The Great British Baking Show (or Great British Bake Off) has to be one of the most comfortable and wholesome reality TV competitions out there. Every episode features a friendly set of amateur bakers who try their hand at baking challenges in the beautiful English countryside. Over the years, there have been three professional judges, including Mary Berry, Prue Leith, and celebrity chef Paul Hollywood as a constant staple. Besides two professional judges in each episode, the show is hosted by two comedians, which also switch up every few seasons. Comedians are there to ease contestant anxiety and deliver comic relief, and the current hosts are Matt Lucas (of Little Britain) and Noel Fielding (of The Mighty Boosh).
Besides Paul’s scathing criticism, the light atmosphere on The Great British Baking Show is sure to leave you relaxed and craving cake. While every season of this series has its own charm, some series feature more talent and laughs than others. Based on the best showstopping bakes, bakers, and hosts, here are the best seasons of The Great British Baking Show, ranked.
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9 Season One
Channel 4
While The Great British Baking Show might seem like the perfect mixture of competition and comedy now, it wasn’t always this way. The pilot and the first season were judged by the show’s regular Paul Hollywood and professional chef and baker Mary Berry with comic hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. Instead of taking place in a single location, the competition moved to different areas of the UK for every episode.
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The bakers were presented with three particular baking challenges, much like the series we know today. Although Season One was still a wholesome TV competition, the kinks in the series hadn’t been worked out yet. Edd Kimber won the first series and was the first contestant to win The Great British Baking Show.
8 Season Three
By Season Three, the production team had recognized that one of the appeals of this series was the comic relief. Hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins continued to appear with their humorous remarks, however, there are quite a few funny bakers this time around as well.
The main stand-out for this season was the three finalists Brendan, James, and John who presented some breathtaking showstoppers and some cringe-worthy mistakes. In contrast to the first season of the show, the third season was fixed in one location at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset.
7 Season Seven
Channel 4
One of The Great British Baking Show’s best characteristics is that every season’s contestants bond, support, and help each other. In American TV competition shows, tensions between contestants are usually amped up for dramatic purposes resulting in some pretty heated interactions. You hardly ever see arguments or enemies in this series, though. Season Seven in particular drove this home with contestants patting each on the back more than ever.
Season Seven was Mary Berry’s last season on Bake Off. This season is bittersweet because Berry brought humor and charm to the baking tent. The season also saw some pretty spectacular baking with contestant Candice Brown bringing home the win.
6 Season Five
Although drama on The Great British Baking Show is rare, Season Five showed a glimpse of some contestants being particularly dramatic and competitive. In episode four, contestant Iain has a complete meltdown during an ice cream cake challenge. While meltdowns are common for other reality TV shows, it was such a shock for this series that it became front-page news.
Put simply, Iain initially blamed fellow contestant Diana Beard for his ice cream cake melting because Beard briefly removed Iain’s ice cream cake from the freezer. By briefly, we mean less than a minute. Iain’s meltdown and elimination was controversial and certainly secured this season as a memorable one. While there are some amazing bakes in Season Five, big personalities certainly dominated the series this time around.
5 Season Eight
After seven seasons with two regular judges and comedians, it was time for some remodeling. In Season Eight, Prue Leith replaces Mary Berry as a judge, and IT Crowd’s Noel Fielding and British comedian and Broadcaster Sandi Toksvig take over as hosts. The changes could have brought some backlash and criticism, but the new additions helped the series feel fresh again.
Noel and Sandi are an entertaining duo and Prue Leith brings a light-hearted kindness to the show that the series didn’t yet have. As with every season, the audience has favorites, and drama student Liam Charles was one of them. Because of Charles’ popularity and outrage over his elimination, Charles went on to host Bake Off: The Professionals and in 2022 is set to judge The Platinum Pudding Competition.
4 Season Eleven
In Season 11, we see legendary comedian Matt Lucas replace Sandi Toksvig as host. Noel and Matt are a hilarious pair and make some great digs at Paul Hollywood as well. This season was special for its production during COVID-19 with all host, judges, and contestants isolating together at the filming location.
Like other seasons, this one featured some unique personalities, such as Lottie and Linda. This round of the competition also found the youngest winner of the baking show, accounting and finance student Peter Sawkins, at age 20.
3 Season Twelve
Any season hosted by Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding deserves to be on this list. Having already presented together in Season 11, Lucas and Fielding have perfected their comedic chemistry in this season. Besides these two comedians and roping Paul and Prue into their bizarre sketches, this round of the competition also features some fierce, excellent bakers. Two of the stand-outs are physicist Jurgen Krauss and engineer Guiseppe Dell’Anno.
Many of the bakes in Season 12 are excellent visually with Crystelle’s bakes drawing attention due to their magnificent piping. This was one of the best seasons of Bake Off not just for its unique comedy bits, but because it really leaned in to the cooking show element and displayed some amazing confectionary concoctions that viewers were happy to attempt at home.
2 Season Six
While some seasons stand out for their comedy and drama, Season Six makes this list for the sheer amount of talent showcased in this round of the competition. Every episode is topped off with a stunning showstopper and tasty bakes in every challenge, and it was genuinely difficult to decide who out-baked the rest. Nadiya Hussain, the eventual winner of this season, has had success ever since. Husain progressed from a full-time mother to a professional television chef and author after her experience on The Great British Baking Show.
1 Season Nine
So far, Season Nine of The Great British Baking Show has been the most entertaining and popular. This installment was likable mostly for its spunky set of contestants and eventual winner, Rahul Mandal. Season Nine also saw an immense amount of talent, making every challenge a close one. Not only is this season tense, but it’s also exciting, funny, and entertaining, having the best episodes of The Great British Baking Show to date.
Season 13 of The Great British Bake Off began airing in the UK on Sep. 13th, 2022, and will eventually arrive on Netflix.
