Loving Bake Off 2026? Indeedarooney!

[GetSetFake]

Three weeks in, we've reached Thread Two and so far, mostly agreed to disagree on all things baking and non baking related including:

Diversity casting
Throuples
Nigella's Big Bites
A clutch of dead nans and a couple of live ones
Several dead pets
And...the first ever - maybe last ever?- Audience Choice week.

Join us to sail through the rest of the series on a soothing cloud of icing sugar, hoping for cosy Tuesday nights curled up on the sofa with a packet of (not just an old people thing) biscuits and the ever dwindling ranks of (maybe) Britain's Best Amateur Bakers.

Checking in!

The "biscuits are for old people" was a jaw dropper. My YA offspring beg to differ.

Signing on!

You forgot the new entrance requirement-absolutely no baking knowledge allowed.

He's been on Instagram since saying he's changing his mind about biscuits, and making loads of them. They all look wonderful.

The only bit I like so far is Nigella stopping Paul from ruling the roost.

The cast of contestants is making my teeth itch.

God forbid too many old people might get in when they want to appeal to da yoof.

As for flaunting threesomes, I wish people would keep their sexual preferences for the bedroom.

Why can’t we just have the best bakers, no weird gimmicks like bring your family member, no dead nans, no celebrating heritage, and no cringeworthy “comedy” introductions pieces.

Due to the risk of my eyes rolling out of my head I have had to stop watching the Sewing Bee and the Pottery Throw Down and at the moment it looks like Bake Off will soon be joining them.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

What do you mean by 'celebrating heritage'?
I still love the Sewing Bee and the Pottery Throw Down. If anything the Bake Off has been more 'wacky' than either for ages already, with Noel's visual jokes and silly voices. What about those made you stop watching? Personally I'm saddened that the Sewing Bee seems to have ditched its retro pop tunes, but I'm still watching.

We are on thread three already!!

Thread 3?

There was another thread about Crying at Bake Off but that was on AIBU and was very much focused on, yes you've guessed it, diversity casting and throuples.

This is a continuation of the Telly Addicts ongoing series thread, so thread 2.

Unless I've missed something somewhere?

Checking in.

People apply for these shows - the people you want don't apply.

I love all three shows you mention, especially Pottery.

How can you possibly know who applies and who doesn’t?

I think they get thousands of applications and I know several good middle aged women who've got some way in the process so I suspect they can find pretty much whoever they want. The holy grail,as I think someone said on the other thread, is the unexpected baker who has "a journey" in the tent.

It is odd they have no 32 - 50 year olds at all and I do wonder if someone dropped out. Maybe someone from Wales, Scotland or N Ireland, as it's also odd to only have English bakers. They do have two reserves each year in case of last minute drop out, and I think I read some people have got on the year after being reserves as well as some stepping in at the last minute.

No one appears to have told my seven year olds this!