The Great British Bake Off (series 11)

The Great British Bake Off
Series 11
British digital release
Starring	Noel Fielding Matt Lucas Paul Hollywood Prue Leith
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	10
Release
Original network	Channel 4
Original release	22 September (2020-09-22) – 24 November 2020 (2020-11-24)
Series chronology
← Previous Series 10 Next → Series 12

The eleventh series of The Great British Bake Off began on 22 September 2020. It was presented by returning host Noel Fielding and new host Matt Lucas, who replaced Sandi Toksvig;^[1] and judged by returning judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. The first three episodes were extended to 90 minutes instead of the usual 75 minutes. The bakers were announced on 15 September 2020.^[2]

Filming of the eleventh series was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic; originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, it was pushed back to July 2020.^[3] Filming the series normally takes place over 12 or 13 weeks on the weekends, but due to the pandemic, the cast and crew had to live in a "self-contained biosphere" (Down Hall Hotel near Bishop's Stortford with a skeleton staff),^[4] and filming took place in a marquee tent in the garden of the hotel over a period of six weeks.^[5][6] The contestants and crew had to undergo a period of self-isolation after filming had ended.

The series was won by Peter Sawkins, with Dave Friday and Laura Adlington finishing as the runners-up. Sawkins is the first Scottish winner of the programme, and also the youngest winner in the show's 10-year history, at the age of 20.^[7][8]

Series 11 was released on Netflix in the U.S. as Collection 8. It premiered on 25 September 2020, with each episode available three days after the UK air date.

Bakers[]

Baker[2]	Age	Occupation	Hometown	Links
Dave Friday	30	Armoured security guard	Waterlooville, Hampshire	[9]
Hermine	39	Accountant	London	[10]
Laura Adlington	31	Digital manager	Gravesend, Kent	[11][12]
Linda Rayfield	61	Retirement living team leader	Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex	[13][14]
Loriea Campbell-Clarey	27	Diagnostic radiographer	Durham	[15]
Lottie Bedlow	31	Pantomime producer	West Sussex	[9]
Makbul "Mak" Patel	51	Accountant	Manchester	[16]
Marc Elliott	51	Bronze resin sculptor	St Eval, Cornwall	[17]
Mark Lutton	32	Project manager	Portadown, Northern Ireland	[18]
Peter Sawkins	20	Accounting & finance student	Edinburgh	[19]
Rowan Williams	55	Music teacher	Pershore, Worcestershire	[20]
Sura Mitib	31	Hospital pharmacy dispenser	London	[21]

Results summary[]

Elimination chart
Baker	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Peter	SB								SB	WINNER
Dave		SB								Runner-up
Laura					SB					Runner-up
Hermine							SB		OUT
Marc			SB					OUT
Lottie						SB	OUT
Mark				SB		OUT
Linda					OUT
Sura				OUT
Rowan			OUT
Mak		OUT
Loriea	OUT

Colour key:

  Baker was one of the judges' least favourite bakers that week, but was not eliminated.

  Baker was one of the judges' favourite bakers that week, but was not the Star Baker.

  Baker got through to the next round.

  Baker was eliminated.

  Baker was the Star Baker.

  Baker was a series runner-up.

  Baker was the series winner.

Episodes[]

  Baker eliminated

  Star Baker

  Winner

Episode 1: Cake[]

For the signature challenge, the bakers created an intricate Battenberg cake in two hours. The technical challenge set by Paul gave the bakers 90 minutes (1 1/2 hours) to bake six miniature pineapple upside-down cakes. At the end of the challenge, Sura, who saw a fly and was trying to brush it away, accidentally hit Dave's tray of six miniature cakes as he was setting them down, knocking four to the floor. Prue and Paul judged the better looking of the remaining two, assuming the rest were the same. In the showstopper challenge, the bakers created a 3-D cake bust depicting their personal celebrity hero, in four hours.

