Media Diary - Week 2

The Great British Bake Off

TV in my household, is rather a thing of the past. Me and my younger brother choose to use YouTube or watch films instead of TV, mainly because of the lack of appeal it has to us. However, there is a specific TV show that I religiously watch with my Mum every year – The Great British Bake Off. Every September when the programme airs, without a doubt on a Wednesday at 8PM I’m sat in front of the screen waiting for Mary Berry. The Great British Bake Off, or GBBO for short, is a talent show dedicated to baking that is produced by BBC 1. It’s a family friendly show, that can appeal to anyone in my opinion, however it probably gets most of its attention from women.

 Perhaps due to stereotypes, some women think that being a ‘domestic goddess’ and being able to bake is vital, therefore they use the show for learning purposes. Personally, me and my Mum watch it for the entertainment factor. Every year my reaction of the show is the same. It has subtle humour delivered by hosts Mel and Sue throughout, it showcases delicious cakes sparking my inner baker and its different. The GBBO offers a talent show, yet in a unique way showing talent that anywhere else would go unnoticed. From my Mums aspect, the TV show relates to her, as many of the contestants have families that they talk about. On top of this, this year the show related more to me too, due to younger contestants taking part and talking more about school issues. These are some reasons why people consume the text, others may be that they can use it to take inspiration and follow recipes, or to relate to the people on there with them just being normal people.

Not everyone gives The GBBO such a sparkling review. Many people would claim, quoting my Dad “It’s too boring to enjoy” and wouldn’t find it as fascinating as me. I think it’s incredible how ordinary people, living a normal life can step in to the baking tent and create such high quality sweet treats and be self-taught! Unfortunately, the GBBO is not the biggest fan it seems with children. It’s not like reality TV that everyone gossips about in school and maybe this is why people under 20 are unlikely to watch it, because they fit into the lifestyle categories of the admirer or mainstreamer to follow the crowd.