{"id":36429,"date":"2023-09-03T11:23:11","date_gmt":"2023-09-03T09:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1883406"},"modified":"2023-09-03T16:43:34","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T14:43:34","slug":"great-british-bake-off-scraps-national-themed-weeks","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/great-british-bake-off-scraps-national-themed-weeks\/","title":{"rendered":"Great British Bake Off scraps national-themed weeks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The baking show received backlash last year for its \u2018Mexican Week\u2019. <\/p>

By Molly Moss\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 03 September 2023 at 09:23 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Great British Bake Off has scrapped its national-themed weeks for the 2023 series following backlash.<\/p>\n

The food competition will return to Channel 4 later this month for its 13th series, but will be missing its country-themed challenges, which were accused of cultural appropriation.<\/p>\n

The show had a \u2018Japan Week\u2019 in 2020, followed by \u2018a German Week\u2019 the following year, and a \u2018Mexican Week\u2019 last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Besides dishes that were not authentic to the countries the show was claiming to represent, Mexican Week saw the hosts sporting sombreros and shaking maracas, as well as mispronouncing Spanish words.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Guardian<\/a> ahead of the Great British Bake Off<\/a>\u2018s return, executive producer Kieran Smith said this year\u2019s competition would be \u201cvery traditional\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to offend anyone but the world has changed and the joke fell flat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not doing any national themes this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Smith explained, the show would focus on its popular traditional roots. \u201cWe\u2019re doing all the regular weeks: Cakes, biscuits, bread, patisserie, chocolate, plus party cakes is a new theme.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Noel\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.<\/span><\/figcaption> Channel 4<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Hollywood and Leith also addressed the backlash, with the former saying he was \u201cgutted\u201d as he \u201cloves\u201d Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d literally come back from Mexico about three weeks before we filmed the episode,\u201d he said. \u201cI was all over the place, and we set the challenges based on what I\u2019d seen there. The challenges were very good, and everyone did a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hollywood continued: \u201cI was gutted. I mean, I was really upset about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leith added that \u201cwe never go out to be controversial\u201d, saying: \u201cWe try to be dead honest. It was quite unfortunate that quite a few people took offence, but we certainly didn\u2019t mean it.<\/p>\n

In addition to the format change, the new series will also welcome a new presenter, with Alison Hammond taking over as Noel Fielding\u2019s co-host<\/a> following the departure of Matt Lucas.<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n