Baker	Signature (Battenberg Cake)	Technical (6 Miniature Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes)	Showstopper (Celebrity Hero Cake Bust)
Dave	Chocolate Espresso Martini Battenberg Cake	9th	Three Flavours of Tom DeLonge
Hermine	Chocolate & Orange Battenberg Cake	5th	Ode to Lupita
Laura	'Celebration of Summer' Battenberg Cake	6th	Lemon & Elderflower Freddie
Linda	Ambulance Battenberg Cake	12th	Lemon & Orange Bob Marley
Loriea	'Hot Summer's Day Treats' Battenberg Cake	10th	'Flavours of Jamaica' – A Tribute to Miss Lou
Lottie	Rhubarb and Custard Battenberg Cake	4th	Coconut & Lime Louis Theroux
Mak	East India Battenberg Cake	8th	Tribute to Bill Bryson
Marc	Bittersweet Battenberg Cake	11th	Chocolate & Vanilla Ziggy
Mark	Turkish Bazaar Inspired Battenberg Cake	7th	'Origin-ger of the Species' by Charles Darwin
Peter	Gluten-Free Chocolate & Orange Battenberg Cake	2nd	In honour of Sir Chris
Rowan	'The Magic Flute' Battenberg Cake	3rd	'Let Them Eat Cake' – A Tribute To Marie Antoinette
Sura	Lemon & Orange Battenberg Cake	1st	Ode to Attenborough

The broadcast of Episode 1 began at 8:15pm instead of 8:00pm, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's address to the nation on the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode began with a parody of the Johnson address by new presenter Matt Lucas.^[22]

Episode 2: Biscuits[]

For the signature challenge, the bakers were tasked with making 36 identical chocolate florentines, in two hours. The technical challenge, set by Prue, required the bakers to make 12 hand-shaped coconut macaroons; six piped with a mango curd, and the other six drizzled and filled with chocolate, in an hour and 45 minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were given four hours to create a beautiful molded 3D biscuit table setting representing a memorable meal they had in the past.

Baker	Signature (36 Chocolate Florentines)	Technical (12 Hand-Shaped Coconut Macaroons)	Showstopper (3D Biscuit Table Setting)
Dave	Feathered Chocolate Mango Florentines	1st	'Waiting for Tacos'
Hermine	Mango and Coconut Florentines	5th	Sakura Tea Set
Laura	Salted Caramel Florentines	7th	Celebration Afternoon Tea
Linda	Flower Topped Florentines	4th	'High Tea in Amsterdam'
Lottie	Quarantine Florentines	8th	Viking Victuals
Mak	Mango and Cumin Florentines	3rd	Indian Chai Service
Marc	Ginger, Cherry and Pistachio Florentines	9th	Morning Coffee 'n' Toast
Mark	Mango Lassi Florentines	2nd	Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
Peter	Sticky Toffee Florentines	10th	Biscuit Burns Supper
Rowan	Waistcoat Florentines	11th	'Worse Things Happen At Sea'
Sura	Sohan Florentines	6th	Speculaas Ramadan Tea Time

Episode 3: Bread[]

The signature challenge tasked the bakers with making two freeform soda bread loaves; one savoury and one sweet, along with an accompanying butter, in 1 hour 45 minutes. The technical challenge, set by Paul, tasked the bakers with making 6 rainbow-coloured bagels in honour of the NHS, in two hours 45 minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were asked to create a large decorative bread plaque in the style of a traditional harvest festival sheaf, portraying the one thing in life they are most grateful for, in three hours 30 minutes.

Baker	Signature (2 Soda Bread Loaves)	Technical (6 Rainbow-coloured Bagels)	Showstopper (Large Bread Plaque)
Dave	Chilli Chocolate & Cheesy Bacon Soda Bread	9th	'Grateful For My Home and Little Family'
Hermine	My Favourite Flavours Soda Bread	7th	A Journey Back to France
Laura	Nana Peg's Nicely Spiced and Cherrylicious Soda Bread	6th	Showstopping Musical Theatre Inspired Bread
Linda	Cyflym Bara Soda Bread	1st	'Fruits of our Labour' Black Olive Bread & Tiger Bread
Lottie	Blueberry Breakfast & Summertime Soda Bread	5th	My House In Bread
Marc	Cornish Soda Breads	2nd	The Dharma Wheel Bread Sheaf
Mark	Sausage & Stout Soda Bread	3rd	Orchard County Bread with Sweet Apple and Savoury Wild Garlic
Peter	Black Pudding & Ginger Beer Soda Bread	4th	Edinburgh Cityscape Bread Plaque
Rowan	Flavours of Italy	10th	Worcestershire Pear Tree
Sura	Middle Eastern Inspired Soda Bread	8th	Mama's Tomato Vine Harvest Loaf

