Yahoo News Channel 4's Bake Off is here – but does it work?
The Great British Bake Off 2017 is almost here and fans are feeling... well, they're a bit confused, to be honest.
Last year marked the end of an era when Mary Berry, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc waved goodbye to the show as it departed the friendly shores of the BBC and set sail to start a new life on Channel 4, in one of the most bitter divorce battles in TV history.
Think we're being a tad dramatic there? Pah! You should have seen how Twitter responded when news broke that Paul Hollywood had decided not to follow suit with his former co-stars. The poor bloke was branded a 21st century Judas for deciding not to quit his job.
But now, the time has come to move on. The new series is here complete with its Channel 4 makeover, and Digital Spy has been lucky enough to see a preview of the first episode. So what's the verdict?
Related: Great British Bake Off on Channel 4: Here's everything you need to know
No disrespect to Mary, Mel and Sue, but if you loved the show before, you're still going to be a fan. Let's face it. This isn't The X Factor; it's not about the judges and what they're getting up to behind the scenes. Bake Off is about the bakers. It always has been. And this year's line-up is awesome.
The challenges set out in week one are unbelievably hard. In fact, new judge Prue Leith, who is notoriously difficult to impress, deliberately went out of her way to make it the most difficult series yet.
But despite her best efforts, the bakers more than deliver – seriously, the cakes and pastries they serve up are unbelievable. As Paul puts it, we're probably better off describing some of the contestants as "artists" rather than "bakers".
And that's part of the reason Channel 4's Great British Bake Off could well attract not just fans of the BBC versions, but also newcomers. Even if you've never watched an episode before, it's hard not to be blown away by some of these designs. We'd love to show you a sneak peak at some of the cakes, but we've been sworn to secrecy by producers!
However, it's not just the talent that Channel 4 has managed to win us over with, it's the cast. The personalities of the bakers have already started to shine through – particularly 71-year-old grandmother Flo.
Being a fellow Scouser, Paul admits he has a soft spot for her, and after watching Flo in the kitchen, so do we. Seriously, her facial expressions to the judges critiquing her cakes are absolutely adorable.
But the one to watch out for this series has to be 34-year-old Steven. Marketing is his day job –which is absolutely bizarre because when you check out some of the baking he's capable of, you're left thinking he should be on the panel with Paul and Prue rather than competing.
Of course, while the contestants are the most important aspect of Bake Off, we can't ignore the huge changes Channel 4 has made to the iconic show. So let's talk Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig.
Producers of the series had a tough job on their hands attempting to replace Mel and Sue with new presenters – but Noel and Sandi? Really? He's a goofy goth, she's pals with Stephen Fry and studied law at Cambridge University. Talk about oil and water.
Honestly? We were expecting car crash TV... but, we were wrong. These two are brilliant.
We're not sure why it works because it really shouldn't – but it does. And dare we say it, perhaps even better than Mel and Sue's tried-and-tested dynamic. "I think there's a lot of suppressed sexual tension between us," Sandi explained at the GBBO launch. Noel added: "We made love straight away. Immediately."
Whether you're new to the show or a loyal fan, it's hard not to love these two. You've been warned.
As for Prue taking over from the legendary Mary? First, rest assured. Mrs Berry gave Prue her seal of approval ages ago. In fact, she even gave the new judge some advice.
"I'm in touch with Mary and we've been friends for years," Prue said. "She said, Watch out for Paul Hollywood!' – she told me, funnily enough, exactly what Paul told me. She said, 'Don't just follow Paul. Don't stand behind Paul and just agree with him. Just be yourself and go for it'."
Well, Prue's listened and trust us, she's very much her own woman and does a great job bringing her own style to Bake Off.
As ever, it's tough to watch The Great British Bake Off and not want to indulge in a slice of cake yourself. But the food isn't the only ingredient that's going to make this new Channel 4 series brilliant. It's the bakers, the suspense and, of course, Noel and Sandi's comedy sideshow.
We feel a little awkward saying this, but Channel 4 is getting a Paul Hollywood-inspired handshake from us. Sorry, BBC!
The Great British Bake Off starts on Tuesday August 29 at 8pm on Channel 4.
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