Fans of verdant British countryside and towering baked goods held together by gumption and royal icing, rejoice:The Great British Baking Show, a program that has no business being as good as it is, will be back this summer on PBS.
This is the fourth season to air in the U.S., but it’s actually the seventh series of the show overall; all of your British friends watched this last summer. It’s also the last season to feature old gang together, prancing about the tent, poking at ineffectual Victoria sponges and making innuendo about pastry cream and whatnot.
The show is moving from the BBC to Channel 4, a decision that was made by its producers. Out of loyalty to the BBC, Mary Berry, Mel and Sue decided not to join. Paul Hollywood, that steely-eyed Lothario, will be staying on at the new iteration on Channel 4 and carrying on with it, though without the shining presence of Mary Berry, Mel or Sue, the show will be a sad and weird husk of its former self.
If you’re not on board with this program, please hasten to Netflix at once. Sure, a show about polite British people baking complicated pastry in a tent in the countryside sounds boring, but I assure you that it is beautiful to look at, wonderful to watch, and riveting in a way that most reality television in the United States will never, ever touch. There’s no backstabbing or awful behind-the-scenes machinations. Aside from Deborah’s inadvertent stealing of Howard’s custard in the second season during a trifle challenge, there is no wrongdoing. There is no evil. Just baking! Croquembouche! Swedish princess cake!
Thank god it’s back this summer; we will surely need something nice to watch. The Great British Baking Show premieres on PBS June 16.
This post has been updated to clarify that the Great British Baking Show has moved from the BBC to Channel 4, causing Mary Berry, Mel and Sue to leave. Only Paul Hollywood, the traitor previously mentioned, will be staying.