Episode 4: Chocolate[]

The signature challenge was back to basics as the bakers were asked to make 18 chocolate brownies, in 90 minutes. For the technical, Paul tasked the bakers with making a traditional Jewish bake: chocolate Babka, in two hours 30 minutes. In the showstopper challenge, the bakers were required to produce a spectacular two-tiered white chocolate celebration cake, in four hours

Baker	Signature (18 Chocolate Brownies)	Technical (Chocolate Babka)	Showstopper (White Chocolate Celebration Cake)
Dave	Honeycomb Explosion Brownies	8th	Strawberry Splash White Chocolate Fraisier Cake
Hermine	Raspberry, White Chocolate & Pistachio Brownies	5th	Lemon & White Chocolate Cake
Laura	Salted Caramel Brownie S'mores	2nd	Chocolate Heaven Cake
Linda	'Treats of Christmas Past'	1st	English Rose Cake
Lottie	'Have Your Cake and Eat It' Brownies	9th	Nana and Papa's Sapphire Anniversary Cake
Marc	Praline Brownies	6th	White Chocolate & Raspberry Buttercream Celebration Cake
Mark	'Gimmie S'mores' Brownies	3rd	'A Bake Off Birthday'
Peter	Upside Down Brownies	4th	Graduation Cake
Sura	Double Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies	7th	Strawberry & White Chocolate Celebration Cake

Episode 5: Pastry[]

For the signature, the bakers were tasked with putting their own spin on Cornwall's national dish: the pasty, in two hours. The technical challenge, set by Prue, required the bakers to make six éclairs: three raspberry, and three salted caramel, in two hours 15 minutes. For the showstopper, the bakers were given the intricate task of making a sweet tart hidden under a latticed pastry cage, in three hours 45 minutes.

Baker	Signature (8 Pasties)	Technical (3 Raspberry Éclairs & 3 Salted Caramel Éclairs)	Showstopper (Caged Tart)
Dave	Thai Basil Chicken Pasties	5th	Chocolate, Mango and Lime Tart
Hermine	Moroccan Tagine Pasties	2nd	Lime Confit and Lemon Meringue Tart
Laura	Proper Tasty Pasties	6th	Kent Garden Tart
Linda	Spicy Indian Pasties	8th	Gypsy tart
Lottie	Toad-In-The-Hole-Less Pasties	4th	Apple Tree Tart
Marc	Cornish Fish Pasties	7th	Posh Apple & Blackberry Pie
Mark	Aloo Gobi Pasties	3rd	Mes-SAGE in a Bottle
Peter	Kedgeree Pasties	1st	Blackberry & Lemon Tart

Episode 6: Japanese[]

Week 6 was a Bake Off first as the bakers tackled Japanese week. The signature challenge tasked the bakers with making eight steamed buns, complete with a savoury or sweet filling and decoration, in two hours 30 minutes. For the technical challenge, Prue asked the bakers to make a Matcha Crepe Cake consisting of 12 layers of crepes sandwiched with a white chocolate ganache buttercream and strawberries, decorated with fresh fruits and edible flowers on top, in two hours. The showstopper gave the bakers four hours to produce a cake inspired by the kawaii culture in Japan, incorporating Japanese flavours.

Baker	Signature (8 Steamed Buns)	Technical (Matcha Crepe Cake)	Showstopper (Kawaii Cake)
Dave	Chicken Shaped Katsu Curry Buns	3rd	Matcha Shiba Inu Cake
Hermine	Chicken Nikuman Panda Buns	4th	Strawberry Cherry Blossom Cake
Laura	Piggy Pork Belly Buns	7th	Upside Down Pineapple Cake
Lottie	Cheeseburger Steamed Buns	2nd	Into the Japanese Woods
Marc	'Hmmmm Dhal' Steamed Buns	6th	Hamish the Dog Cake
Mark	Burger Buns	5th	'Avo Baby'
Peter	Lamb Steamed Buns	1st	Dizzy the Shuttlecock

This was the 100th episode of the Great British Bake Off throughout all seasons.

Episode 7: The '80s[]

For the signature challenge, the bakers were asked to perform their own twist on eight classical quiches with two different styles. For the technical challenge, Paul asked the bakers to make six deep-fried, identical custard & jam finger doughnuts. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were required to make an ice cream cake, which was quite a challenge considering it was the hottest day of the year.

