The Great British Bake Off series 1

For the fifth series aired as the first season of the PBS broadcast, see The Great British Bake Off (series 5).

The first series of The Great British Bake Off first aired on BBC Two on 17 August 2010. Ten home bakers took part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be designated the best amateur baker. Each week the programme bakers participated in three challenges in a particular discipline, with some being eliminated at the end of each episode. The rounds of the competition took place in various locations across the UK following a theme, for example, the episode on puddings took place in Bakewell, bread baking would take place near Sandwich. This first series had a voiceover by Stephen Noonan; for the subsequent series this role was taken by the on-screen presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. The competition was won by Edd Kimber.

The Great British Bake Off
Series 1
Photo of the main cast and contestants of the first series
Starring	Mel Giedroyc Sue Perkins Mary Berry Paul Hollywood
No. of episodes	6
Release
Original network	BBC Two
Original release	17 August (2010-08-17) – 21 September 2010 (2010-09-21)
Series chronology

Bakers

Baker	Age	Occupation	Hometown
Annetha Mills	30	Midwife	Essex
David Chambers	31	Entrepreneur	Milton Keynes
Edward "Edd" Kimber	24	Debt collector for Yorkshire Bank	Bradford
Jasminder "Jas" Randhawa	45	Assistant Credit Control Manager	Birmingham
Jonathan Shepherd	25	Research Analyst	St Albans
Lea Harris	51	Retired	Midlothian, Scotland
Louise Brimelow	44	Police Officer	Manchester
Mark Whithers	48	Bus Driver	South Wales
Miranda Gore Browne	37	Food buyer for Marks & Spencer	Midhurst, West Sussex
Ruth Clemens	31	Retail manager/Housewife	Poynton, Cheshire

Results summary

Elimination chart

Baker	1	2	3	4	5	6
Edd	SAFE	HIGH	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	WINNER
Ruth	HIGH	SAFE	HIGH	HIGH	HIGH	Runner-up
Miranda	HIGH	HIGH	SAFE	HIGH	LOW	Third
Jasminder	SAFE	SAFE	LOW	SAFE	OUT
David	LOW	LOW	LOW	OUT
Jonathan	SAFE	HIGH	OUT
Annetha	HIGH	OUT
Louise	LOW	OUT
Lea	OUT
Mark	OUT

Colour key:

  Baker got through to the next round.

  Baker was eliminated

  Baker was one of the judges' least favourite bakers that week, but was not eliminated.

  Baker was one of the judges' favourite bakers that week.

  Baker was the series runner-up.

  Baker was the series winner.

Episodes

Episode 1: Cakes

For the first challenge, the bakers were instructed to bake any cake they want using their creativity within three hours. It had to be evenly baked, evenly risen, and moist. For the technical challenge, the bakers were to make a Victoria Sandwich using Mary Berry's recipe. For the final challenge, the showstopper challenge, the bakers were required to make a Chocolate Celebration Cake, with perfect execution, original ideas and their own flair.

Location: Cotswolds

Baker	Signature (Cake)	Technical (Victoria Sandwich)	Showstopper (Chocolate Celebration Cake)	Result
Annetha	Light Jamaican Black Cake with Strawberries and Cream	2nd	Red, White & Blue Chocolate Cake with Cigarellos, Fresh Fruit, and Cream	Safe
David	Chocolate Orange Cake	3rd	Black Forest Floor Gateau with Chocolate Leaves, Fallen Fruit, and Chocolate Mushrooms	Safe
Edd	Caramel Cinnamon and Banana Cake	1st	UNKNOWN	Safe
Jasminder	Fresh Mango and Passion Fruit Hummingbird Cake	—	UNKNOWN	Safe
Jonathan	Carrot Cake with Lime and Cream Cheese Icing	9th	Three Tiered White and Dark Chocolate with Almond and Cherry	Safe
Lea	Cranberry and Pistachio Cake with Orange Flower Water Icing	10th	Raspberries and Cream-filled Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-dipped Fresh Fruit	Eliminated
Louise	Carrot and Orange Cake	—	Never Fail Chocolate Sponge Cake with Fresh Fruit	Safe
Mark	Sticky Marmalade Tea Loaf	—	Heart-shaped Chocolate and Beetroot Cake	Eliminated
Miranda	Triple Layered Brownie Meringue Cake with Raspberry Cream	8th	Three Tiered Chocolate Fudge Cake with Handmade Chocolate Button Decorations	Safe
Ruth	Lemon Drizzle Cake with Fresh Cream and freshly made Lemon Curd	—	Classic Chocolate Sponge wrapped in a Chocolate Collar topped with Handmade White and Dark Chocolate Truffles	Safe

Episode 2: Biscuits

For the signature bake, the bakers were asked to bake their Signature Personality Biscuits within two hours. The technical challenge required them to bake scones using Paul Hollywood's recipe within an hour. For the showstopper, the bakers were asked to produce three different Petit Fours: Meringues, Choux Pastry, and Macarons, within four hours.

