GBBO 2020!!

[5foot5]

I couldn't see a thread on this so apologies if there was one and I missed it.

Apparently this will be on before the end of the year, filming has just finished

GBBO

Yay!! Something good on the tele to look forward to for a change

The standard does seem lower this year, but the conditions they were living under must have been a factor.

And if production spent more camera time on the construction of the cakes, and photographed them for longer than a blink of an eye, instead of fascinating us with too much sleazy silver fox, darling Prue, lovely Matt and Noel, etc. I think the programme would improve.

That brownie round was a complete disaster - they all tried to be too clever and lost sight of the brownie being the actual task. None of them looked that appealing, and some just looked awful. I reckon a good basic brownie with the papery top and squidgy middle would have done well.

And poor Sura’s show stopper really sealed her fate.

ageing I'm not sure about all brownies being the same at all. I make ginger vegan\gluten free brownies which are definitely different, they're very nice too. dh can't tell the difference.

@Sapiophile

My eight year old asked last week (he likes to bake but is fairly new to GBBO because of the whole tiresome phenomenon of bedtime) why they need the presenters, and actually it's a fair point. Would much be lost if there was a generic announcement of how much time there was left in each challenge, if the judges announced and explained what each bake was, and if we only saw the judges circulating among the bakers, or the questions were asked by someone behind the camera?

At duller moments, I find myself fascinated by the fact that each contestant has their own camera person, apparently, so that, early on in each season, an awful lot of people have to nip out of the tent to make it look as if there's no one but the bakers and the presenters inside for wide shots.

And actually, come to think of it, the editing must be pretty involved, too, if they have to avoid getting Hermine's cameraperson in the background in a shot of, say, Lottie...?

My dd told me back when Mel and Sue were on there was a week where a contestant was really upset about something. So the footage wouldn't be used in the show, one of them started swearing a lot when they were being filmed. I think it helps having presenters as it lightens up an otherwise tense situation. It brings the contestants back down to Earth when they feel it's not going well.

I think the right one went this week. I can't believe they all failed so miserably on the brownies! I think if I were in there, I would have done my usual ones with added cherries and chocolate chunks. I did worry that (her with the long hair), when she was doing the cheesecake topping that the chocolate base would be over baked. It did look a mess at the end.

I stopped watching Extra Slice when Tom Allen went on. He is okay in small doses, but he is far too over the top on there. I really love Jo Brand presenting, so it is a quandary.

They all seem to be given less and less time and as ever the tent overheats which causes issues which I think is really unfair to the bakers as they're already up against it. I think CH4 need a rethink for next year. Give the bakers the appropriate amount of time and get the tent cooled down. Then we can all see the bakes properly

^^ I so agree with this! 100%. The director has gone for "drama" caused by lack of time but what they don't seem to understand is that the whole show becomes boring if the final results are cakes of a standard we could all make at home. The fact that so few of these skilled bakers could make good brownies within the set time is really telling I think.

The unwatchability isn't helped by Matt Lucas. So desperate to be funny, even the contestants are forcing themselves to smile at his 'jokes'. Noel was great with Sandy but is trying too hard to banter with Matt and it's just falling flat.

@kursaalflyer

The unwatchability isn't helped by Matt Lucas. So desperate to be funny, even the contestants are forcing themselves to smile at his 'jokes'. Noel was great with Sandy but is trying too hard to banter with Matt and it's just falling flat.

Oh i really disagree. I love Sandy but I felt her and Noel had too many pre written little skits which fell flat. Where as Matt and Noel seem to just work with chemistry

Derelict I LOVE Matt he's 100% better than Sandi with Noel. Of course it's all scripted but Matt and Noel give it a naturalness which Sandi and Noel couldn't for some reason.

Noel seems to swing between appearing somewhat bored with the whole shebang and going completely OTT.

He's making some very snide comments about the judges at times.

The actual scales and tasks get harder and meaner every season.....meaning way more chance of things going wrong and removes it from "every day baking" that you might do at home apart from brownies if you look at the very early series the show stoppers looked much more achievable.

I'm not sure what I meant by scales...!!

I know what you mean Fawn Maybe he won't stay for next one?

That 'fact' he came out with last week about 40% of young people don't eat bread is IMO and E just not true, he's forgetting the pizzas and burgers and sandwiches that are consumed by youngsters EVERY DAY!!

