The Great British Bake Off series 11

Theeleventh seriesofThe Great British Bake Offbegan on 22 September 2020. It was presented by returning hostNoel Fieldingand new hostMatt Lucas, who replacedSandi Toksvig,and was judged by returning judgesPaul HollywoodandPrue Leith. The first three episodes were extended to 90 minutes instead of the usual 75 minutes. The bakers were announced on 15 September 2020.
Filming of the eleventh series was delayed by theCOVID-19 pandemic; originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, it was pushed back to July 2020.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 HallHotel nearBishop's Stortfordwith a skeleton staff),and filming took place in a marquee tent in the garden of the hotel over a period of six weeks.The contestants and crew had to undergo a period of self-isolation after filming had ended.
The series was won byPeter Sawkins, with Dave Friday and Laura Adlington finishing as the runners-up. Sawkins is the firstScottishwinner of the programme, and also the youngest winner in the show's 10-year history, at the age of 20.
Series 11 was released onNetflixin theU.S.as Collection 8. It premiered on 25 September 2020, with each episode available three days after the UK air date.
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For the signature challenge, the bakers created an intricateBattenberg cakein two hours. The technical challenge set by Paul gave the bakers ninety minutes to bake 6 miniature pineappleupside-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 cakebustdepicting their personal celebrity hero, in four hours.
The broadcast of Episode 1 began at 8:15pm instead of 8:00pm, following Prime MinisterBoris Johnson's address to the nation on theCOVID-19 pandemic.  The episode began with a parody of the Johnson address by new presenter Matt Lucas.
For the signature challenge, the bakers were tasked with making thirty-six identical chocolateflorentines, in two hours. The technical challenge, set by Prue, required the bakers to make twelve hand-shaped coconutmacaroons, six piped with a mango curd and the other six drizzled and filled with chocolate, in one hour and forty-five 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.
The signature challenge tasked the bakers with making two freeformsoda breadloaves, one savoury and one sweet, and an accompanying butter in one hour, forty-five minutes. The technical challenge, set by Paul, tasked the bakers into making six rainbow-colouredbagelsin honour of theNHS, in two hours, forty-five minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were asked to create a large decorative bread plaque in the style of a traditionalharvest festivalsheaf, portraying the one thing in life they are most grateful for, in three hours, thirty minutes.
The signature challenge was back to basics as the bakers were asked to make eighteen chocolatebrownies, in one hour, thirty minutes. For the technical, Paul tasked the bakers with making a traditionalJewishbake: chocolateBabka, in2+1⁄2hours. In the showstopper challenge, the bakers were required to produce a spectacular two-tiered white chocolate celebration cake in four hours.
For the signature, the bakers were tasked with putting their own spin onCornwall's national dish: thepasty, in two hours. The technical challenge, set by Prue, required the bakers to make sixéclairs—three raspberry, and three salted caramel—in two hours, fifteen 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, forty-five minutes.
Week Six 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, thirty minutes. For the technical challenge, Prue asked the bakers to make aMatchaCrepeCake consisting of twelve 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 4 hours to produce a cake inspired by thekawaiiculture in Japan, incorporating Japanese flavours.
This was the 100th episode of the Great British Bake Off throughout all seasons.
For the signature challenge, the bakers were asked to perform their own twist on eight classical quiches with two different styles in two hours. For the technical challenge, Paul asked the bakers to make six deep-fried, identical custard & jam finger doughnuts in two hours, forty-five minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were required to make an ice cream cake, which was considerably more difficult since it was the hottest day of the year, in four hours, thirty minutes.
The signature challenge tasked the bakers with making twelve mini baked cheesecakes, in2+1⁄2hours. For the technical challenge, Prue set a 17th-century bake: twoSussex pond puddingsusingsuetpastry and served withcreme anglaise, again in2+1⁄2hours. 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 in4+1⁄2hours.
The signature challenge required the bakers to make twelve Pâte à Savarin in two hours, forty-five minutes. The penultimate technical challenge, set by Paul, gave the bakers the challenging task of making a Danish Cornucopia cake,kransekage, in two hours, fifteen minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were given4+1⁄2hours to make twenty-five cube-shaped cakes that required the precision expected inpâtisseries.
For the final signature challenge, the finalists were tasked with making eight beautifully decorated custard slices, in2+1⁄2hours. 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, in4+1⁄2hours.
The judges said this was the closest final in the history of the show.
Two compilation episodes ofThe Great British Bake Off: Best Bits, showing highlights from the previous ten series, were shown in the weeks after the final.These were followed by two further specials focusing on the previous 10 winners:The Great British Bake Off: The Winners.The first episode covered the first five champions, the second the last five.
Two specials were commissioned for the festive season:
The Great Christmas Bake Off features James Hillery fromSeries 8, Ruby Bhogal fromSeries 9, Jamie Finn and Rosie Brandreth-Poynter both fromSeries 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 miniaturepanettones. Prue's technical challenge required the bakers to make a quickChristmas pudding(withmincemeatmade from scratch), to be cooked in a microwave and served with aCrème 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.
The Great New Year Bake Off featured Helena Garcia and Henry Bird fromSeries 10as well asSeries 5winnerNancy BirtwhistleandSeries 9winnerRahul 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 fruitcrumble, served with a complementaryice cream, in two hours. Paul's technical challenge tasked the bakers with making 6 steamedbaobuns 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.
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.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 miniseriesA Woman of Substance,which was watched by 13.9 million viewers in 1985.The overnight audience figure rose to an average of 9.2 million for the final, peaking at 10.4 million.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.
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.With 674 million minutes streamed, the show was the 5th most watched program on Netflix for the week.