It Turns Out There Are Way More People In The Bake Off Tent Than It Seems

It’s finally autumn, and with that comes a new season of the Great British Bake Off. Yes, it’s the time of year when we settle down with a nice cuppa tea and judge people’s baking skills from the comfort of our own sofa. 

While Bake Off is usually thought to be the pinnacle of cosy TV, there are  certain episodes where I feel as on edge as I would sitting through any psychological thriller. Watching cakes flop in slow motion, watching Paul Hollywood sneer at somebody’s lovingly crafted bake... it all gets a bit much. 

I’ve also always wondered how the bakers work under such immense pressure while keeping their cheery personas live and kicking. Couldn’t be me! 

And behind the scenes, it’s apparently even more stressful. 

Speaking to Business Insider last year, former contestant Antony Amourdoux from season nine of Bake Off shared: “The start of each episode is shot in the tent, and then after that everything else is shot on the outside.

“That’s because there are close to 100 people right in the middle of that small, little tent.”

Yes, you read that right. That tiny tent can house up to 100 people at any given time. Diabolical.

However, there is a huge upside to this number in that there is never food waste in the tent.

Antony, who finished 10th in his season, added: “As soon as they are allowed to eat it, everything just disappears in minutes. The crew and production team dig in, and each of the bakers is sent bites of each other’s bakes, so we all get to taste each other’s as well.”

The Great British Bake Off continues every Tuesday night at 8pm on Channel 4.