When The Great British Bake Off premiered in 2010, reality TV was best known as a blood sport. Competition shows in particular existed to raise and dash dreams, mine traumatic personal stories and trade friendships for double-crossing alliances. Bake Off, on the other hand, was inspired by quaint English village fetes.
In the decade since, Bake Off has become one of Britain’s most-watched shows, and spread its sticky fingers around the world. Collectively we have consumed 14 main seasons (the latest one premieres in Australia on Tuesday), a children’s version, multiple star-studded holiday and charity specials and almost 40 international spin-offs.
But that’s just the “official” Bake Off universe. Because while reality and competition TV might broadly be as brutal as ever, Bake Off has inspired an entire, sprawling sub-genre defined by gentle kindness. I like to think of this as the Bake Off Extended Universe: a class of facsimile programming that includes shows produced by Love Productions (Bake Off’s production company), closely aligned riffs developed by streaming partners, and a rogues’ gallery of unaffiliated imitators.
The skills may vary – between glass-blowing, haircutting, woodworking and weapon-making – but the format is the same.
An eclectic collection of amateur enthusiasts gather in a theme-specific setting (tent, warehouse, cabin, forge, etc) to battle it out across three challenges that showcase their gentle hobby. First they present what Bake Off calls a “signature” – their take on a classic task that demonstrates foundational abilities. In The Great British Sewing Bee (an official Bake Off sibling) that takes the form of a pattern challenge where everyone must follow standard sewing directions as accurately as possible.
Then comes the dreaded “technical”: a skills test where competitors aren’t given the details ahead of time. In Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker (which shares the same network as Bake Off but a different production team), woodworkers are asked to make an object which requires a specific technique, such as a dovetail joint.
Finally it’s the “showstopper”: a chance for competitors to demonstrate the reach (or limits) of vision and aptitude. In Forged in Fire (the History channel’s interpretation) blade smiths create their own version of a historically significant (and technically difficult) weapon. One person is eliminated in each episode, and another is crowned best of the week.
Alongside the almost identical operations (save for The Great Pottery Throw Down, where kiln restraints limit them to two challenges), the flair and flavour of Bake Off is replicated too. Judges are a balance of sweet and nurturing versus tough but tender. Pottery judge Keith Brymer Jones has earned a reputation for his tendency to weep over the beauty of ceramics and the personal stories that inspire them.
Hosts are kooky, distracting, encouraging and loaded with innuendo. Mel Giedroyc – an OG Bake Off host who now appears on Handmade – has never passed on the opportunity to make a “good with wood” joke. This is also where (varying amounts) of celebrity glamour comes in. The Big Flower Fight (Netflix) employs What We Do In the Shadows’ Natasia Demetriou to gently torment florists in the British countryside. Comedian Michelle Buteau takes on the role for Barbecue Showdown (also Netflix).
This formula has met varying levels of success. Lego Masters (which celebrates plastic brick architects) is a hit, with the reach and international spin-offs to rival Bake Off itself, but the BBC’s other variants have never quite reached those highs. The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throwdown have found smaller, but still dedicated, followings. The Great Interior Design Challenge and (unsung hero of slow TV) The Big Allotment Challenge – featuring the country’s top gardeners – sadly only lasted a few seasons and were largely forgotten (by everyone except me).
Traditionally, reality and competition programs feasts on the highs and lows of humanity. The Bake Off extended universe imagines something different, and has contributed to a quieter shift across the genre that celebrates empathy and ability.
These contestants come from all walks of life, and political and social realities; you’d rarely see them sharing the same space. But in the tent/shed/forge they come together to improve themselves, honour their families and do something they love.
While a handful find post-show fame, most return home to continue pursuing excellence off screen, after work or between school pick-ups. In that way, all these shows succeed in asking us to imagine how good we could be. Be it as a baker, florist, neighbour, friend or a person who can make a sword.
Season 14 of The Great British Bake Off is now streaming in Australia on Binge
