cake

The heatwave has been replaced by grey skies and winter jumpers are creeping on to the high street. This change in the seasons can only mean the return of The Great British Bake Off (Channel 4, 28 August, 8pm). 


The recipe is largely unchanged. Hosts Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding are still donning shirts brighter than a pack of Starburst and judge Paul Hollywood is still the disapproving dad. But this year, GBBO is breaking a few traditions. Rather than starting with Cake Week as it has done for the past eight series, this year the show kicked off with biscuits taking centre stage, with a showstopper challenge Kim Kardashian would be proud of - biscuit selfies.

And it isn’t the only millennial trend to influence the programme. After all, we still have Vegan Week to come. And when judge Prue Leith took a bite out of an oatmeal biscuit, she took the chance to use her catchphrase “worth the calories”, a remark not uncommon among health-conscious consumers.

Gone are the innuendos the show has become known for (one dodgy looking biscuit resembled “a prawn”, claimed Hollywood, tactfully). In their place are comments to spark social media flurries. Toksvig’s confession that she hadn’t tried a Pot Noodle until she was 55 sent viewers straight to Twitter. And the wagon wheel technical challenge no doubt inspired a few trips to purchase the forgotten treat.

It may now be an integral part of British culture, but The Great British Bake Off is clearly eager to not become stale. Kombucha muffin, anyone?