I didn't understand the brownie challenge. How do you make a stand-out one exactly?

Personally I would have been a boring arse and made brownies and blondies with no added ingredients just drizzled with icing sugar, but placed like a checkers board and with two dipping bowls of chantilly cream and applesauce with a few fresh strawberries strewn around

I do know a bakery specialising in brownies and they make all sorts including spiced pumpkin ones, and ones with salted caramel, peanut butter but then have ones I wouldn't purchase myself but are interesting with maltesers added or jaffa cake or after eights or jammy dodgers.

@FawnDrench

Noel seems to swing between appearing somewhat bored with the whole shebang and going completely OTT.

He's making some very snide comments about the judges at times.

Noel, Sandi, Prue and Paul all actually went on joint holidays together to Denmark. I spectacularly doubt that they have personal issues.

He's just doing his job which is to be on the contestants' side - which involves ribbing the judges.

I don't really see the point of the presenters. Much as really like Noel. I'd rather see more baking and more critique.

Matt is like an annoying 7-year old.

I think the lack of time for the contestants has always been an issue - I remember with the wedding cake showstopper they might have had something like 5 or 6 hours, when of course, a multi-tiered wedding cake would be made, marzipaned and iced/decorated over several days or even weeks.

And I remember when they had to make 36 identical fondant fancies in a technical challenge - one of the contestants worked out how long they had to decorate each fondant fancy, and it was literally less than a minute per cake, so of course they weren't going to be perfect. At them time it was felt they were being set up to fail.

That 'fact' he came out with last week about 40% of young people don't eat bread I though he said nobody under 40 eats bread any more. But that is equally wrong.

That 'fact' he came out with last week about 40% of young people don't eat bread I though he said nobody under 40 eats bread any more. But that is equally wrong.

I'm pretty sure it was meant as a joke 'fact'.

@ageingdisgracefully

I don't really see the point of the presenters. Much as really like Noel. I'd rather see more baking and more critique.

Matt is like an annoying 7-year old.

He is. That joke about Paul anf using the toilet for the first time. Unfunny and prolonged unfunny. It was just pointles shite (pun intended).

I preferred Sandi and think the "banter" between her and noel was just as scripted and unnatural as it is Matt and Noel. Matt is puerile in his humour and I find that boring after one or two jokes.

Yes, Noel said no one under 40 eats bread. Along with e "eating is cheating" comment he doesn't come across like he's got too good relationship with food.

Also, as I said up thread he just isn't create with the contestant. Certainty not as good as he was.

Omg the bread under 40 thing was a joke mind 🤦🏽‍♀️ Not a fact.

Eating is cheating is also just a saying and he’s using it as a joke. People say it when they are out on the piss and someone mentions going for food.

I’m glad Sura has gone, I really didn’t like her at all.

i'm loving Matt and Noel - having never enjoyed anything with Matt Lucas in before, and hating Noel last year.

Re the comment about brownies being too easy. Do you not remember the technical challenge in the final a few years ago when they had to make victoria sponges and scones? The point of the brownie round was probably to see whether can you fuck up something as simple as a brownie (clearly yes). I would like them to sort out the heating in the tent, but I don't mind the time pressure - this isn't an actual competition to find the country's best amateur baker , it's an entertainment show. There will be plenty of bakers at home who can make cakes that would beat even Nadiya or Henry, but those brilliant home bakers may not be able to cope under pressure (or have the personalities of wet dish cloths, and would never get selected).

I also really want to know how far in advance they get the challenges - and this year, do they have access to the tent to practice between filming days? Do the ones that have jobs have to work (remotely) on the non-filming days? Do they get paid for taking part to compensate them for not being able to work?

@WhatWillSantaBring I believe, from an article I read years ago, they contestants submit their signature and showstoppers before they're even selected. They have to make one of them for their audition.

And I'm sure the article linked on here about this year says they have access to practice as much as they wanted.

I imagine it may go flat on occasion as it's probably quite tiring filming every two days, practising in between and being away from loved ones. Plus there's no escape, would definitely feel a bit much for some people.

They have a whole nother tent with a set of practice kitchens, one of the Extra Slice programs showed some amateur videos of them.