Entertainment
The Great British Bake Off Covid-safe bubble sounds like an absolute hoot
Bake Off has been filming under strict Covid guidelines (Picture: Mark Bourdillon)
The Great British Bake Off put strict guidelines in place to ensure everyone remained safe during filming – but that doesn’t mean everyone didn’t get to let their hair down.
Apparently, those in the Channel 4 show’s Covid bubble were treated to an ‘indie festival’ hosted by Noel Fielding and his girlfriend Lliana Bird, and many a night with the judges propping up the bar.
Series 12 of Bake Off had been filming at Down Hall Hotel, Herts, for the second year running, with hundreds of people in a Covid-safe bubble, including the bakers, hosts, judges, cleaning staff, medics, security guards and cameramen.
Those involved in filming had to remain at the luxury hotel for six weeks to ensure that nobody got pinged or tested positive for Covid-19.
To keep everyone entertained, the team laid on entertainment, with The Sun reporting that host Noel, 48, and his partner, radio DJ Lliana, 40, threw an ‘indie festival’ that had everyone partying until the wee hours.
Fellow presenter Matt Lucas, 47, hosted a quiz, while the publication also reports that judges Paul Hollywood, 55, and Prue Leith, 81, joined staff at the bar nightly.
Paul and Prue joined the staff at the bar (Picture: Mark Bourdillon)
A source said: ‘Some nights we all went to the hotel bar and there was music playing and we carried on partying.’
With Lliana joining Noel for the stint, Paul’s girlfriend Melissa Spalding also paid a visit for two weeks.
Last year, Bake Off was filmed during the pandemic, and producers had to make major changes to ensure the competition looked as normal as possible.
While usually bakers leave the tent after the weekend to go back to their jobs, studies and normal lives, the cast was required to stay at the hotel for all six weeks of filming to ensure the safety of everybody involved.
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Some bakers who were the sole carers for their children brought their families with them in the bubble, while others didn’t see their families for the best part of two months – with eventual finalist Dave Friday having to stay away from his pregnant girlfriend.
While the show did have to shut down briefly when a staff member tested positive, Bake Off aired without a hitch, with Peter Sawkins being crowned the winner.
The cast of series 12 has yet to be announced, but Bake Off is expected back on our screens this autumn.
