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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Scott Bryan and Michael Chakraverty

The Great British Bake Off 2021: episode six – as it happened

Crystelle in the Bake Off tent.
Crystelle in the Bake Off tent. Photograph: Channel 4

We’ll see you next Tuesday, you lovely lot. Thanks for keeping us company. Take care x

Well, I think that was the best episode of the series yet – some fiddly challenges, a healthy helping of innuendo and some trauma to round it all off.

Next time, we have Caramel Week - the second outing for this themed week, last seen in 2018. We should expect sweetness, stickiness and probably some horrid burnt sugar along with healthy dollops of dread from Lizzie and George. Plus, from the looks of things, Chigs will be in glasses and a plaid shirt! *swoon*

Very true – so long as he didn’t just give Paul food poisoning from his rock hard freezer sausage.

Also, I’m glad George is staying - and I hope he keeps fighting to stay next week. On balance, it seems to be the right decision based on the judging this week – plus he’s a real laugh in the tent.

That is gutting. I have loved Amanda right from the start. Always eternally positive, even when things aren’t going her way. Exceptional pun work and always up for subtly embarrassing her fellow bakers in front of the camera. A true Bake Off icon.

And leaving is …

Our lovely Amanda. Her optimism in the face of such calamity this week was truly incredible. She’s been a really big personality in the tent and she’ll be gutted to leave, but she should be so proud of making it past the halfway mark. She’ll definitely be remembered fondly by all of us.

This week's Star Baker is...

Crystelle! WELL OBVIOUSLY. Crystelle has had the drive and determination to get Star Baker for a while, but has always been either Jürgened at the final hurdle or simply just unfortunate. Her bakes this week were consistent and that Showstopper was really impressive. And she’s really gained confidence too. Could see her flying right to the final.

Paul’s gushing about Giuseppe’s meat ... It’s a bit weird tbh.

“I died, I literally just died. So maybe I’m a ghost, maybe that’s why I feel weird”, says Crystelle, queen of the talking heads.

I am of the firm belief that no handshakes should ever be given in a Showstopper and in this 20,000 word essay I will [everyone leaves this liveblog and throws their laptop and phone into the sea]

HANDSHAKE ALERT! FOR A SHOWSTOPPER! That’s the fourth time there’s ever been one of those I think, after Rahul and Ruby a few years back and Rosie in the Christmas episode last year. She clearly deserved it – it looked stunning!

Oh help. Crystelle, give us some joy please!

“It’s quite dramatic”. Prue compliments George’s pie, which is then immediately offset by Paul saying that he is now concerned that George’s pie has indeed poisoned him.

It’s really sad to see Amanda so disheartened considering how vibrant she is normally. Be nice, judges.

Has Jürgen even been in this episode? Nice pie though – he’s through to next week I guess ...

They’re firing through these fast to get us to the main event, aren’t they? I’m on tenterhooks for our lovely George and Amanda.

Those fish inside her pie are genius. Meanwhile Giuseppe’s owl is w-owl-ing the judges (I’m so so sorry).

Lizzie is relying on this one to save her – and I think it might have done the trick. “Spot on” from Paul, and her hidden design looks fab!

It is the Showstopper judging.

The fear is setting in for Amanda and George.

My teeth have been ground to dust

I know it’s not the most important thing to have happened, but Chigs has started calling people “babe” and I must say it makes my stomach flutter a little every time.

WHAT AN EPISODE.

Chigs is consoling her like a surgeon in The Bad News Room. “I’m sorry, there was nothing more I could do”.

I have to admire that even though everything went wrong for Amanda, she’s still upbeat and smiling through it.

Oh Amanda, this is horrible. My heart is breaking for her. Bless lovely Chigs for coming in to help. This is like open heart surgery.

Disaster for Amanda. Chigs swings in to help her, Noel and Matt can’t watch. Giuseppe is covering his mouth for the second time in as many minutes. It won’t stop collapsing.

“Soggy bottom”, emotes George, directly into the camera, breaking the nation’s hearts. The saddest bingo that ever there was.

If only someone had made a leek pie, we could have had some fun puns.

Chigs has a crack, Crystelle has a crack. And George has just given up and have shoved it in the freezer.

Eeesh, this is tense isn’t it? There’s baking, setting, leaking, unmoulding – so much to worry about! My heart’s oscillating between my feet and my mouth.

George looks like he is having a nightmare of a challenge. Just a bad day, it seems.

