The Great British Bake Off

"GBBO" redirects here. For the ornithological organisation, see Great Basin Bird Observatory.
For the current series, see The Great British Bake Off series 15.

The Great British Bake Off
A dark cake on a white plate, topped with raspberries
Genre
  • Baking
  • Reality
Directed by
  • Jeanette Goulbourn (2017–present)
  • Andy Devonshire (2010–2012, 2014–2016)
  • Scott Tankard (2012–2013)
Presented by
Judges
Theme music composerTom Howe
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series15
No. of episodes143 (and 43 specials)
Production
Executive producers
  • Anna Beattie (2010–present)
  • Richard McKerrow (2010)
  • Sarah Thomson-Woolley (2016–2017)
  • Kieran Smith (2012)
Producers
  • Byron Archard (2015-Present)
  • Samantha Beddoes (2013–2014)
  • Amanda Westwood (2012)
Production locations
Running time60 minutes
Production companyLove Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release17 August 2010 (2010-08-17) –
22 October 2013 (2013-10-22)
NetworkBBC One
Release6 August 2014 (2014-08-06) –
26 October 2016 (2016-10-26)
NetworkChannel 4
Release29 August 2017 (2017-08-29) –
present
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Great British Bake Off (often abbreviated to Bake Off or GBBO and known in the United States and Canada as The Great British Baking Show) is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress two judges with their baking skills. One contestant is eliminated in each round, and the winner is selected from the three contestants who reach the final.

The first episode was aired on 17 August 2010, with its first four series broadcast on BBC Two, until its growing popularity led the BBC to move it to BBC One for the next three series. After its seventh series, Love Productions signed a three-year deal with Channel 4 to produce the series for the broadcaster.[1] On 24 September 2024 it was announced that The Great British Bake Off has been renewed for its sixteenth series in 2025.[2]

The series is credited with reinvigorating interest in baking throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, with shops in the UK reporting sharp rises in sales of baking ingredients and accessories.[3] Many of its participants, including winners, have gone on to careers in baking, while the BAFTA award-winning program has spawned a number of specials and spin-off shows: a celebrity charity series in aid of Sport Relief/Comic Relief or Stand Up to Cancer; Junior Bake Off for young children (broadcast on the CBBC channel, then on Channel 4 from 2019); after-show series An Extra Slice; and Bake Off: The Professionals for teams of pastry chefs.[4]

The series has proven popular abroad; in the United States and Canada, where "Bake-Off" is a trademark owned by Pillsbury,[5] it airs as The Great British Baking Show.[6] The series format has been sold globally for production of localized versions, and was adapted for both BBC Two series The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down.

  1. ^ Foster, Patrick (12 September 2016). "BBC loses Great British Bake Off, as Channel 4 swoops for corporation's biggest show". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Applications now open for The Great British Bake Off 2024". Yahoo News. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Impact was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Alexander, Saffron (29 March 2016). "Everything you need to know about Bake Off: Creme de la Creme". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR)". tmsearch.uspto.gov. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  6. ^ The Great British Fake Off | Quick D, 25 December 2021, retrieved 11 January 2022