration a Wimbledon, aliases an Olympics," McKerrow told The New York Times successful 2020.

Over 12,000 group use to nan show each year.

Of those 12,000 applicants, 300 to 400 group get a first-round audition, and 50 to 60 applicants make it to nan 2nd round. The last 12 are picked aft nan filmed method challenge.

The show looks for bakers pinch accepted skills who besides usage caller techniques. But ultimately, nan determination comes down to nan contestant's skills. 

The show's shaper Sam Beddoes told BBC Good Food, "When it comes down to deciding who goes connected nan show, it's based connected baking, not personality. You tin person superb characters, but if they're going to spell retired successful nan first information there's nary point."

There's a agelong exertion process to go a contestant.

The "Bake Off" exertion process includes aggregate steps, specified arsenic a preliminary shape — which play seven's Rav Bansal told Business Insider is nan "longest exertion shape successful nan history of forms" — a telephone interview, and a surface test.

Additionally, prospective contestants besides person to complete an off-camera skills trial that requires some saccharine and savory bakes, according to season-four baker Ali Imdad.

"... a nutrient technician location will effort your bakes, critique them, and if they for illustration what they've seen, they'll put you successful nan adjacent round, wherever they'll get you to cook immoderate scones and bread," Imdad told BI successful 2021. "Sometimes location will beryllium judges location to critique you. Sometimes it will conscionable beryllium nutrient technicians."

Potential contestants besides meet pinch a scientist earlier being selected.

Season-nine contestant Antony Amourdoux told BI successful 2021 that nan remaining 30 to 40 applicants must meet pinch a scientist to make judge they tin handle nan accent of competing connected nan series. 

From there, nan last group of 12 aliases 13 finalists is selected. 

Before nan show begins, contestants must person plans for their last bakes.

Before they commencement filming, contestants must move successful nan "10 signature and showstopper cook recipes" they would make successful nan finale if they make it that far. 

The recipes are past examined by nan show's nutrient producer.

Amourdoux told BI that nan process tin still beryllium overwhelming contempt nan truth contestants are fixed ample clip to prep and practice nan recipes.

"When we constitute our recipes that successful itself is simply a nightmare of a process," Amourdoux said. "We person to constitute step-by-step what we're doing, what ingredients we need, and really overmuch precisely you request if things spell wrong." 

But nan contestants don't cognize what nan method rounds will entail.

Season-eight baker Stacey Hart told BI successful 2021 that the method rounds "really are a surprise."

She said that contestants successful nan backmost person a spot of an precocious manus since bakers aren't allowed to move astir to spot what nan others are doing.

Amourdoux added that moreover erstwhile nan situation is announced, bakers don't person a batch of accusation to spell off. 

"The method information is simply a nightmare," he told BI. "None of nan instructions are thorough. The instructions they springiness you are benignant of each half-baked." 

"The Great British Baking Show" has a "home economics" squad to guarantee nan show runs smoothly.

Though episodes typically return 2 days to shoot, nan "home economics" squad starts moving a fewer days earlier filming truthful they tin stitchery ingredients. 

"Basically we're successful complaint of everything to do pinch nan nutrient and nan equipment," Georgia May, a personnel of nan team, told The Guardian successful 2014. "We've sewage to make judge nan contestants are happy. They tin specify what marque of a merchandise they want, we person to get it and past de-brand it for screen."

The show goes done a batch of baking supplies.

According to The Guardian, during play 4 alone, nan bakers went done complete 440 pounds of flour, 176 pounds of chocolate, 330 pounds of sugar, 198 pounds of butter, 9 gallons of double cream, and 2,000 eggs. They besides used 21 different types of flour.

In total, this magnitude of baking led to 208 hours of clean-up time.

Bakers tin petition circumstantial ingredients.

Once contestants get their recipes approved, they taxable nan list of ingredients they'll need, wrong reason. 

"If you request a uncommon vanilla legume that tin only beryllium originated from a distant region of nan Amazon Jungle successful South America, past they whitethorn connection an replacement aliases promote you to supply it yourself," Bansal told BI. 

Hart besides told BI that contestants tin moreover petition the nonstop marque they want for each ingredient.

Contestants tin take to bring their ain instrumentality and supplies.

Although it isn't a requirement, Hart told BI she chose to bring her ain supplies since she was much acquainted pinch her equipment.

"I utilized to locomotion up pinch bags and bags of my ain worldly each named pinch labels because I conscionable spot my ain pans and I conscionable spot my ain knives and spatulas," she said. "My car was filled pinch each of my pots and pans and everything — moreover down to my cooling racks."

The ovens are tested each time earlier shooting.

The show's location economics squad tests nan ovens regular by baking Victoria sponges, a type of cake. 

"We people each one, past get a runner to guidelines astatine each position pinch their barroom operation truthful we tin beryllium judge they've each gone into nan oven astatine nan aforesaid clip and tin beryllium decently tested," May told The Guardian successful 2014. "We conscionable person to beryllium definite we're fair."

"They do that to make judge that each nan ovens are moving decently and no-one tin blasted a bad cook connected a method malfunction," Imdad told BirminghamLive successful 2017.

The baked equipment don't spell to waste.

Although it seems for illustration location are excessively many bakes to eat, Amourdoux said location are complete 100 group successful nan tent, truthful they don't spell to waste. 

"As soon arsenic they are allowed to eat it everything conscionable disappears successful minutes," Amourdoux told BI. "The unit and accumulation squad excavation in, and each of nan bakers is sent bites of each other's bakes, truthful we each get to sensation each other's arsenic well."

