The Bake Is Back - the countdown to Great British Bake Off 2026 starts here

[GetSetFake]

Trailer for the new series just dropped - no transmission date yet though.

Anyone else excited to see how Nigella gets on as the new judge? A worthy successor to Pru and Mary, I think.

Hurrah! Saw the teaser trailer on C4 the other night! The John the Baptist of Autumn telly walks among us once more... 😉 Thank you for the new thread. I think Nigella will be great - though Paul might embarrass himself a bit... x

I stopped watching it years ago because I'd found it had got so dull, but I admit I'm amused and curious to see how Nigella Lawson, who is clever and self-aware, will handle judging and the required banter with oleaginous Paul Hollywood.

I would love to think that she effortlessly establishes herself as Alpha Judge and that by the end of the season the bakers come to value some token of her esteem for a piece of baking far beyond the Hollywood Handshake, which has long outlived its usefulness.

Or that N will flick him with a spatula like an annoying fly in episode one.

So excited and really looking forward to it! I love Nigella and think she’ll be excellent. Hurrah!

I loved the end of this Metro article:

I’ve seen Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood with Nigella Lawson – their chemistry is electric | Metro News

"Paul expressed his admiration for members of the crew who’ve been a part of the show for 17 years, saying that returning to the tent is like ‘being back to a friend of mine I’ve known for over a third of my life’.

The interview was about to continue, but then Nigella quickly interjected to point out: ‘17 years is not a third of your life.’

The audience cackled away, and Paul chuckled in his seat, slightly red-faced over being caught out by his new co-star. (To be fair, 17 is almost a third of his age, but not quite).

Nigella is clearly going to keep Paul on his toes, and I can’t wait to watch."

Paul has an annoying tendency to treat women his age like they are his grandmother - I don't think Nigella will let him get away with that any more.

I can’t wait - Love Nigella!

Perfectly summed up and like you I gave up watching some years ago - but I hope that Nigella breathes new life into it.

I am looking forward to seeing Nigella. I hope she can dent the gigantic ego which is Paul Hollywood but it is a daunting task.

I really wish it was simply the best bakers they could find through local heats as contestants though instead of an array of “characters”.

Like much of Channel 4, and the BBC, shows are used as propaganda rather than entertainment.

Whilst I am all for inclusion (I am disabled myself) it is often so grindingly heavy handed that I can barely watch due to my eyes rolling.

I’m excited. Not sure how Nigella will be, it certainly mixes up the format a bit. I’m kind of excited to see how Nigella and Alison get along and if they gang up on Paul together.

Also looking forward to seeing how Nigella gets on.

Oh gosh I didn't realise there was going to be a new judge.

Thank you for the new thread, I will prob reply sometimes but I don't bake and rarely manage to keep up with tv threads while the programme is actually on.

Place marking
cant wait
love Nigella

Placemarking. Have we got a start date yet? Suspect it might be when we are away on hols in September, there’s always catch up.

It will be interesting to see the Nigella/Paul interaction. I thought he looked a bit of a twat in the last series and the handshake business is becoming a bit stale. Could do with Noel reining in the innuendos as well.

How is Alison as a presenter on it? I have to be honest I’m not a fan of hers, even watching her on the specsavers advert has me reaching for the mute button 😄

She's actually very good - warm and supportive with the contestants, silly in an endearing rather than annoying way.

I think she's helped make the programme a bit softer and more human. There were a few series where Paul was just in a total grump and Matt and Noel were not even pretending to be interested in the baking. Noel seems better paired with Alison, they are a good presenting team.

I’m not a Nigella fan. I’ll be watching to see how it goes. I’m expecting quite a different dynamic between the judges, as Nigella is clearly an alpha female to Hollywood’s massive male ego.

Big Bake Off shake-up sees spin-off show Extra Slice replaced with new series Second Helpings - The Mirror

Mixed feelings about this. I like both Jo Brand and Tom Allen and am sad that they've gone, but some parts of Extra Slice were seriously cringe - I couldn't bear the parlour games part at the end. Feel a bit sad for them being pensioned off after years of loyal service though!

Putting the new show straight after the episode airs is in line with other reality show spin offs and will probably increase viewer figures.

I agree about some of the format of An Extra Slice, but I liked Jo Brand and Tom Allen together being acerbic. That seems a pity.

I like the bit @GetSetFake quotes from Metro -- yes, PH won't be able to treat NL as his doolally granny who is always, somehow, slightly beside the point.

Oh the new show is exciting! I agree I love both Jo Brand and Tom Allen but never really got behind an extra slice despite being a die hard bake off fan.

Placemarking. I’m excited about Nigella too.

Interesting- I stopped watching extra slice over the years, especially when it stretched out to close to a whole hour - it was far too drawn out. And much as I liked both Tom Allen and Jo Brand, I felt like the whole thing was too stretched out and far too much made of little jokes and laughing at bad cakes. Better a couple of minutes of v funny stuff than a 5 min build up to something rather lame.

Omg I’m getting so impatient 😁 when is it starting!

I will miss Prue but looking forward to seeing Nigella.

Oooo thanks

Really excited to see Nige 👏👏👏💖💖💖

And - an interesting suggestion on Reddit Bake Off group that they will hold off until the Sewing Bee finishes as now the Sewing Bee is in the 8pm Tuesday slot, it's in direct competition.

That would be an airing date of 22nd September which is in the range of previous years but puts the final very close to Christmas.

Sewing Bee has smaller viewing figures (around 4.5 million compared to 7 million) but there will be a big overlap and perhaps they think viewers would choose to stick with the SB semi/final and watch GBBO on catch up, which would affect their launch figures. Just a theory but kind of makes sense.