Review: The Great Christmas Bake Off 2021

Nothing says Christmas Day quite like collapsing on the sofa after Christmas dinner unable to move. So, what better to watch whilst incapacitated in this food coma state than a baking programme?! 2021’s edition of The Great British Bake Off: Christmas Special was the perfect choice this year, as the programme saw the cast of the hugely popular series from earlier in the year, It’s a Sin, face off against each other in the hopes of being crowned star baker.

It’s a Sin was one of the biggest television series of 2021, amassing almost 19 million views online within a month of its release. Focusing on the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, the show works to highlight the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community as well as the extreme taboo surrounding HIV and AIDS even today. Four of the shows biggest stars took part in Christmas Bake Off this year: Olly Alexander, Lydia West, Nathaniel Curtis and Shaun Dooley.

The contestants paid homage to It’s A Sin throughout Bake Off, with Lydia including the signature greeting of the characters of the show, ‘La!’ on one of her bakes

As Louis Staples notes, bringing the cast of It’s a Sin into the Bake Off tent may seem to be combining two contrasting worlds – The Great British Bake-Off may be seen on the outside as almost traditional and patriotic, with a fan base spanning multiple generations. However, the show has boasted many queer contestants, and at least one of the presenters of the show at all times has been part of the LGBTQ+ community, making it one of the most progressive shows on television on that front.

In terms of the festive special itself, it provided everything you could ask for

The contestants paid homage to It’s A Sin throughout Bake Off, with Lydia including the signature greeting of the characters of the show, ‘La!’ on one of her bakes. Although the judges also hinted towards the themes of the show with the inclusion of rainbow coloured Christmas stocking decorations in the technical round, the episode could definitely have done more to highlight the LGBTQ+ issues that are central to It’s a Sin. Whilst I understand that the show has to be Christmassy, and therefore they likely wanted to steer clear of any tough issues, it just felt that they could have done something a little more, especially as Christmas can be a very hard time of year for people in the community who might be expected home to families who are unsupportive of them.

In terms of the festive special itself, it provided everything you could ask for – the contestants all came across as genuinely lovely people, and some of the baking was really quite impressive. Nathaniel Curtis truly earned his title of Star Baker (I think I can spoil it now – it’s been long enough!), although Lydia West did give him a run for his money. The show was exactly the feel-good programme needed on Christmas Day, although I’m sure even after a full Christmas dinner, it left many of us craving a sweet treat!