Monday Media Musings - 3/29/21

[owlmoose]

The Great British Baking Show: Beginnings: This is the Netflix title for what aired in the UK as series three of The Great British Bake-Off, which is the oldest season legally available in the US. (Apparently we should next watch the season that Netflix labels as Season 2, then Season 1, and after that we can go in order. Thanks to this Grub Street article for helping me figure out a watching order without spoilers.) I've been meaning to watch this forever, and T was also curious, but for whatever reason it never pushed its way to the top of the list. But one day recently we were looking for something to watch that wasn't too cognitively demanding, and this seemed to fit the bill. It is every bit as charming and entertaining as everyone says it is, certainly gentler than most other reality shows, but with plenty of suspense and drama just from the baking (rather than having to manufacture it via impossible challenges and interpersonal drama). And the hosts and judges are delightful. Even Paul, who is clearly the toughest of the crew, is always fair and rarely mean -- T commented that it's always clear what he wants from the contestants, and his comments are rarely a surprise (though I was surprised by the overall winner).

Comments

[rionaleonhart]

I'm glad you're enjoying it! Apparently, if any contestant started crying while Mel and Sue were presenting, one of them would go to offer comfort, while the other would go into a torrent of swearing in front of the cameras so the footage couldn't be broadcast.

[brainwane]

In the early seasons Paul is fair and non-mean. If you want more of that vibe once you're done with this series, I recommend digging up (via YouTube think) the Canadian series, which remains non-mean.

[oracne]

Housemate and I went through the entirety of what was available on Netflix in the US, and yes it does get a bit harsher after the move from BBC to Channel Four, but we still liked it. Great Canadian isn't on US Netflix, but we've been seeing it through Daily Motion - frustrating, but the only source we've found.

[skytintedwater]

My favourite thing about Bake Off is how dramatic they get - they'll say something like 'She made a fatal mistake!' and she's forgotten to add an egg wash.

[zen_monk]

I liked that in Season 1 they had a short segment discussing the history of a certain pastry and it has the hosts interviewing with people who made that specific pastry their raison d'être.