The Great British Bake Off
The Great British Bake Off 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 2 September 2025 it was announced that The Great British Bake Off has been renewed for its seventeenth series in 2026.
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 ; 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 localised versions, and was adapted for both BBC Two series The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down.
Background
Development
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 be leaving the show after three series. On 17 March 2023, it was confirmed that Alison Hammond would replace Lucas as a presenter. On 21 January 2026 Prue Leith announced her departure in an Instagram post. Nigella Lawson was confirmed to be her replacement on 26 January.
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 and twelve in each series thereafter, apart from the fourth and tenth when thirteen bakers competed.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, 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
Series 1 (2010)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.