Apparently too much for Amanda’s pelvic floor, so everyone’s back to staring at their pies through their oven doors.

This is amazing. Everyone has truly lost it.

Amanda has TOTALLY dobbed George in it by telling Matt Lucas about his Greek dancing. What on earth is happening?!

Apparently it’s “a pork fest” over at Chigs’s bench. I need a lie down.

Now followed up with the inevitable voiceover: “Whilst George worries about his sausage …”

George has accidentally frozen his giant sausage in the freezer and is now worried about giving Paul and Prue food poisoning. A true Bake Off moment.

Ooooh a curry pie! Yes please! I’ve changed my mind again and now Crystelle’s my favourite.

“Nice finger action”, says Noel. “I know”, says Giuseppe. I can only imagine Twitter is currently on fire.

A twit, to woo. Sorry.

I wrote that before I saw that Giuseppe was making an adorable owl to impress his wife and I’ve changed my mind.

Lizzie is fast becoming one of my favourites. Her hatred of everything she makes is completely relatable.

This is the horniest episode of Bake Off since they made creamed horns.

“This is my big, massive, sausage” brags George. As they say on Twitter: go to horny jail.

Amanda just said “cracking.” Fearing that Michael will have to start counting them again like a few weeks ago ...

“Leaking and collapsing are my biggest fears”, says Giuseppe. Same.

Giuseppe says this is the weather to enjoy a glass of port next to a crackling fire. Where can we apply to join him?!

Long challenges this week. They’re really pushing the bakers aren’t they?

Also, Noel talking about how he has been on Bake Off for five years! Boy, time does fly *turns into wise grandfather*

No, the showstopper this week is ...

… an intricate terrine pie! Their pies should be ornately decorated, with a neat pattern or design inside.

The Showstopper Challenge this week is … an amber weather warning and gale. Bless Chigs clinging on to dear life under that umbrella, though.

I reckon Lizzie and Amanda are hovering at the bottom. What does everyone else think?

Wait, we didn’t hear Amanda swearing never to bake baklava again?! This isn’t right! I need closure!

He looks so thrilled. He hasn’t looked like his happy self so far in this episode.

In his own words, the “Jürgenator” is back.

Here’s where we stand after the technical. 7. Lizzie. 6. George. 5. Amanda. 4. Giuseppe. 3. Chigs. 2. Crystelle. 1. Jürgen.

They’ve all done a fairly good job. Colour me both impressed and mildly aroused by Chigs’s scowl.

Crystelle is beaming, Amanda looks a bit downbeat and Chigs is giving everyone eyebrow sex.

Moving swiftly on, it’s the technical judging!

I hope they aren’t too harsh – this challenge was intense.

I definitely didn’t steal three timers from the tent ...

I love how failing to put a timer on can be a dramatic twist. This is so British.

Lizzie is the second this week to fall foul of those pesky timers! Nooo! I imagine her elbows are sopping wet right now.

Updated

Well, I don’t know about you lot, but I think this is a very good episode of Bake Off. I’m having a lovely time. Everyone’s on good form, aren’t they?

Chigs and his gloves intrigue me. Does he want to avoid dirt beneath his nails? Are his hands too warm for the pastry? Theories BTL please.

“Corner to corner”, mutters Lizzie as her hands betray her and fold from side to side.

A prue-spiracy

Thanks to those dance kneading movements, Crystelle is doubling up as a Peloton instructor.

This is the first challenge where I think every single baker in the tent seems tense? Bar Giuseppe, who is calling Matt Lucas names.

In a bold move, I think it is the first time that I’ve seen the technical challenge instructions not written in Comic Sans.

The first time filo has ever been set as a technical challenge – and I bet the instructions just say “make the dough”. This makes me shudder. Godspeed, bakers.

Everyone looks so positively thrilled! Giuseppe has his hands in front of his mouth.

The technical this week is ...

… baklava! Yikes, that’s a right fiddle. Plus a near three-hour technical challenge, which is approaching Showstopper territory in terms of length ...

Living for Lizzie’s facial expressions. But there are no handshakes in the tent this week, which means that it is still one a piece between Jürgen, Chigs and Giuseppe. All three will be finalists at this rate.

In another edition of Prue’s Pronunciations, what are our thoughts on “high-biscus”?

Oh dear, Crystelle’s choux-nuts look a little sad don’t they.

