Fans of the beloved Great British Bake Off were given an unexpected shock—not from a kitchen mishap but from a trigger warning that advised the Halloween special might not be suitable for younger viewers. The caution, complete with a bold red “Guidance” icon, was attached to online episodes of the Channel 4 show’s inaugural Halloween Week from 2022.
However, as reported by The Sun, it seems this advisory has mysteriously disappeared. The spirited episode featured hosts Noel Fielding and his 2022 co-presenter Matt Lucas decked out in festive Halloween costumes, while spider webs and skeletons filled the background to mark the occasion.
Contestants, such as the eventual winner Syabira Yusoff, busied themselves creating dishes with autumnal flavours for the critical taste buds of judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, as per Wales Online.
Interestingly, warnings usually reserved for explicit content have been popping up even on retro sitcoms, denoted for “language of the time”. Tapping into public sentiment, senior Tory MP Sir John Hayes commented on this peculiar precaution to The Sun: “Most people find these types of trigger warnings very bizarre. The idea that the Great British Bake Off could be risky or dangerous is for the birds.”
In a surprising gaffe, Channel 4 chiefs have acknowledged an error in wrongly assigning an advisory symbol to The Great British Bake Off and have consequently removed it, admitting the mistake was not intentional. A Channel 4 representative elucidated: “The Great British Bake Off is a family show, loved by audiences of all ages. Any guidance warnings were applied in error.”
This admission comes on the heels of Paul Hollywood’s recent insights into the demanding nature of critiquing the renowned baking contest as participants dwindle over time, reports the Mirror.
Long-standing judge Paul Hollywood, who is 58 and has been with the show since its original commencement around a decade and a half ago on BBC, divulged to TV Times: “It gets harder as you go through, as there’s so little between the bakers. We used to worry over whether enough good people would apply for the show, but now we think, ‘How are we going to judge them? ‘ as they’re so good from the start.”