I have seen every episode of The Great British Bake Off. Multiple times. Its charm has never failed to bring me comfort, even after the worst of days. Hearing the words “ready, set, bake!” in a proper British accent has always brought a smile to my face, even after 12 seasons and 128 episodes. So when I heard that the show had been renewed for a 13th season, I was ecstatic. Sep 16, the release date of the first episode couldn’t have come fast enough. However, the wait was worth it.

As the name might suggest, The Great British Bake Off is a British baking competition show. It’s composed of three challenges: the signature, where contestants are assigned a baked good with which they will add their own unique twist, the technical, where contestants bake using a sparse and are judged blind, and the showstopper, where contestants are given a prompt to which they create an extravagant outcome. Though the structure of every episode is the same, themes such as “cake week”, “pastry week”, and “German week” give each episode its own unique touch.

The judges and hosts all have their own distinct personalities that really make the show come together. By the end of each season, Paul Hollywood’s intimidating nature and Noel Fielding’s lighthearted jokes are expected and welcomed. In most other shows, this pattern would seem boring and repetitive, but consistency is what makes The Great British Bake Off so comforting. 

The contestants themselves are a diverse group, consisting of bakers from all sorts of cultures and backgrounds. A common theme in every season is that each contestant is simply so lovely. In contrast to many cooking competitions on tv, these bakers support each other and even help each other when something goes wrong. 

The show’s newest season is no different. Even after the first episode, I found myself falling in love with the quirks of each contestant, host, and judge. Just as it has every time, episode 129 of The Great British Bake Off left me feeling comforted and calm (and a little bit hungry). This show deserves 5/5 stars and a Paul Hollywood handshake.