When I first saw ads for this show on PBS I was skeptical about how interesting such a show could be, as I'm not particularly into baking, and I don't tend to watch any other cooking shows on the PBS Create channel where this airs. But after checking out an episode, I was hooked. I'm still a bit confused about the show's future in the UK and whether PBS will continue to buy rights to it if it continues in England, on whatever channel.

I see that an American-based version aired in 2013 for one season, and another American version has apparently aired starting in 2015 and seems to be still running, although I can't find it anywhere when I do a TiVo search. I'm still watching the British version on PBS Create channel, but not sure what's going to happen now, especially since PBS seems to air episodes quite long after they first aired in England. Does anyone know what's going on?

Hi, Moon!

In late 2016, rights to this series were purchased by a different UK t.v. network, that's produced and aired I believe 3 (perhaps 4) new seasons since then - however with Mary Berry and the two comedic co-host women gone, replaced by others. Only Paul Hollywood carried over to the new series (which, incidentally, the new network of started the counter back over, calling the newly produced seasons Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, rather than continuing season numbers from where the prior ones had left off. Here's the TMDb overview page that shows the pictures of current recurring primary cast.

From Wikipedia about the personnel changes:

In its fifth series it was moved to BBC One where it stayed for three years. It was the most-watched programme on British television in 2015 and 2016. Following extended negotiations, Love Productions announced that the seventh series of the show would be the last broadcast by the BBC. On 12 September 2016, Love agreed to a three-year deal to broadcast the show on Channel 4. [Co-hosts] Giedroyc and Perkins subsequently announced that they would not be returning when the show moves to its new network. On 22 September, Berry announced that she would also be leaving the show when it moved to Channel 4, while Hollywood later announced he would stay. In March 2017, it was announced that Prue Leith would join Hollywood as a judge, while Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig would take over as presenters.

Under the past contract, PBS in the States always got The Great British Baking Show as a regular included part of its programming package agreement with I believe BBC and ITV. I don't think PBS has any agreement with the UK's Channel 4, therefore when the last season that we saw in the States aired (in the States), it was mentioned in press at the time that it was the final-ever season of the series that PBS would be airing. Such a shame.

Meanwhile, the Great American Baking Show (which I've watched each of the seasons of, that air during the winter months on ABC in the States) had Mary Berry and Johnny Iuzzini as its original two judges; the American series tapes at the UK location where the British series is produced. Clearly ABC has a different sort of partnership agreement with the series than did PBS. When Mary Berry left the British series, also she, regrettably, left the American series - though then Paul Hollywood took her place. I think the American version of the show was originally planned to follow the format of the UK original and was expected to feature year-round type all-around baking, though after the first season it settled in as strictly a special holiday baking show, airing I think starting a week or two before Christmas, then continuing into mid Jan.

Regrettably, the 2017-2018 holiday season of the American series got pulled by ABC after just its first episode aired. The Johnny Iuzzini sex scandal having broken right after that episode had aired was why that season got unceremoniously shelved. Here's a TMDb thread I created about the situation at the time.

Since then, Paul Hollywood continues as one of the two American series' judges, with each season since then him having a different female co-judge. I enjoyed the first and most recent American series a lot, though with the show's two in-between seasons having been rather hit-or-miss. Last winter's series was a winner, the formula feeling nearly perfect.

At any rate (and sorry for this epically long post; there was a lot to explain, regarding the various related series and the continuations and also the casting changes), things are generally pretty confusing regarding the UK and American series, including the PBS agreement regarding the original UK series.

I'm not at all a foodie, and am like you, that the UK series was something I eventually stumbled upon and quickly became hooked by its tremendous charm and appeal, plus the general positivity of it. I had seen it listed for a season or two before I started actually watching it. Prior to then I always resisted, thinking I wouldn't be interested.

By the way, I really enjoy the special Master Class episodes of the Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood series. PBS airs both the regular Master Class episodes and the special Holiday Edition ones. They're special extra episodes of the main The Great British Baking Show series.

Meanwhile, here's the threads I've created about the Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition (the ABC series).

