Great British Bake Off 2024

freshpopcorn

We've a start date!

Princess Calla

Nice one!

freshpopcorn

Say Hello to the Bakers of 2024!

DvB

Back tonight, Channel 4 @ 8pm

Princess Calla

When was this filmed, they all have big puffy jkts on.....don't remember ever seeing them with jkts on before.

The opening sequence....please don't!

Needmoretea

Yes, very weird to see them with warm jackets. An enjoyable first episode and a decent spread of bakers!

Posy

I thought it was just Hazel, and then I seen another 2 or 3 contestants in very similar puffy jackets. Strange, since they are normally roasted alive in the tent!!

DvB

I think film started in late May, and given how miserable our summer was I guess it was the same over there. I'm sure at some stage they'll give them ice cream week & it'll be 35 degrees outside or suchlike!

Sunny Dayz

a good start to the season. Quite a few likeable bakers in it. I had recorded it and was watching back so I could skip through the opening sequence.

Navy blue

Big improvement on last years tasks and bakers even at this early stage. The illusion cakes were really impressive for week 1.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122652065#Comment_122652065

Agree.

Thought the leather bag, jeans, & in particular the Duck sitting on the wood, were all of a very high standard. Hopefully that can be maintained now.

Sigma101

Good first episode. I was happy to see nobody sent home and everyone getting a second chance. Elimination in the first round always seems like bad luck. Prue never ceases to amaze me - at 84 she's such a model for positive ageing.

miamee

I agree, I was pleasantly surprised with the calibre of most of the bakers for week one and even at that I'd say a few of them were just suffering from first day nerves as much as anything else. Fingers crossed for an entertaining series in 2024 🍰

miamee

Have we all watched the second episode yet? I hope Illiyin is ok, she just kind of crumpled there after the showcase. I think the pressure and maybe the heat of the tent got to her. Hope to see her back on the next episode. A shame to see Jeff drop out, I thought they might have no one going home this week as a result but they may save that for a week when everyone does well. I think the right person was sent home, she seemed to be struggling with a lot of things in the bakes, didn't she?

I really loved some of the showcases! I thought the brief was very tricky but Sumayah's was very pretty and Mike's was fun too.

If things keep up as they have been the last two weeks I predict Georgie to be next out.

HeidiHeidi

Oh I hope not! She's far from the best baker, but I'd listen to her reading the telephone book all night!!

I thought the whole Jeff thing was decidedly odd.… they were on about him swimming and keeping fit and all sorts, but standing for a couple of hours seemed to do for him two weeks in a row (rules out the theory of a bug or virus or something, which was my first thought) - and then I thought he was spectacularly ungracious about leaving - "meh, just not for me" was a bit rude considering he'd taken a place in the series and managed 1.5 bakes before just walking off set!!

Sumaya reminds me of Kim-Joy - incredibly artistic - but are good decorating skills enough to take you all the way through the whole series.??

Bread week next week - always one of my favourites - the scope for monumental showstoppers is great!

miamee

Yes the cynic in me was wondering if Jeff felt a but out of his depth with the bakes expected of him. It's all well and good being a great baker when you get to choose the bake and have the recipe in front of you but the tent is a different prospect. Having said that, when I was writing my post above I had to look up the contestants to get their names right and in his photo he did not look in the full of his health either so I don't know, maybe he is genuinely unwell.

Posy

Yeah, I wasn't sure about Jeff either... he did seem far from enthused, and both days gave up at the point of doing the technical. Then again, if he was feeling unwell he'd hardly be jumping about the place. It's hard to tell, but the cynic in me will always win out! 😂

I hope they keep giving them achievable challenges with a reasonable time limit. I much prefer that than giving them half an hour to do three different types of double proved bread!

HeidiHeidi

Watching An Extra Slice - I got all excited thinking Tom had been binned, but no, out he appeared with Jeff's goodbye cake (deeply disappointing, as always).... dang!

Xander10

THat young wan has a very annoying voice

HeidiHeidi

I'm assuming you mean Sumaya?

