It’s not a boxset, but it was probably one of the biggest
televisual things to happen this year.
After a huge amount of coverage in the news and an even greater level of
concern from die-hard fans, Tuesday this week finally saw the new-look Bake Off
emerge into reality. At last, we could all
cast our judgments.
And it was fine. A
big tent. Some baking challenges. It was more the same than it could ever have
been different. Yet I was surprised by
this. Surely it couldn’t be anywhere
near as charming without Maz
Baz, god love her. But, the more
sympathetic good cop to Paul
Hollywood’s nit-picking was a role aptly filled by Prue Leith. Her plummy accent leant her real credibility
and, throughout, she did her upmost to prove she was up to the judging: “Nice
sponge,” “Good sponge,” and “Lovely sponge” all being uttered on repeat.
Part of the relaunch’s genius comes in finding hosts with
the potential to be as beloved as Mel and Sue.
Sandi Toksvig,
taking her bomber jacket inspiration from Mary
Berry in 2012, was safe in the knowledge that nobody can look cool slagging
off Sandi Toksvig. She is a brilliant
individual even before she starts titting about with the contestants’ mini
rolls. At the same time, Noel Fielding, still
easing into the role, injects exactly what we were expecting from him:
irreverent humour, a good nature and many surprise chuckles. I could be heard laughing out loud from two
flats away at that marigold going in his mouth.
The office consensus the next day was a unanimous: “It’s the
same.” Looking for drama in our humdrum
lives, we had all violently lamented the end of our favourite show as we knew
it. We wouldn’t be able to go on
living. Things just wouldn’t be the
same. But they were, and we shrugged our
shoulders and got back to whatsapping our friends at our desks while our
inboxes filled with passive-aggressive sludge.
Nevertheless, we had all decried the intrusion of adverts
into our BBC haven. How dare they? But there were no excuses here either. A delayed viewing start allows everyone with
the right tech to fast-forward through the ads, though I in fact took a squiz
at them out of curiosity. Two such apt
sponsors for a show about cake could never have been found, but eBay and their
awful new creative were unable to hide behind their very strange use of talent
in their dreadful advertising premier. I
won’t even mention Stork Butter.
I’m a-tingle with excitement for next Tuesday’s instalment,
safe back in the knowledge that the televisual hug I needed so much from the
show’s previous iteration is still available to me. My only slight concern is that the showstopper
challenge has already gone big with week one’s illusion cakes (or, if you are
Prue, ill-yoo-sion cakes). What
gasp-worthy creations can possibly be left for the remaining instalments? But then, this razzle dazzle was clearly a
shrewd ploy to show the format at its best, and it’s certainly worked on me.
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