Baker	Signature (8 Quiches)	Technical (6 Custard & Jam Finger Doughnuts)	Showstopper (Ice Cream Cake)
Dave	Novel Quiches	6th	'Tiramisu'
Hermine	Classic Quiches	1st	Holiday Ice Cream Cake
Laura	Pea & Pizza Quiches	4th	'Death by Chocolate'
Lottie	English Breakfast & Summer Salad Quiches	5th	'80's Mix Tape'
Marc	Cornish Quiches	3rd	Retro Ice Cream Parlour
Peter	Thai Curry & Salmon Quiches	2nd	'Christmas Cake Surprise'

Episode 8: Desserts[]

The signature challenge tasked the bakers with making twelve mini baked cheesecakes, in two hours 30 minutes. For the technical challenge, Prue set a 17th-century bake: two Sussex pond puddings using suet pastry and served with creme anglaise, again in two hours 30 minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were given the enormous task of making a jelly art design cake, composed of an artistic jelly design, a mousse and a baked sponge element in four hours and 30 minutes.

Baker	Signature (12 Mini Cheesecakes)	Technical (2 Sussex Pond Puddings)	Showstopper (Jelly Art Design Cake)
Dave	'Celebration of Citrus' Cheesecakes	5th	Newquay Beach Scene
Hermine	Passion Fruit Cheesecakes	3rd	Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Jelly Cake
Laura	Passion Fruit Cheesecakes	1st	'Flower Power' Koi Jelly Art Cake
Marc	New York Style Vanilla & Mascarpone Cheesecakes	2nd	Apple Jelly with Chocolate and Strawberry Mousse
Peter	Lime & Ginger Cheesecakes	4th	Snow Globe Jelly Cake

Episode 9: Pâtisserie (Semi-final)[]

The signature challenge required the bakers to make 12 Pâte à Savarin in two hours 45 minutes. The penultimate technical challenge, set by Paul, gave the bakers the challenging task of making a Danish Cornucopia cake (kransekake), in two hours 15 minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were given four hours 30 minutes to make 25 cube-shaped cakes that required the precision expected in pâtisseries.

Baker	Signature (12 Pâte à Savarin)	Technical (Danish Kransekake Cornucopia Cake)	Showstopper (25 Mini Cube-shaped Cakes)
Dave	Honey Tequila, Passion Fruit & Mango Savarins	3rd	Celebration of Chocolate Cube Cake
Hermine	Creme ét Abricot Baba au Rhum	2nd	'The Best of Hermine' Cube Cakes
Laura	Poached Pineapple, Kiwi and Passion Fruit Rum Babas	4th	Black Forest Cube Cakes
Peter	Strawberry & Elderflower Babas	1st	Chocolate, Raspberry & Pistachio Cube Cakes

Episode 10: Final[]

For the final signature challenge, the finalists were tasked with making eight beautifully decorated custard slices, in two hours 30 minutes. For the final technical challenge, Prue asked the bakers to make eight identical walnut whirls — a cone of chocolate with marshmallow inside, a biscuit base, and topped with walnuts, in two hours. For the final showstopper challenge, the bakers were tasked with making a colossal, spectacular dessert tower with a large cake at the base and at least three sections to represent the different baking disciplines, in four hours 30 minutes.

Baker	Signature (8 Custard Slices)	Technical (8 Walnut Whirls)	Showstopper (Colossal Dessert Tower)
Dave	'Caramel Latte' Custard Slice	1st	Tower to Redemption
Laura	Yuzu Custard Slice	3rd	Rainbow Dessert Tower
Peter	Cranachan Custard Slice	2nd	Bonkers Bake Off Bubble Cake

The judges said this was the closest final in the history of the show. Peter is the youngest ever winner of the Great British Bake Off.

Specials[]

Two compilation episodes of The Great British Bake Off: Best Bits, showing highlights from the previous ten series, were shown in the weeks after the final.^[23] These were followed by two further specials focusing on the previous 10 winners: The Great British Bake Off: The Winners.^[24] The first episode covered the first five champions, the second the last five.^[25]

Two specials were commissioned for the festive season:

The Great Christmas Bake Off[]

The Great Christmas Bake Off features James Hillery from Series 8, Ruby Boghal from Series 9, along with Jamie Finn and Rosie Brandreth-Poynter from Series 10. An Extra Slice presenter Tom Allen took over Noel Fielding as co-host with Matt Lucas, as Fielding welcomed the birth of his second child prior to filming and was on paternity leave.

