How far ahead is The Great British Bakeoff filmed?

There has been some controversy over the last week about about a Baked Alaska disaster where one of the contestants accidentally removed another's ice cream from the freezer. Following this he decided not to present his dessert to the judges which cost him his place in the competition.

I'm very interested in the reaction which this has generated in response. There seem to be lots of discussions about removing Diana (who removed the ice cream) and reinstating Iain (who left). However it's my understanding that the series was filmed several weeks ago.

Here are a few examples (quote from the linked article)

There were calls for Diana Beard, who at 69 is the show's oldest contestant, to be told off, disqualified and even arrested.

This makes it sound like the competition is currently going on and that the producers could actually disqualify her. However in a statement from the BBC they commented that

Diana will not appear in the rest of the series as she fell ill ahead of filming episode five earlier this year.

This sounds to me like the show was filmed months ago.

When exactly are the Bakeoff (and indeed other shows like it) are filmed in relation to when they are broadcast? Are they filmed in advance and broadcast at a later date or are they filmed and shown week by week?

production the-great-british-bakeoff

Best Answer

From Bake Off insiders reveal what really goes on inside the tent:

In the first year the show moved from place to place every week. This year (2014) the tent was pitched in April at Welford Park in Berkshire for ten weeks.

"We try to record at weekends, because so many of our contestants have day jobs. They arrive, go into the tent, and bake for Mary and Paul. That’s it." says executive producer Anna Beattie.

Each episode is filmed over two days.

“We record the entire series before transmission,” says Beattie. “Of course, we then have to keep the winner a secret until the series ends. It is a risk, because it relies on everyone involved playing ball, but we trust people not to spoil it.”

(Note that the 2014 series was filmed starting in April, according to the above quote; it began airing in August 2014.)