Wow, thanks for the detailed explanation. I've watched every episode that has aired in the past few months on PBS (seasons 2 and 3, apparently), including the season-end masterclasses and a recent Christmas special w/Paul and Mary where they built a cool gingerbread house among other things. I'll set my TiVo to create a wish list/season pass for the ABC version when it comes around again in a few months, apparently. It will also catch any reruns that they might air promotionally in the run-up to the new episodes. Cheers!

I wish PBS would rerun any one(s) of the other past seasons. My secondary Philly station (I don't live at all near that city, btw, but am within its broadcast region) keeps airing just UK Season 3 (that John Whaite won), and it's specials - over and over.

WARNING: SPOILER re: season 6 winner

I'm still very confused about season numbers. My TiVo has season six listed as season three. Maybe that numbering comes from PBS and refers to the third season they broadcast, not the original third season? Anyway, I was rooting for Nadiya Hussain, and she actually won the final. I think she had lots of fans during the series.

She is diminutive and adorable, but a real lion of a baker. She's smart, has a scientific grasp of baking that few others have, and is very creative with ingredients and technique. She was also funny, always looking panicked and somewhat frightened, but somehow pulling out the win in the end.

After winning the final she commented that the experience had taught her never to say, "I can't do it," so I guess it gave her more confidence than she had when she started. I get the feeling that many who have appeared on the show have gained greatly from the experience. I know that Nadiya has had great post-show success in the industry and on TV, and I wish her well.

I remember Nadiya and liked her a whole lot, both personality wise and regarding superb baking skills.

As I recall, she was from the final new season before the series switched UK networks. PBS aired her season, then - months later - aired UK season 3, which is the one that John Whaite won. That UK S3 is what we, in the States, will always consider the most recent and "final" season (that PBS would air). That season (which is the one I keep seeing reruns of) is from 2012, though didn't air in the US until last year.

On TMDb, we have seasons numbering like how the respective UK networks, at the times of original broadcast of those seasons, numbered them. When the series moved from the BBC to Channel 4, Channel 4 chose to start the counter over and to begin, anew, with its own "Series 1". Therefore, there's S1, S2, S3, and I believe also S4 in two separate sequences, first from the pre-Channel 4 seasons, then from the new Channel 4 seasons. Super-confusing, for sure!

TMDb goes with the season numbers that match what the respective UK channels called the seasons, though Wikipedia and IMDb, and I think also a lot (probably all) of online t.v. listings, don't, and instead stick to including the Channel 4 seasons in the original numbering sequence (thus now up to I think "Season 10"). It doesn't help that the UK Season 3 was the United States' I believe 6th sequential season of the show, as the US had never previously aired that season. Therefore that's an additional numbering issue that confuses things, and results in different sites listing the seasons numerically differently. (That's why Seasons 6 and 3 get their numbers reversed in American listings.)

Regarding Nadiya, I haven't read or heard anything about her since her season aired in the States, so am unfamiliar with the career advancements and opportunities she's had since then. I definitely will want to do some catch-up reading. She certainly was a very likeable and superbly talented contestant.

@genplant29 said:

On TMDb, we have seasons numbering like how the respective UK networks, at the times of original broadcast of those seasons, numbered them. When the series moved from the BBC to Channel 4, Channel 4 chose to start the counter over and to begin, anew, with its own "Series 1". Therefore, there's S1, S2, S3, and I believe also S4 in two separate sequences, first from the pre-Channel 4 seasons, then from the new Channel 4 seasons. Super-confusing, for sure!

Well, I can understand that starting the series number over with one was Channel 4 way of saying that it was now their show (and not the BBC), but it's still produced by Love Productions.

The format has changed (not to my liking) somewhat - Channel 4 is a commercial network - with all the ads and spectacle thrown in.

Although it has not happened (yet, I think), in this new show, to attract more viewers, one can expect e.g. Cookie Monster to appear tasting cookies, the contestants baking light, fluffy cakes in an air balloon, or everyone dressed in the appropriate costumes when baking, using recipies from the Victorian era.

When I saw the picture of the "punk" looking new co-host, it felt like production is trying way too hard to "reinvent the wheel" - despite that the show was already wildly popular in its original format. The very traditional-ness of the original run of the series was, I think, its charming great appeal.