I have paid no attention to anything since Prue’s comment about squirting. A highlight of the series … and bound to trend on Twitter.

I’ve just noticed Prue’s necklace, which looks like a set of those paint swatches you get from Dulux when you’re doing up your bathroom.

“Why are you laughing?” she asks them both, confused.

“Quite often I need two holes, so that I can squirt. If you squeeze the bag, and when you meet that little bit of resistance, that means it’s full”. My oh my.

It’s all about choux (apologies to McFly). It’s the Signature judging.

George needs to up his game to stay in the competition and he seems to be doing well, with a “delicious” from Paul. However, Prue has some criticism.

No comment.

I don’t think “passion juice” means what Crystelle thinks it does.

George battling with his tongs is incredibly relatable content. If only we all had a Paul to come and teach us how to do basic tasks.

The *only* upside of filming a whole series over the course of a few weeks instead of ten consecutive weekends.

Yes, and the less said about them the better – normal people don’t have deep fat fryers at home to practice with! That said, this year’s batch have a second practice tent for their off days, so that’s something.

Did you ever have to use a fryer in your series Michael?

Never really thought about it before, but Chigs really does suit a whisk doesn’t he?

The crème pâtissière that Jürgen is making is so bold in colour it feels as if we are now watching the moment in Changing Rooms when they open the paint lids.

Someone stand Poirot down, it’s Crystelle who’s the mango maniac. Be still, BTL’s beating hearts.

Voiceover: “Giuseppe is bringing the taste of Italy”. I for one am shocked.

Is that a mango I see in a blender? But who is the culprit?!

I mean, any dream will Prue [note to editor: please don’t fire me]

Last week: “Do you like German week?” Lizzie: “No.”

This week: “Do you like choux buns?” Lizzie: “No.”

“The devil’s donuts”, complains Lizzie. She’s also dressed like a Scouse Queen of Hearts and is complaining about her sweaty elbows. All in a day’s work.

Fun fact: they film the “on your marks, get set – bake!” at least twice, so you never know whether you’re meant to start or not. Fun.

A joke about jockstraps. I mean, you are watching Channel 4.

The signature this week is choux-nuts!

So, not really a thing outside of Shoreditch – the rest of us just eat actual donuts. And the less said about Paul in a jockstrap, the better.

Meanwhile Giuseppe is running low on shirts because he didn’t think that he would be there long enough ❤️

Amanda and Crystelle have dressed as each other, and it could prove confusing.

Freya in the recap: “I think I overdid the wine.” Is such a thing possible?

This reminds me of the chaos during Lockdown 2.0 when the internet was vibrating with fear that everything was actually made of cake. I haven’t looked at scented candles or deodorant cans in the same way since.

Can imagine that email. “Please bake a shoe. Why? Don’t ask.”

Wonderful news for all who use subtitles - they’re finally back!

Strictly live-bloggers, can I have a 10?

Thus far, our Forbidden Ingredients have been olives, fennel and tahini. George was extremely close to going home last week in what we can only presume was a direct result of including a Forbidden Ingredient – bakers you have been warned! This week, they must avoid matcha. Nasty, earthy stuff. Just eat a handful of soil, why don’t you?

As always, here’s this week’s bingo:

  • Noel getting in the way
  • Chigs furrowing his brow during the technical
  • Lizzie loathing her bakes
  • Prue dressed as a Lego
  • Soggy bottoms
  • Soggy eyes

While we wait for Channel 4 News to parp its closing theme tune, let’s crack on with a quick refresh of last week’s episode:

  • Giuseppe won German week, upsetting Jürgens everywhere.
  • But Jürgen had the last laugh. After being told that they were baking German tiered yeasted cakes for the Showstopper, Jürgen responded “In Germany, you wouldn’t do a tiered yeasted cake. It is like asking for a three-tiered apple crumble.”
  • Not only was this a legendary burn, viewers immediately thought of the unlimited possibilities of a three-tiered apple crumble.
  • Still, all of this is all pretty tame compared to Bake Off Germany (Das große Backen). They once did a 50 Shades of Grey themed Showstopper and a baker made a dildo made of cake.

Welcome readers and hello Michael! You’re not the only one who has been recreating that dance, it seems…

This week is Pastry Week - which is always a big test of the bakers’ technical skills and traditionally brings with it a few disasters.

Hello, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a lovely week. I’ve spent mine fixated on learning and recreating this dance:

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