The Great British Bake Off rose like a magnificent soufflé for UK broadcaster Channel 4, as the Love Productions show’s Season 11 finale was watched by a record audience on Tuesday night.
Deadline won’t be revealing any spoilers given the episode is yet to stream on Netflix in the U.S. (where it is known as The Great British Baking Show), but a winner was crowned in front of a crowd of 9.2M viewers here in Britain.
That made it the highest-rated episode on Channel 4 following The Great British Bake Off’s move from the BBC in 2017 — a worthy way to mark a testing Covid-era shoot, in which contestants and presenters lived in a hotel for weeks.
It was also Channel 4’s best overnight audience since modern records began in 2002. Once catch-up viewing is factored in, the finale could go on to beat the consolidated audience of 10.8M for the Season 11 premiere in September. This was Channel 4’s biggest audience since 1985.
Tuesday’s episode is not, however, The Great British Bake Off’s best performance ever in the UK. That came in 2016 when the final was seen by 14M people on BBC One, which is the dominant channel in Britain.
The Great British Bake Off has won universal praise in the UK for oozing warmth and comfort during the pandemic. New presenter Matt Lucas, who works alongside Noel Fielding and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, has also been lauded for his contribution to the show.