THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF, BBC1, 8pm
WHAT a lovely sense of ease and contentment. The Bake Off is back! All’s well.
As summer crept in and temperatures rose, I kept watching the TV schedules. Why is it not here yet? Has it been delayed? Because of Wimbledon? The Euros? The Olympics? The summer wore on and it still didn’t raise its sugar-dusted head. But now, exhale. Relax. It’s here.
The first episode begins in classic fashion: they have to bake three cakes. I can’t say what they are, but none are spectacular. They are all homely, decent cakes which would not look out of place in a posh cafe. These challenges are set to root out pretenders.
There are plenty of nerves on show, with bakers abandoning their cakes midway through the Showstopper challenge to start again, and I spotted a few tears as Paul and Mary strutted the tent to deliver their verdicts.
It’s this combination of terror with pastel shades and delicate cakes which make the Bake Off so addictive. Panic and sweetness certainly go well together.
PEOPLE JUST DO NOTHING, BBC2, 10pm
THE mock documentary about MC Grindah and Beats, pirate radio DJs in hoodies who run Kurupt FM, returns for a new series.
There are shades of The Office in this, but maybe we’ve come full circle with mock-docs so copying – or drawing influence from – The Office is now a genre in itself.
It’s still funny though and the setting is far enough removed from the Slough paper merchants that it can stand alone.
We see Chabuddy G preparing for a date. Ask what the G stands for and he’ll tell you: “Gucci. Girls. Girth.” But he’s not so cool, deep down, and is worried this new woman will “break my heart and steal all my stuff again”.
The rest of the lads are in the studio to record a new track but daren’t admit they don’t know how to operate the equipment.
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