Location: Scone Palace, Perthshire

Baker	Signature (Personality Biscuit)	Technical (Scones)	Showstopper (Petit fours: Meringues, Choux Pastry and Macarons)	Result
Annetha	Rose Petal Shortbread	7th	Pink Swirl Macarons Eclairs	Eliminated
David	Cheddar Cheese and Fresh Rosemary Biscuits	8th	Choux Pastry Swans Plain Meringues	Safe
Edd	Oatmeal Raisin Cookies	6th	Pink Macarons Passion Fruit Meringues	Safe
Jasminder	Millionaires' Shortbread	2nd	Meringues with Chocolate and Space Dust Coffee Flavoured Eclairs	Safe
Jonathan	Ginger and Honey Cookies	1st	Meringues with Whiskey Cream and Chocolate	Safe
Louise	Stained Glass Window Shortbread	4th	Strawberry, Mint, and Cream Meringue Baskets Chocolate Eclairs Orange, Yellow and Pink Macarons	Eliminated
Miranda	Fresh Vanilla Biscuits with Royal Icing	3rd	Pistachio Macarons	Safe
Ruth	Peanut Shortbread with Salted Peanut Caramel	5th	Almond Macaron with Violet Buttercream Raspberries and Cream Eclairs	Safe

Episode 3: Bread

For their signature bake, the bakers were given 3+1⁄2 hours to produce their signature bread loaf. The technical challenge required them to bake a traditional round cob loaf, using Paul's recipe in 2+1⁄2 hours. For the showstopper, the bakers were asked to bake 12 sweet rolls and another dozen savoury rolls, with three flavours of each, within 6 hours.

Location: Sarre Windmill, Kent

Baker	Signature (Breads)	Technical (Round Cob Loaf)	Showstopper (12 Sweet and 12 Savoury Rolls)	Result
David	Chilli Bread	4th	Walnut and Seed Roll Red Berry and Almond Bun Tomato and Herb Rolls	Safe
Edd	Olive Bread with Fennel and Cumin	1st	Tomato, Mozzarella, and Chorizo Rolls Chelsea Buns Hot Cross Buns	Safe
Jasminder	Focaccia with Sun-Dried Tomato and Rosemary	5th	Mango and Sultana Buns Pain au Chocolat with Mars Bars Tutti Frutti Wheels with Jelly Tots Tomato and Cheese Rolls	Safe
Jonathan	Anchovy, Sweet Paprika and Oregano Bread	6th	Sticky Lemon Honey Buns Olive and Anchovy Rolls Sun-Dried Tomato and Fresh Herb Rolls Stilton, Walnut and Braeburn Apple Rolls Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Sultana Chelsea Buns with Icing	Eliminated
Miranda	Walnut and Apricot Bread	3rd	Lemon Iced Buns Chocolate and Orange Buns Cranberry Buns with Icing Sugar	Safe
Ruth	Maple and Pecan Bread	2nd	Chocolate and Orange Panettone Cranberry Bagels	Safe

Episode 4: Puddings

For the first challenge, the bakers were asked to bake their own classic pudding, steamed or baked, in 2+1⁄2 hours. In the technical challenge, the bakers were required to use Mary's recipe to bake four miniature lemon souffles within 40 minutes. The bakers started to bake at different time intervals. The showstopper gave the bakers five hours to produce three puddings: crumble, bread, and suet.

Location: Bakewell, Derbyshire

Baker	Signature (Steamed or Baked Pudding)	Technical (Mini Hot Lemon Soufflés)	Showstopper (3 Puddings: Crumble, Bread, and Suet)	Result
David	Pear and Walnut Pudding	5th	Apple and Blackberry Crumble Rhubarb and Orange Betty Suet Pear	Eliminated
Edd	Apple and Plum Pudding with Rum Caramel Sauce	3rd	Apple and Cinnamon Crumble Nutella Banana Brioche Bread Pudding Rhubarb and Strawberry Suet Layer	Safe
Jasminder	Sticky Toffee Pudding	2nd	Bread & Butter Pudding Treacle Suet Pudding with Fresh Fruit Apple and Pineapple Crumble	Safe
Miranda	Sticky Toffee Pudding with Caramelised Walnuts	1st	Queen of Puddings Chocolate Pear Roly Poly Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble	Safe
Ruth	Peach and Blueberry Boy Bait	4th	Apple & Ginger Crumble Rhubarb Suet Pudding Cherry Queen of Puddings	Safe

Episode 5: Pastry

For the signature challenge, the bakers were asked to bake a savoury pie in 2+1⁄2 hours. For the technical challenge, the bakers were asked to bake 4 Cornish pasties in 1+1⁄2 hours. For the showstopper, the bakers were asked to bake 2 pastry platters containing savory canapés and sweet tartlets, in 5 hours.