I agree to an extent, there was someone on at least one other of these reality shows recently (masterchef maybe?) who had the same sort of drawl..... maybe it's a thing these days (sez the dinosaur who hasn't a clue!)

I can't believe they get through that whole show, with all those amazing breads, and not a smear of butter on a single one of them! That's just sacrilege in my book!

Nelly got so emotional at the compliments from Paul - she nearly had me going as well!

I felt very sorry for John - but just shows, you only need one (very) bad week and you're out.

miamee

Wow, very high standard this week, Paul said he'd remember this week for a long time to come! I enjoyed that one, they are all mostly doing really well there are no real weak links in there so hard to know who will go each week at this stage. John did have a bad week so I knew it would be him or maybe Andy. Really enjoyed that episode though. No drama this week 😂

DvB

Standard across the board this year is pretty good, hard to call potential winner or even the potential final 3. Haven't got a favourite this year yet, but leaning towards Nelly atm.

Agree re: the comment above bemoaning the lack of butter!! Heathens the lot of em…. then again I suppose Paul being the king of bread wanted to taste it with nothing to obscure the actual taste. Still though, i'd be needing a follow up slathered in butter!!

sammyjo90

Dylan gets star Baker after coming last in the technical? Nelly was robbed!

DvB

Think they got both decisions right last night, Georgie was easily the best across the 3 challenges and fully deserved SB.

Mike unfortunately had no mousse in a mousse cake and struggled across all 3 challenges so just about lost out to Sumayah who had 2 poor efforts in the signature & showstopper.

Standard dropped a little last night across the board, was a little surprised as its been really good up until last night, some nice bakes, especially in the signature round, but overall it wasnt a great week for me.

miamee

Yes not one of the better weeks, caramel didn't suit them! I'm channeling Larry Gogan there 😂 hopefully they will be back on track next week

GAAcailin

Am loving the show this year. Nelly deffo my favourite.

Would love the recipe for the cinnamon cake Illiyin baked the first week

miamee

Ah I caught up yesterday on this week's episode, I'm so sad the Nelly is gone. Its that part of the show now where they are all so good and it just takes one bad week or even one bad bake to see you off. She was definitely the most fun contestant this year imo.

Sadb

She was my fave too, so sad that she is gone.

Jellybaby_1

Just catching up with my recordings, Sumayah was the right one to go. It's really hotting up now. I think Dylan has what it takes to win but so does Georgie. I'd be surprised if Christiaan or Gill win but anything is possible. Now someone please tell me how they managed to bake such white meringues, mine are always beige!!! I bake low and slow but never have managed to bake 'em white!

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122813963#Comment_122813963

Yeah Sumayah definitely the weakest across all 3 challenges and Dylan as SB was a given so no surprises at all, an easy week for the judges.

Cant see past Georgie or Dylan myself, but have a sneaky feeling Georgie will nick it, but would be surprised if any of the others stepped up, though in saying that, winners have not stood out previously in the early rounds and managed to win by standing out in the last 2 or 3 episodes so you never know.

Either way, am enjoying this series, all seem quite likeable.

AnnieinDundrum

I suspect that Georgia’s experience will win it for her,

dylan is amazing. So creative. He’s young though and the pressure might get to him, he takes it all very seriously.

I did enjoy sumayah but I think coffee and lemon curd was a leap of faith. I saw her on the extra slice. She’s at uni studying dentistry now.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122815559#Comment_122815559

Baking & dentistry… she knows her market so 🤣

miamee

Yes I think it was easy enough to see that it was going to be Sumayah this week, she did not have a good week unfortunately. As Paul said, they will be sending really good bakers home every week now because the group (incl Sumayah) are all really talented. If I was putting money on it, I'd also agree Dylan or Georgie but Christiaan could be a dark horse too. When he gets it right, he gets it really right!

