Culture

The New "Great British Bake Off" Trailer Is Delightfully Bizarre

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August  4, 2017
18 Comments

On Thursday, Channel 4, the new home of the "Great British Bake-Off," revealed the trailer for the show’s eighth season. It’s the first real sign of what the show may look like since we learned it'd be decamping for Channel 4, the result of a messy breakup with the BBC, and undergoing a major judging panel facelift.

The trailer’s quite bizarre, resembling a surreal "Wallace and Gromit" installment. Baked goods become barber shop quartets; mounds of flour are made sentient. Scones belt a rendition of Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus’ “We All Stand Together,” the 1983 song recorded specifically for an animated children’s movie.

Most users on Twitter didn’t take too kindly to the trailer. Just look at the comments below the video on YouTube, viewers furious that a beloved show has been stripped of its identity, retaining its name but bearing no thematic resemblance to its antecedent. Understandable. Maybe this trailer’s not to your taste, for it represents too stark a tonal departure from the show’s years on the BBC.

Who Are Your New 'Great British Bake Off' Hosts?

Who Are Your New 'Great British Bake Off' Hosts?

Well, I’ll assume a contrarian stance: I quite like this trailer. It's enthrallingly odd. My interest is piqued. “Coming soon,” the trailer promises. How soon is “soon”? Channel 4’s keeping tight-lipped about the show’s premiere date, just some indeterminate date this fall. Not soon enough. Channel 4, please hurry.

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Mayukh Sen
Mayukh Sen is a James Beard Award-winning food and culture writer in New York. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Bon Appetit, and elsewhere. He won a 2018 James Beard Award in Journalism for his profile of Princess Pamela published on Food52.

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18 Comments

sweetpeaparis@gmail.com
[email protected] August 13, 2017
I love this trailer!!! It's quirky and charming, and everything looks delicious... what's not to love about it?!
 
ono
ono August 11, 2017
Well, the lack of people in the trailer is an interesting choice. One of the things I liked so much about the original show was how kind people were (including contestants) along with the dry humor. It was such a relief from the screaming drama in US reality show competitions. Maybe the new show should have a new name and not try to be the "new" GBBS to lower expectations that it will be similar?
 
Allison C.
Allison C. August 11, 2017
Are you kidding? What's not to LOVE about this trailer? Such a cute and creative ad! I think it's adorable! Of course, we all know the kind of people who use TWITTER.......enough said.
 
Suzanne H.
Suzanne H. August 10, 2017
I love it and am completely intrigued!
 
CAROLE A.
CAROLE A. August 10, 2017
Wonderful, quirky, artistic & FUN!
 
Dixie C.
Dixie C. August 10, 2017
It's rather bizzare, I'm not quite sure how much it has to do with baking. One of our 2 year old grandchildren watched the trailer then hid under a bed while shaking like a leaf "because I don't want to be eaten by a loaf of bread. These things look mean, Memaw!"
 
Kt4
Kt4 August 10, 2017
Is the show becoming something for kids, like Sesame Street or Barney dinosaur? The commercial is cute if GBBO will now be featuring Gumby, which I might watch once or twice in passing, but based on that commercial it's not something that will inspire me to skip dinner with friends for.
 
Mary
Mary August 10, 2017
love it. so refreshing. and unstuffy. loved the previous cast - hope for another great group of people. the show makes me happy!
 
jpriddy
jpriddy August 6, 2017
I think the trailer, of itself, is great fun! That said, I still have no interest in the new program.
 
Iolanthe
Iolanthe August 6, 2017
It's fine! No one knows what the new show will be like until we see it. I'm going to give it a chance. Umbrage-taking is the Internet's favorite pastime.
 
kpeck
kpeck August 6, 2017
Just terrible. And they stole contestant Paul's bread lion at the end. Such a shame that the producers sold out to Channel 4. Yeah, I will be boycotting the new show - give me the Real GBBO any day!
 
Martin
Martin August 6, 2017
I don't get why some would call it "bizarre" or "peculiar". No one said "Beauty and the Beast" was bizarre and this reminds me of it. I love the animation and its inventiveness.
 
petalpusher
petalpusher August 7, 2017
Maybe it's the regurgitating puff pastry that's a little off-putting. When food pukes it's weird. I agree the animation is stellar.
 
juicyrebound1
juicyrebound1 August 5, 2017
Although the original cast and format were wonderful, I'll give the new show a try at least. The loss of Mary Berry is a shame and Sue Perkins I personally find to be quirky but delightful. Loved her on "The Supersizers". Her wit is sharp and offbeat. The biggest loss I fear will be the freshness of this show in a sea of unreal "reality" shows, not to mention the 10 minutes per 1/2 hour of commercial interruptions fans will have to bear on network TV.
 
Danuta G.
Danuta G. August 5, 2017
I'm game to give the new incarnation a shot, but here in Canada we have to rely on our local US PBS station...and considering the cost of moving the program to Channel 4, I doubt PBS will be able to afford it. Oh well, there's always YouTube! I rather like the trailer...it's quirky, not unlike one of the new hosts, Noel Fielding!
 
BakerRB
BakerRB August 4, 2017
As much as I've enjoyed show I'll give the new incarnation a chance if it airs in the US. The trailer's peculiar, but that's okay. I like that the bread lion showstopper made an appearance!
 
Susan C.
Susan C. August 4, 2017
not a favourite of mine....loved the older versions. Do not mind something new....but this trailer seemed to cheapen it.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames August 4, 2017
I rather like it, too! As much as I have enjoyed every episode of all 7 seasons, and re-watched many, and all the master classes, Paul-Mary holiday specials, etc., I'm ready for something new and different, including new faces hosting and judging. If the Channel 4 team is looking for "different," well they've certainly achieved it. Bring it on. ;o)