Great British Bake Off (Channel 4 version)

It’s not a boxset, but it was probably one of the biggest televisual things to happen this year.  After a huge amount of coverage in the news and an even greater level of concern from die-hard fans, Tuesday this week finally saw the new-look Bake Off emerge into reality.  At last, we could all cast our judgments.

And it was fine.  A big tent.  Some baking challenges.  It was more the same than it could ever have been different.  Yet I was surprised by this.  Surely it couldn’t be anywhere near as charming without Maz Baz, god love her.  But, the more sympathetic good cop to Paul Hollywood’s nit-picking was a role aptly filled by Prue Leith.  Her plummy accent leant her real credibility and, throughout, she did her upmost to prove she was up to the judging: “Nice sponge,” “Good sponge,” and “Lovely sponge” all being uttered on repeat.

Part of the relaunch’s genius comes in finding hosts with the potential to be as beloved as Mel and Sue.  Sandi Toksvig, taking her bomber jacket inspiration from Mary Berry in 2012, was safe in the knowledge that nobody can look cool slagging off Sandi Toksvig.  She is a brilliant individual even before she starts titting about with the contestants’ mini rolls.  At the same time, Noel Fielding, still easing into the role, injects exactly what we were expecting from him: irreverent humour, a good nature and many surprise chuckles.  I could be heard laughing out loud from two flats away at that marigold going in his mouth.

The office consensus the next day was a unanimous: “It’s the same.”  Looking for drama in our humdrum lives, we had all violently lamented the end of our favourite show as we knew it.  We wouldn’t be able to go on living.  Things just wouldn’t be the same.  But they were, and we shrugged our shoulders and got back to whatsapping our friends at our desks while our inboxes filled with passive-aggressive sludge.

Nevertheless, we had all decried the intrusion of adverts into our BBC haven.  How dare they?  But there were no excuses here either.  A delayed viewing start allows everyone with the right tech to fast-forward through the ads, though I in fact took a squiz at them out of curiosity.  Two such apt sponsors for a show about cake could never have been found, but eBay and their awful new creative were unable to hide behind their very strange use of talent in their dreadful advertising premier.  I won’t even mention Stork Butter.

I’m a-tingle with excitement for next Tuesday’s instalment, safe back in the knowledge that the televisual hug I needed so much from the show’s previous iteration is still available to me.  My only slight concern is that the showstopper challenge has already gone big with week one’s illusion cakes (or, if you are Prue, ill-yoo-sion cakes).  What gasp-worthy creations can possibly be left for the remaining instalments?  But then, this razzle dazzle was clearly a shrewd ploy to show the format at its best, and it’s certainly worked on me.