Jellybaby_1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122815617#Comment_122815617

So funny! A bit like coffee and lemon!! 😂

miamee

I think this week's candidate to go home was very obvious, she had a terrible week. For a moment I thought Christiaan might be in trouble when they said the taste of his show stopper wasn't good and Illyin's tasted amazing 😳 but I think the right person went. I'm delighted for Georgie getting star baker. Her 70s cake was truly gaudy and garish 🤣

Jellybaby_1

The clips of next weeks show don't bode well. 😲

DvB

Will the star baker curse strike again!!!???

GAAcailin

was sorry to see Gill go, the lads were both way ahead of the girls this week. Georgie would want to get her act together for next week..

HeidiHeidi

Gill was the most gracious "loser" I think I've ever seen!

Georgie almost did herself out of a place in the final with getting so wound up - I hope she took half a valium before the final!!! (although from the clips shown, I doubt it).

Dylan ftw, with Christiaan snapping at his heels.

miamee

I agree that the nerves got the best of Georgie this week, maybe that was the first time she was confronted with a bake she had no clue of and she really melted down! Gill going was the right decision even though she didn't have a terrible week or anything but it's so hard to call at that stage of the competition. I'm looking forward to the final next week.

Jellybaby_1

Aw Gill was lovely, and really deserved to go on to the semi. Just because she didn't 'excite' the taste buds of the judges they let her go. I had fingers crossed they'd let them all go on but not to be. Have to say Christiaan pulled out all the stops and frighteningly Dylan just squeaked through in my opinion. I thought his showstopper looked a bit underwhelming but the judges liked his flavours. Georgie really cracked, I felt sorry for her. Hope she pulls it together for the final. They're all brilliant! Last year I wanted to give up watching but this has been a good series. I say it every year, they shouldn't let anyone go home in the first week.

DvB

Thought the showstoppers for the 3 finalists were fabulous to be fair, they looked (& tastes sounded) amazing to me. Dylans avocado looked superb, of all of them I'd have loved to have tasted that.

Looking forward to the final, think we've gotten the genuine best 3 bakers there so hopefully lives up to expectation re: standard.

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122859750#Comment_122859750

Well, for a prediction, I got that a bit arseways!

What a final!

They all fecked up in all rounds, apart from Georgie's showstopper - talk about peaking at just the right time.

That was the very epitome of a showstopper.

Well deserved win. Delighted for her!

miamee

It's a shame the nerves got to Dylan, I thought he was in with a very good chance before I watched the episode. Georgie deserved the win in the end, fair play to her! Her cake looked lovely, though I feel like the standard of final showstoppers have been higher in previous years. Still very enjoyable 😊

Jellybaby_1

I agree, Georgie deserved to win. Dylan's showstopper didn't do it for him. Christiaan was a close second I think. All in all a fair decision. On the other hand Dylan was offered a job, well done him!

sammyjo90

Final showstoppers might not have been amazing but as people have said before, the calibre of bakers this year has been so much better than they have been the past few years. Going back to basics worked well IMO.

I thought Christiaan had it in the bag though.

DvB

A bit of a damp squib of a final, but overall a very enjoyable series & a worthy winner.

Already looking forward to the Christmas & NY specials & sure at the rate time is going it wont be long before the main show is back in September.

.red.

I thought it was a very close top 2 but that Christiaan had just about pipped Georgie by the finest of margins but she was probably my favourite of the final 3 so happy days.

Dylan really fell off a cliff in the final, he tried to be too fancy and over thought his bakes one too many times I think.

GAAcailin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122895328#Comment_122895328

I really felt for Dylan, although I had thought he was a bit cocky during the process he was really humble on the last episode; he must have been really gutted. As Chris had done better than Georgie in the first two challenges I thought he had it in the bag. Must have been a very close call and a tough decision for P & P.

We really enjoyed it in this house and have the last Episode on 'An extra slice' to look forward to this evening.

HeidiHeidi

God, but Harry Hill is a right PITA!

HeidiHeidi

Oh my goodness, Georgie scrubs up well! (I mean, she's gorgeous anyway, but she looked absolutely beautiful tonight)