I hate when something's good already and its magic formula gets tampered with. Rarely does that result in an actual improvement.

wonder, I haven't heard how the Channel 4 version of the series has been doing, ratings wise. Is it still a ratings winner, or has it suffered as a result of the various changes?

@genplant29 said:

wonder, I haven't heard how the Channel 4 version of the series has been doing, ratings wise. Is it still a ratings winner, or has it suffered as a result of the various changes?

It's difficult to say. There was a dip in the first series. Since then, it's doing quite well for Channel 4, which is catering to a 'younger' audience. Some of the older generation have stopped watching, but others are quite content with this 'faster-paced' format.

GBBO was unique to me that I could just relax for an hour, with a cup of tea and my slice of cake, enjoying the pleasant quiet ambience that surrounded the show.

It's still ok, but it feels different.

I tremendously appreciate my station that reruns an episode (either regular or a Master Class) every Sunday morning. Whenever I watch the aired episode, the day automatically feels like it's gotten the ideal, perfect feel-good start.

I've been getting about 3-4 episodes a week on local PBS Create channel, a mix of what my TiVo calls seasons 2 and 3. Season 3 just ended and now they appear to be playing it over again right away.

Btw, here's the Wikipedia article on Nadiya Hussain. She's been very busy!

Wow: I just read Wikipedia's Nadiya article, and she, indeed, has been tremendously busy - as well as extremely popular - since the airing of her TGBBO season! I hadn't been aware of any of that.

If she isn't a millionaire yet, she probably will be soon. And she deserves every bit of it.

@genplant29 said:

I remember Nadiya and liked her a whole lot, both personality wise and regarding superb baking skills.

As I recall, she was from the final new season before the series switched UK networks. PBS aired her season, then - months later - aired UK season 3, which is the one that John Whaite won. That UK S3 is what we, in the States, will always consider the most recent and "final" season (that PBS would air). That season (which is the one I keep seeing reruns of) is from 2012, though didn't air in the US until last year.

Well, now I see that in my local PBS market they are about to show the first episode ("Cake") of what PBS calls season 4. On my TiVo's program guide they are saying the original air date was 6/16/17, but I guess that was the first PBS air date in my market, not the British air date. Also, it's airing once a week now instead of more than once a week. It's on the main PBS channel this time, while the PBS Create channel is looping through the previous season (PBS season "3") again after just finishing it a few weeks ago.

I seem to keep losing track of the TiVo/PBS confusing season numbering (getting old, I guess); and to make matters worse, Wikipedia calls PBS's season 3 "series 6." So I guess I'll now be watching original series 7? I'm thoroughly confused, but at least I get to see a season I haven't seen before. Cheers!

I hope that someday some U.S. network will be able to air the episodes that have been airing since the U.K. channel switch.

Hello!

Just a heads up that, if interested, the 2-hours Season 5 premiere of the American version of this series airs on ABC this Thursday night, 12/12, at 9p.m. Eastern. The American series, since I believe beginning with its Season 2, has been known as The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition.

Season 5 will have the same two judges and the same two hosts as last season, namely judges Paul Hollywood (same as the UK series) and Sherry Yard, and hosts Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice" of The Spice Girls singing group) and Anthony "Spice" Adams. Last season I thought that Bunton and Adams were absolutely wonderful and a thorough delight as a team, while it took me a while to warm to judge Sherry Yard - though I liked her once I got used to her.

At any rate, fans of the UK series will also enjoy the US version.

It appears the series continues to be filmed at the same UK outdoor location we're familiar with from the British series. Seems like the show would film somewhere in the US, since I believe all of the baking contestants have each season been Americans.

By the way, this past Sunday morning I finished watching UK Series 4 - the season that contestant Frances Quinn won (runners-up were named Kimberly and Ruby). Is that the season you watched the other month, Moon? I had seen that season at least once before (kinda think it may have been the very first season I ever watched, four or so years ago, but certain episodes of it also once since then), but enjoyed it again lately, on Sunday mornings, when I realized one of my secondary PBS stations was rerunning it again.