Judges, not producers, determine who stays and goes.

Contrary to reality-show stereotypes, the judges person full control complete who gets nan boot.

Former "Great British Baking Show" judge Mary Berry told BBC Good Food, "That's why we mightiness get 3 girls successful a final, aliases 3 boys — possibly it's not awesome television, but that's conscionable what happened."

"We ever judge connected what takes spot connected nan time — not nan week before, aliases nan week earlier that," she added.

"The Great British Baking Show" has its ain illustrator.

Tom Hovey has worked for nan show since its commencement successful 2010 and has besides produced nan graphics for nan show's spin-offs, for illustration "Junior Bake Off." He has drawn complete 3,000 baked goods.  

After each section is filmed, Hovey receives photos of nan finished bakes and he spends astir a week illustrating.

"My illustrations are a practice of what nan bakers dream to create," he told BBC. "Even if nan bakers don't nutrient what they've intended to, I person a grade of creator licence to make them look good."

There are much group successful nan shelter than you think.

It whitethorn look freely connected camera, but Amourdoux told BI that nan shelter tin get a spot cramped. 

"The commencement of each section is changeable successful nan tent, and past aft that everything other is changeable connected nan outside," he said. "That's because location are adjacent to 100 group correct successful nan mediate of that mini small tent."

Filming days tin beryllium up to 10 to 16 hours long.

Amourdoux told BI that contestants commencement filming early successful nan morning and don't wrap up until 6 p.m. aliases 7 p.m.

"Normally they sprout connected nan weekends because immoderate contestants activity — for illustration I was working," he said. "So Saturday will beryllium nan full time and Sunday will beryllium early successful nan greeting to astir midday."

Season-eight baker Tom Hetherington told BI successful 2021 that filming for that agelong "becomes very exhausting and very stressful."

Contestants are interviewed respective times a day.

The show's 2013 victor Frances Quinn told Cosmopolitan successful 2019 that contestants are interviewed astir 8 times a time truthful nan producers tin get capable content for an hourlong show. 

"They conscionable person to get truthful overmuch footage for an hr show," Quinn said. "You're being interviewed astir 8 times a day, conscionable truthful they've sewage each type of reply and each type of mobility has been asked."

Producers want a camera filming each clip nan ovens are opened.

In nan beginning, nan 12 contestants whitethorn outnumber nan cameras — but toward nan end, Quinn said contestants should always expect a camera successful their face.

" ... They want a camera connected you each clip you're going successful nan oven, looking successful nan oven, bringing thing retired of nan oven," she said. "The point is to not definitive erstwhile thing goes incorrect — that's erstwhile nan camera will beryllium connected you."

The shelter conditions tin impact nan bakes.

Fluctuating temperatures, bouncy floors, and deficiency of clip are conscionable a fewer things that make conditions reliable successful nan tent, said Quinn.

"It's wholly alien to your ain room astatine home," she said told Cosmopolitan successful that aforesaid interview. "The temperature fluctuates—you'd beryllium making a meringue and it would commencement raining, aliases we'd effort and make pastry and it would beryllium 27 degrees outside. The method challenges and deficiency of clip and deficiency of fridge and work-space are nan force connected that show."

Bakers deterioration nan aforesaid apparel for 2 days successful a statement while filming.

Even though episodes are filmed complete 2 days, nan bakers and judges person to wear nan aforesaid outfits for continuity reasons. But aft only a azygous time of baking, those apparel tin get rather dirty.

"It's easier if you're a presenter aliases Paul Hollywood because I'll show you what, he's only location for astir an hour. After that, he goes and changes and chills out," Amourdoux told BI. "But if you are a baker, you are sweating successful those apparel and you're due stinky."

Amourdoux said that immoderate contestants brought an other identical group of clothes. Bansal told BI others ended up washing their outfits successful nan edifice bathtub.

Contestants can't person their phones while filming.

Hart told BI that though it whitethorn person been stricter connected her play (since it was nan first that aired connected Channel 4), bakers aren't allowed entree to their phones during filming.

"We weren't allowed to person our phones during nan time which was upsetting," Hart said. "In fact, my boy collapsed his limb 1 time and I didn't know."

She added that they're allowed to cheque their phones and pass pinch nan extracurricular world once they time off nan set.

But they can't really show their family and friends they're connected nan show until it airs.

Contestants motion a nondisclosure statement and aren't allowed to show astir of their loved ones astir their accomplishments until aft nan show airs.

Hart said she told her kids and adjacent friends that she had signed up for a course.

"My kids didn't cognize wherever I was because of nan NDA," Hart told BI. "They would show nan world, my kids, they couldn't support that secret."  

Berry utilized to watch "Breaking Bad" connected set.

During downtime connected set, nan erstwhile judge said she utilized to binge nan AMC play "Breaking Bad" pinch erstwhile presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.

Berry told nan Telegraph successful 2014, "It's amended than centrifugal racing, which [my husband] watches - though I'd for illustration 'Downton Abbey.'"

The victor of "The Great British Baking Show" doesn't person a awesome rate prize.

Unlike cooking-competition shows for illustration "MasterChef" wherever contestants compete to triumph $250,000, "The Great British Baking Show" offers nary rate prize to nan winner.

Instead, they person a bouquet of flowers, a barroom stand, and a spot of fame. 

This communicative was primitively published connected October 23, 2020, and astir precocious updated connected October 22, 2024.