The next season of “The Great British Bake Off” will scrap its nationality-themed challenge weeks following intense criticism that the rounds were culturally insensitive.
The hit show will return to a more traditional format for its 13th season airing next week — submitting to gripes from fans that the show leaned into casually racist stereotypes in previous years.
“We didn’t want to offend anyone but the world has changed and the joke fell flat,” executive producer Kieran Smith admitted to The Guardian.
“We’re not doing any national themes this year.”
The “GBBO” — known as Collection 10 on Netflix and titled “The Great British Baking Show” in the US due to copyright issues involving Pillsbury — had included one national-themed week per season the past three years.
Though there was criticism following the show’s “Japan Week” in 2020 and “German Week” in 2021, fans revolted against last year’s “Mexican Week.”
Hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas — both white Brits — were slammed for donning sombreros and maracas and mispronouncing Spanish words.
The episodes saw contestants make tacos, which some viewers described as butchering the famous dish, while others complaining that the show was deviating from its baking premise toward cooking.
In an effort to hit two birds with one stone, “GBBO” creators will replace the culturally insensitive nationality week with a Party Cakes challenge, according to Smith.
The 13th season will also feature its classic weeks: Cakes, Biscuits, Bread, Patisserie and Chocolate.
“We chose this year’s challenges very carefully to be approachable,” said celebrity chef and “GBBO” judge Paul Hollywood.
“In a way, we’ve returned to the philosophy of the first three series. There are some beautiful classic ones and they’ve been a big success.”
In the immediate aftermath of the nationality-week criticism, Hollywood said he based the challenges on what he saw on a recent trip to Mexico rather than tired stereotypes.
Fellow judge Dame Prue Leith clapped back at the backlash, saying that “the idea that we were set out to insult anybody is ridiculous.”
In another deviation, the show announced in December that Lucas would be leaving his hosting duties after three seasons on the show.
The comedian — who appeared on “GBBO” for the only three years the national-week challenges were featured — chalked up his departure to schedule conflicts.
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