Location: Mousehole, Cornwall

Baker	Signature (Savoury Pies)	Technical (Cornish Pasties)	Showstopper (Tarts and Canapés)	Result
Edd	Chicken, Ham, Leek and Tarragon Pie	2nd	Almond Sweet Tart with Ginger and Chocolate Yorkshire Curd Tart Chickpea and Salami Red and Yellow Pepper Asparagus Gruyere Quiche	Safe
Jasminder	Chicken and Mushroom Pie	4th	Jaggery, Carrot, and Spiced Condensed Milk Tart Fruit and Custard Tart Thai Chili and Red Onion Duck in Plum Sauce Salmon and Prawn Canapés	Eliminated
Miranda	Summery Salmon, Cod and Prawn Fish Pie	1st	Chocolate Pastry filled with Orange Cheesecake Chocolate Pastry filled with Milk Chocolate Ganache Strawberry Tart with Red Currant Glaze Cheesy Crab Broad Bean and Tomato Pastry Hearts Pancetta and Leek Risotto Canapés	Safe
Ruth	Minced Beef Pie	3rd	Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Tart Creme Patisserie and Cherry Tart Citrus Curd Tart with Creme Brulee Top Roasted Tomato Canapés Asparagus Pastry Twirls	Safe

Episode 6: Tea Party (Final)

In the final, one of the three finalists was eliminated after the first bake, and only two bakers competed in the final day. For the first challenge, they were asked to bake 24 professional-quality miniature cakes in 2+1⁄2 hours. For the final challenge, the 2 finalists were given 5 hours to bake 24 miniature tarts, 24 scones, 24 choux buns, and 24 brown and white bread finger sandwiches for afternoon tea on the garden lawn for 40 guests (including all the bakers from earlier rounds).

Location: Fulham Palace, London

Baker	Signature (24 Professional Miniature Cakes)	Showstopper Afternoon Tea Party: Petit Fours, Scones, Finger Sandwiches	Result
Edd	Cinnamon and Banana Cakes	Chocolate and Ginger Tarts Lemon Scones with Passion Fruit Curd Raspberry Choux Buns Finger Sandwiches	Winner
Miranda	Lemon Cupcakes	—	Eliminated at signature
Ruth	Mint, Ginger and Blackberry Cakes	Red Pepper and Cheese Quiche Tarts Sultana Scones Vanilla and Lemon Choux Buns Finger Sandwiches	Runner-up

It took the judges nearly five hours to determine whom to eliminate, and had to look back at their performances over the series as a whole to make a decision. The idea of eliminating a contestant in the final was dropped from future series.

Post-show career

After winning the competition, Edd Kimber is able to make his living from baking. He worked in the pastry kitchen at Raymond Blanc's restaurant Le Manoir. He has written three books on baking, The Boy Who Bakes, Say It With Cake, and Patisserie Made Simple: From Macaron to Millefeuille and More. He has taught macaron making classes in London, run a pop-up bakery in Fortnum & Mason, and appeared as a 'resident baker' on The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

Ruth Clemens has written a number of books on cake making and baking, including Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating, The Pink Whisk Guide to Cake Making, The Pink Whisk Guide to Baking and Creative Éclairs.

Miranda Gore Browne wrote a book, Biscuit, published on 5 April 2012. Her second book, Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can, was published in August 2014.

Jonathan Shepherd left his job in the pharmaceutical company and launched a new business, The Pudding Stop, in St Albans. It started as a portable street-food vendor and a supplier of puddings to restaurants. Shepherd has since also opened a shop, also in St Albans.

Mark Whithers, who was eliminated in Episode 1, died on 11 May 2013 after suffering from cancer.

The Great British Wedding Cake

In this one-off special edition, the three finalists from series one (Edd, Ruth and Miranda) returned. Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry set them the challenge of making and baking two spectacular Wedding Cakes each in just sixteen hours, one being traditional and the other contemporary. Paul and Mary explore the history of the Great British Wedding Cake, looking at the dramatic changes through the eras; from the Tudors and the Victorians, wartime Britain and the eighties to the present day. Although Paul and Mary judged the results, no individual winner was declared.

Ratings

Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.

Episode no.	Airdate	Viewers (millions)	BBC Two weekly ranking	Nightly ranking
1	17 August 2010 (2010-08-17)	2.24	7	12
2	24 August 2010 (2010-08-24)	3.00	3	10
3	31 August 2010 (2010-08-31)		2	11
4	7 September 2010 (2010-09-07)	2.60	4
5	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	3.03	1	10
6	21 September 2010 (2010-09-21)	2.75

Specials

The Great British Wedding Cake

Episode no.	Airdate	Viewers (millions)	BBC Two weekly ranking
	20 April 2011 (2011-04-20)	1.60	19

External links

• The Great British Bake Off series 1 at BBC Online