‘The Great British Baking Show’: The End Of An Era Starts On PBS Tonight

It can’t be stated enough: The Great British Baking Show is the sweetest show on television. The series has always boldly bucked the conventions of what a reality cooking competition show should be. Instead of relying on celebrity chefs or contrived drama, The Great British Baking Show fosters a calm sense of community. The contestants, all wholesome, friendly amateur bakers, all want to win, sure, but there’s no backstabbing, no sabotage, and no cruel strategies here. The show is just non-stop scrumptious bakes and soothing country pastels.

But tonight marks the beginning of the end of The Great British Baking Show as we know it. A brand new season debuts this evening on PBS, and though the series is as deliciously charming as ever, an invisible shadow looms over the proceedings. This is the last season that will feature the original four judges and presenters: Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, Sue Perkins, and Mel Giedroyc.

What’s going on? The Great British Baking Show, known as The Great British Bake Off* in the UK, is made by Love Productions. For seven successful seasons, the show aired on BBC, the crown jewel of British broadcasting and became a summertime ratings juggernaut. The show became such a cultural mainstay that 2015’s winner, Nadiya Hussain, was asked to bake Queen Elizabeth II her 90th birthday cake. However, when the time came to re-negotiate the BBC’s contract last year, things got sticky. Love Productions inked a lucrative three-year deal with rival station Channel 4 and only Paul Hollywood agreed to stick with the show. The next season of the series will air in the UK later this year and will feature South African baking guru Prue Leith as Paul Hollywood’s new co-judge and  The Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding and Q.I.’s Sandi Toksvig as the show’s new presenters.

Though Channel 4 is taking great pains to ensure that the show stays largely the same — they’re even filming the new series in the same location as before — it’s never going to feel quite the same. Much of The Great British Baking Show’s charm comes from the unique chemistry of the original quartet. As a team, their collective upbeat attitude helped set the tone for the rest of the series, ensuring that the contestants stayed civil towards one another. Paul and Mary made for an enchanting odd couple, each excited to share their own personal tricks of the trade, while Mel and Sue’s decades-long friendship shone through their zippy intros. These four kind of made the show.

Of course, the series has other charms, too. Lest you think that I’m teasing a season full of doom and gloom and sadness, the mood of the cast is as undeniably ebullient as ever before. Once more, twelve of Great Britain’s best amateur bakers descend upon the tent to try their hand at being named Britain’s Best Baker. There’s a sweet minister, a grannie who likes jazzercising to Ed Sheeran, a pretty young gym teacher who suffers from self doubt, and a slick banker named Selasi who is a master with flavor. In short, the gang’s all here. Everyone’s excited, nervous, and full of friendly encouragement.

There’s no sign of strife from the hosts, either. Mel and Sue are still cracking naughty double entendres and Paul and Mary are still the most chipper and encouraging critics in all of food television.  Though, there is one brief moment of uncharacteristic tension. In tonight’s premiere episode, “Cake Week,” Mary is taken aback when Paul dips his Jaffa Cake in tea. “We don’t do that in the south,” she digs.

American audiences will once more find themselves with a welcome escape when The Great British Baking Show premieres tonight on PBS (and subsequently on PBS’s digital platforms). Again, the show is as good as ever. The contestants are endearing. The bakes are magnificent. The dirty puns are still dirty. But as you devour this season, remember to pause and savor it. After this season ends, The Great British Baking Show will change forever.

*Apparently Pillsbury owns the rights to the phrase “Bake Off” stateside and that’s why the name is slightly different over here.

Stream The Great British Baking Show, Season 4, on PBS

Stream The Great British Baking Show, Seasons 1-3, on Netflix