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

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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.

Me too I thought that was great that she picked him up on it. She couched it delicately but there’s a serious health agenda behind that.

Yes @Tiredofitallagain I loved that. And @LindorDoubleChoc you’re bob on about Alison’s make up. She has such a lovely face but this week’s make up colour was terrible!

Nigella looks so gorgeous! Wow. I haven’t seen her for years and she’s just lovely in this role, gently flirty but lovely. And she’s woken up PH - he no longer looks like he’s dialling it in.
I’m sick of AH though, one foghorn note, laughing at yourself isn’t essentially funny I wish she would dial it down a notch.

Just caught up on this week's. Danni had to be the one to go - in two weeks I don't think she had any very successful bakes did she? I wonder if the double exit is planned for later in the series or if they want it in reserve in case they lose a contestant. I thought Danni came across better in Extra Slice (or whatever it is). She isn't the first vegan baker on the show, some have done pretty well but notably they cooked vegan food (I have a vague memory of a vegan contestant using chickpea water for a meringue in a technical challenge).

Connie was robbed - she did better than Tom and also had very positive comments about flavours etc.

I'm already bored stiff of dead nans. I suppose if you cast a bunch of 20 and 30 somethings you will get a disproportionate number of recent dead nans.

I'm not sure that the technical challenge without a recipe is better than the type with an outline recipe but stricter rules.

I'm undecided on the new Extra Slice. Jon obviously won't be able to try most of the bakes brought onto the show. I quite liked the top pieces for the departing contestants - I assumed they were made from something durable to be a souvenir. I didn't get the point of the Hollywood fan interview which seemed like desperate filler. I miss the studio audience bringing in cakes and the photos of disasters, I don't miss the stupid games introduced last series.

I think its easy to underestimate the effect of being filmed/in contest for all TV competitions shows and quizzes.
I can remember a speaker, highly educated and well informed on a wide range of subjects, used to being on TV describing his experience of a TV quiz show - he went blank for many questions and when asked "where do pearls come from" pressed his buzzer and said "Cartier" despite knowing the correct answer. He said it was like half his brain switched off and this was just a low key TV quiz with no real prizes to worry about.

I'm glad they didn't give Connie the star baker as I'm just a bit cynical about everyone crying over the hurricane in Jamaica.

All the bakers have a cause "close to their heart" (see Gabe and his broken mirror last week ) but I fervently hope that the closetotheheart smaltzy aspect never sways the judging in terms of technical ability.

I'm probably too hard and nasty for Bake Off in the current era .

That’s probably why Connie didn’t get it, to avoid the perception that the judges were swayed.

Her tears didn’t seem disingenuous to me.

Tom’s bake was a mess although it tasted good, that normally would have heavily gone against a contestant.

I know! they are basically a dog biscuit with some rock hard icing on the top

I don’t think there was a clear star baker this week but Paul did say that Tom is usually consistently good and I think that’s why he got it. I thought Tom had got the technical parts of the show stopper right but hadn’t finished it off well where other contestants might have made something that looked good but wasn’t baked correctly or had poor flavouring.

I think Tom or Mo will win.

Just caught up on this.
Right decision for Danni to go.
Not sure Tom should have got Star Baker though.
I really like Nigella.

I just got home this morning after the night shift from hell and was so happy when I realized it was Friday and I had a new episode on Netflix to watch!

I don’t know if it’s my general exhaustion or what, but I cried when Danni talked about her friendships because she really did seem shocked that she’d formed some. And then I cried again when Tom called home, but that always gets me 🤣

I’m just so happy it’s back, now it finally feels like fall.

Can I ask, does anyone know what they are baking next week ?

My TV guide is very evasive.

I think it’s the “viewers choice” week or something like that. I seem to recall cakes that look like hats in the “next time…”’section at the end?

Yeah, now that @TallagallaPenguin has mentioned it, I think it's fashion week? Something like that. I thought it was just hats but I think I remember a bag... And something else... was on the end bit, too.

It’s “audience choice” (don’t remember being asked??)

Signature I think is a cheesecake and they have a relative come in.

A mystery box technical where they have a bunch of ingredients they need to bake with.

And showstopper is a wearable bake (cake??).

I know they need to mix things up but we don’t need something wacky all the time! Hope we go back to bread week after that!

It did !
Shannon’s long hair really annoys me - just tie it back for the baking.

I like the idea of the mystery box technical - a bit like that old Ainsley Harriot programme? I often have a 'mystery box' dinner! But a wearable hat? That's just daft and about as silly as the hanging biscuit thing they did once. What's the point?

Oh my God I used to LOVE that program!!!

The Contestants had like £10 to spend on random ingredients didn’t they which they then had to present to the Chef who had to come up with a meal?

Cant cook, Won’t cook?

I loved it!!

I think it was called Ready Steady Cook @ScaredButUnavoidable

Thats it!!!

I love it when I’m reminded of great old TV shows 🤣

I never actually saw it but liked the idea. My 'mystery box' dinners are seeing what's in the cupboards and the fridge, then making something out of them. Google helps when I've only got sardines. a tin of pineapple and peanut butter - or some other weird combination!

Such a young looking nan too!

I agree iced gems never had a shortbread base it was hard like a thick rich tea. Mo doesn’t seem quite with it. Loved Dani and was sad to see her go, as a mum of a ND child myself I know how hard friends can be to make. It made me a bit teary.

Danni irritated me in wk 1, but wk 2 was better for her and I was genuinely happy she had made friends and felt appreciated.
Its so difficult for some ND people.so good on her.

Connie was robbed i think. Tom is good but even he knew he didn't deserve star baker.

Yes that’s the one. People brought it favourite ingredients but sometimes without thinking how you would get one dish. Sensible ones included onion and garlic. The faces on chefs when someone brought something really good value, yes because you have to cook low for an hour or two so it’s not shoe leather, not the 20 or so minutes they had on the show

I thought she looked very young also.