‘The Great British Baking Show’s New Host Made Himself Sick on the Very First Day of Filming
When the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began ravaging the world, it completely brought the film and television industry to its knees. The BBC’s beloved baking competition series The Great British Baking Show was in the middle of filming a new season when they were forced to shut down production.
Though the series is traditionally shot in a white tent, the contestants and judges typically return home after a weekend of filming to their families and lives. Since the virus is so contagious that could not happen. The production company had to find a new way to make sure the judges, hosts, contestants, and crew remained safe and healthy.
This wasn’t the only misstep that The Great British Baking Show faced this season. The series’ new host Matt Lucas got very sick on the very first day of filming.
‘The Great British Baking Show’ started filming in quarantine
Fans were devastated when The Great British Baking Show was forced to stop filming in the middle of production. This was especially worrisome for contestants who had already gone through a round of intensive screening before they even made it to the white tent. The screening included a 45-minute phone interview, making two baked goods, completing a screen test, an in-person interview with a producer, and a meeting with the show’s psychologist.
However, because of the tent’s ventilation and the way the virus works, health and safety could not be risked. According to Deadline, filming is finally underway again after a four-month hiatus. In order to meet safety concerns, the crew, contestants, and judges were all quarantined prior to restarting filming.
The set was also moved to a different location to so that there would be less travel.
‘The Great British Baking Show’ will premiere soon — for some people
With filming of the new season of The Great British Baking Show underway, the series will premiere much sooner than fans originally thought, at least for some people.
Chief Commercial Officer of Sky Studios Jane Millichip revealed to Deadline, that U.K. fans might see the new season before the end of the year. However, for fans of the series living in the U.S., the series is unlikely to premiere on Netflix until 2021.
‘The Great British Baking Show’s new host made himself sick on the very first day
In addition to the pandemic, The Great British Baking Show had a major casting shakeup with comedian Matt Lucas replacing co-host Sandi Toksvi. Unfortunately, Lucas had a very first rough day.
The Sun is reporting that Lucas ate too many of the contestants’ bakes on his first day and became very ill. An insider revealed, “When he saw all the treats on offer he took the opportunity to do what he couldn’t as a viewer—taste them.” Since there are so many contestants, especially during week one, that is a lot of sugar and dough for one person.
Hopefully, Lucas didn’t get too ill and he learned his lesson about simply taste testing and not trying to indulge in everything at once.
