‘The Great British Baking Show’ Could Still Shoot a Season This Year

When this coronavirus mess is finally done, you’ll likely feel one of two ways: Either, one, you’ll be so sick of baking you refuse to even turn the oven for a year or, two, you’ll be so into baking that your taste for baking content is as insatiable as your appetite for sourdough. (Ostensibly, a third group exists that hasn’t been baking in quarantine, but I haven’t heard from them.)

Of course, no baking hobby is complete with a Great British Baking Show obsession. And since the series also makes for great Netflix binge-watching, you’re likely doubly antsy for the show to return while adhering to stay-at-home policies.

Some details about the upcoming 11th season had already been revealed before the United Kingdom was put on lockdown, the biggest of which was a new host: comedian Matt Lucas. (Learn all about him here.) And at the time, The Great British Bake Off (as it’s called across the pond) was set to begin shooting in the spring as usual. But a lot has changed in the past two months, and GBBS filming didn’t begin as planned—leading to the next logical question: Well, what’s the bloomin’ plan now?!

Over the weekend, judge Prue Leith provided a bit of clarity. On The Andrew Marr Show, the host specifically asked Leith whether she thought it’s “going to be possible to do the Great British Bake Off this year?”

“I really hope so. Everybody’s hoping so,” she began. “Certainly, it’s impossible at the moment because there are really a lot of people on set, but I’m sure they’ll find a way as soon as they can.” Regardless, she said that, when it does come back, she’ll be ready to go.

Though the news that the show plans to return is reassuring, Leith’s answer is notably vaguer than the one judge Paul Hollywood provided to the Radio Times in late April. “If we can get started, we could turn around the program pretty quickly and still have it out in late summer or early autumn,” he said according to the Metro UK.

Importantly, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson only revealed his plan to ease restrictions yesterday—after both judges had chimed in with their thoughts. The television industry did not appear to be mentioned anywhere in the document released to the public. However, the next phase, which would seem to be the absolute soonest production could resume with some semblance of normality, won’t be assessed until June 1. Throughout the show’s history, seasons have always premiered in August.

On the bright side, though, if you’re desperate for Bake Off-related content, you do have another option: Leith spent most of her time on The Andrew Marr Show plugging her YouTube channel which she’s been adding content to over the past couple weeks. It includes 157 seconds on how to bake a Ginger Cake.