The eleventh series of The Great British Bake Off began on 22 September 2020. It was presented by returning host Noel Fielding and new host Matt Lucas, who replaced Sandi Toksvig, and was judged by returning judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. The first three episodes were extended to 90 minutes instead of the usual 75 minutes. The bakers were announced on 15 September 2020.
Filming of the eleventh series was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic; originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, it was pushed back to July 2020. Filming the series normally takes place over 12 or 13 weeks on the weekends, but due to the pandemic, the cast and crew had to live in a "self-contained biosphere" (Down Hall Hotel near Bishop's Stortford with a skeleton staff), and filming took place in a marquee tent in the garden of the hotel over a period of six weeks. The contestants and crew had to undergo a period of self-isolation after filming had ended.
The series was won by Peter Sawkins, with Dave Friday and Laura Adlington finishing as the runners-up. Sawkins is the first Scottish winner of the programme, and also the youngest winner in the show's 10-year history, at the age of 20.
Series 11 was released on Netflix in the U.S. as Collection 8. It premiered on 25 September 2020, with each episode available three days after the UK air date.
Bakers
Results summary
Colour key:
Episodes
Episode 1: Cake
For the signature challenge, the bakers created an intricate Battenberg cake in two hours. The technical challenge set by Paul gave the bakers 90 minutes (1 1/2 hours) to bake six miniature pineapple upside-down cakes. At the end of the challenge, Sura, who saw a fly and was trying to brush it away, accidentally hit Dave's tray of six miniature cakes as he was setting them down, knocking four to the floor. Prue and Paul judged the better looking of the remaining two, assuming the rest were the same. In the showstopper challenge, the bakers created a 3-D cake bust depicting their personal celebrity hero, in four hours.
The broadcast of Episode 1 began at 8:15pm instead of 8:00pm, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's address to the nation on the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode began with a parody of the Johnson address by new presenter Matt Lucas.
Episode 2: Biscuits
For the signature challenge, the bakers were tasked with making 36 identical chocolate florentines, in two hours. The technical challenge, set by Prue, required the bakers to make 12 hand-shaped coconut macaroons, six piped with a mango curd and the other six drizzled and filled with chocolate, in an hour and 45 minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were given four hours to create a beautiful molded 3D biscuit table setting representing a memorable meal they had in the past.
Episode 3: Bread
The signature challenge tasked the bakers with making two freeform soda bread loaves, one savoury and one sweet, and an accompanying butter in 1 hour 45 minutes. The technical challenge, set by Paul, tasked the bakers with making 6 rainbow-coloured bagels in honour of the NHS, in two hours 45 minutes. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were asked to create a large decorative bread plaque in the style of a traditional harvest festival sheaf, portraying the one thing in life they are most grateful for, in three hours 30 minutes.
Episode 4: Chocolate
The signature challenge was back to basics as the bakers were asked to make 18 chocolate brownies, in 90 minutes. For the technical, Paul tasked the bakers with making a traditional Jewish bake: chocolate Babka, in two hours 30 minutes. In the showstopper challenge, the bakers were required to produce a spectacular two-tiered white chocolate celebration cake in four hours.
Episode 5: Pastry
For the signature, the bakers were tasked with putting their own spin on Cornwall's national dish: the pasty, in two hours. The technical challenge, set by Prue, required the bakers to make six éclairs: three raspberry, and three salted caramel, in two hours 15 minutes. For the showstopper, the bakers were given the intricate task of making a sweet tart hidden under a latticed pastry cage, in three hours 45 minutes.