Contrary to popular opinion, I was never really that fussed when The Great British Bake Off announced its move from BBC to Channel 4. I grew up without a TV and the BBC's new law about iPlayer made it almost impossible for me to keep up with my favourite shows. So, unlike the rest of the country, I breathed a sigh of relief when Channel 4 won over GBBO — I didn't care about the adverts!
It was only when Mary Berry and Mel and Sue decided to step down that the reality of this new GBBO dawned on me. So, along with the rest of the country, I tuned into Channel 4 on Tuesday evening, apprehensive to see what had happened to our beloved show.
An average of 6.5 million people watched
Sure, that's 4 million less than the average audience while the programme was aired on BBC, but it actually exceeded Channel 4's expectations, who normally only draw in 1 million viewers for that time slot. Furthermore, viewing figures on Tuesday evening actually peaked at 7.7 million — which isn't too bad considering the bad publicity associated with the move. And don't forget that those figures don't include everyone else who caught up on the Channel 4 app later on.
The new cast aren't half bad
I never really doubted Sandi Toksvig's ability to shine on GBBO, especially since my boyfriend has made me listen to old episodes of The News Quiz more times than I can count, but I was honestly pleasantly surprised by Prue Leith. It's a fact that no one can truly replace Mary Berry, but Prue did a decent job of filling the empty spot. Unfortunately, Noel Fielding didn't really get anywhere close to convincing me, but I'm crossing my fingers that he'll grow a personality soon and all will be okay!
The layout is exactly the same
The tent looks the same, the workshops look the same and the format is the same. Paul Hollywood, the only remaining cast member from BBC, seems to have gotten a bit softer since losing his co-hosts — since when has he given out two handshakes in week one?!
The bakes were pretty impressive — especially for week one
Cake week saw everything from Yan's ramen to Flo's watermelon to Steven's BLT — the bakers really pulled out all of the stops to impress the judges on week one. Such a high standard of creations has left viewers sharing pictures in a way that can only make Channel 4 draw in more viewers for the next episode!
All in all, despite the nation's apprehensions, The Great British Bake Off really did survive it's relocation to Channel 4. I was pleasantly impressed with episode one and I am only expecting viewing figures to rise as the show goes on. If you're still on the fence about watching it, just give it a shot — yes, it's not exactly the same show that we all know and love, but it's a pretty good substitute and hey, us students can now legally watch it (on catch up)!