Great British Bake Off 2023 undergoes huge revamp ahead of new season after complaints from viewers

The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) will undergo a major revamp on its challenges ahead of the new season, according to a national newspaper. The changes come after the show received a large amount of complaints from its viewers.

The popular Channel 4 show saw a flurry of complaints after finding some of the challenges in the 2022 season too complicated, and time limits too constraining. An insider on the show said that season 14, due to start production in April, will take on more classic bakes and easier tasks.

One of the tasks viewers objected to included the Halloween lantern that also had to be a pinata. The insider said: “There is a realisation last year’s show didn’t really work. We’re going to strip it back to basics, with a few twists.”

Richard McKerrow, boss of Love Productions, who produce the baking show, said in a podcast recently that the production team do listen to its fans and take suggestions and complaints into consideration when planning new seasons. Speaking about season 13 on The Media Podcast, he said: “I’d be the first to hold up our hands and say I feel the last series was not our strongest.

“You’ve got to take a look and go, ‘Sh*t, are the challenges too ­complicated?’”, he added. “We’re looking very, very, very hard at making sure it’s as good a series as it can be.”

The season 13 finale, which saw Syabira Yusoff crowned the winner, was watched by 5.2 million viewers, a step down from the previous season’s 7.2 million.

Season 14 of the Great British Bake Off is set to begin filming in April this year, with Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith returning as judges. Who will replace Matt Lucas alongside Noel Fielding as presenters is currently unknown.