For the signature challenge, the bakers were given three hours to create 12 miniature panettones. Prue's technical challenge required the bakers to make a quick Christmas pudding (with mincemeat made from scratch), to be cooked in a microwave and served with a Crème anglaise, in one hour and 15 minutes. The showstopper challenge asked the bakers to make an illusion cake to depict their ultimate Christmas day feast, in four hours.

Baker	Signature (12 Panettones)	Technical (Christmas Pudding)	Showstopper (Festive Feast Illusion Cake)
James	Piña Colada Panettone	2nd	Cola Ham & All The Trimmings
Jamie	American Football Panettones	4th	Bake Off Bucket
Rosie	Date, Cranberry and Mace Panettones	1st	Memories of a Childhood Christmas Feast
Ruby	Boozy Chai, Cherry and Chocolate Panettones	3rd	Christmas Brekkie Fit For An Elf

The Great New Year Bake Off[]

The Great New Year Bake Off featured Helena Garcia and Henry Bird from Series 10 as well as Series 5 winner Nancy Birtwhistle and Series 9 winner Rahul Mandal, making it the first time in the show's history two former winners were featured competing against each other. Noel Fielding returned to host alongside Matt Lucas.

The signature challenge required the bakers to make a fruit crumble, served with a complementary ice cream, in two hours. Paul's technical challenge tasked the bakers with making 6 steamed bao buns with shredded crispy duck fillings, in two hours. To celebrate the 2021 New Year, the bakers were asked to make a cake celebrating their 21st birthday for the showstopper challenge, in four hours.

Baker	Signature (Fruit Crumble with Ice Cream)	Technical (6 Bao Buns)	Showstopper (21st Birthday Cake)
Helena	'Rest In Pieces' Peach Crumble with Salted Butter and Pecan 'Ice-scream'	2nd	'My First Witch's Altar'
Henry	Plum, Blackberry & Ginger Crumble with Honey & Ginger Ice Cream	3rd	Three Tier Raspberry, Thyme & Roasted Rhubarb Cake
Nancy	Caribbean Crumble with Lime Crusted Coconut Ice Cream	4th	21st Birthday Cake
Rahul	Spiced Apple, Rhubarb & Plum Crumble with Orange & Ginger Ice Cream	1st	Chocolate & Orange Cake with Hazelnut & Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ratings[]

The premiere episode of the series had the best start for the show since it moved to Channel 4, with an average of 6.9 million viewers tuning in and peaking at 7.9 million according to overnight viewing figures.^[26] The weekly consolidated audience figure was reported to be 10.8 million, which increased to 11.2 million after viewers who watched on other devices were included. This is the highest rating for any series on Channel 4 in 35 years after the miniseries A Woman of Substance, which was watched by 13.9 million viewers in 1985.^[27] The overnight audience figure rose to an average of 9.2 million for the final, peaking at 10.4 million.^[28] The consolidated audience figure for the finale was 11.5 million, the second highest for a commissioned programme in Channel 4 history, and the consolidated figure averaged at 10.6 million for the series.^[29]

Episode no.	Airdate	7-day viewers (millions)	28-day viewers (millions)	Channel 4 weekly ranking	Weekly ranking all channels[30]
1	22 September 2020 (2020-09-22)	11.21	11.84	1	1
2	29 September 2020 (2020-09-29)	10.81	11.38	1	1
3	6 October 2020 (2020-10-06)	10.70	11.21	1	1
4	13 October 2020 (2020-10-13)	10.63	11.17	1	1
5	20 October 2020 (2020-10-20)	10.66	11.10	1	2
6	27 October 2020 (2020-10-27)	10.37	10.79	1	3
7	3 November 2020 (2020-11-03)	10.87	11.27	1	1
8	10 November 2020 (2020-11-10)	10.91	11.26	1	3
9	17 November 2020 (2020-11-17)	10.83	10.98	1	8
10	24 November 2020 (2020-11-24)	11.74	11.84	1	1

In the US, collection 8 was ranked amongst the top 10 most-streamed shows in the US, according to Nielsen's streaming rankings for the week of October 12.^[31] With 674 million minutes streamed, the show was the 5th most watched program on Netflix for the week.^[32]

References[]