The 15th series of Great British Bake Off concluded on 26th November.
It started on the BBC in 2010 and moved to Channel 4 in 2017. Of the original cast only Paul Hollywood star of the Meerkat soggy bottom advert remains.
Bake Off is part of recent social history not least because its one where a diverse range of amateur bakers, aim to win. A sort of community feel good thing. Or to put it another way its not the kind of programme that Nigel Farage or Liz Truss are likely to be found bigging up. It may end up as a footnote in a social history of Britain in the 2010s and 2020s when its written in 50 years time.
It can of course be argued that its all rather middle class, Waitrose (who are the sponsors) TV.
Anyway I didnt become a regular watcher until 2020 and the pandemic period when sitting in front of the TV was one of the more interesting things to do. I watched occasionally before then but until the advent of the IPlayer and C4’s rather less user friendly equivalent you had to be watching at the time. Now you dont.
Herein lies perhaps the most interesting thing about GBBO- cakes aside- the stats. The last final to be shown on the BBC attracted 14.9m viewers. The 2023 final on C4 got 4.38m and the 2024 semi-final got 3.9m.
Is the series tired? Perhaps, but as likely it reflects changes in viewing habits. People can watch clips on social media, or watch the programme any time on catch up. That in itself reflects the fracturing of a national viewing experience, but its where we are. Down the pub I might not discuss the 2024 winner yet because my drinking companions might not have watched it yet…
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