"The Great British Bake Off" doesn't want to learn from its mistakes
Salon"I don't feel like we should make Mexico jokes, people will get upset" Noel Fielding, wearing a Party Central sombrero and a sarape, mused at the beginning of "The Great British Bake Off's" ill-fated 2022 "Mexico Week." In that moment, it was evident that the "Bake Off" hosts were trying to use stale humor to address just how poorly the show's internationally-themed baking weeks had been received in seasons prior. The show's 2020 Japan Week was described even by British newspapers as being "borderline racist," while Eater London termed it an "Orientalist mess," featuring Lucas "mishearing" katsu curry as "cat poo curry" and reminders that Paul Hollywood once confessed that he doesn't believe Japan understands baking — on a show about Japanese baking. The show's producers have now responded, too, announcing in advance of the new season, which premieres later this month, that "Bake Off" would discontinue internationally-themed weeks for the foreseeable future.
History of this topic
“The Great British Bake Off” is back this week! Here’s what we know about the new season
Salon
Why ‘Mexican Week’ is a sign of bigger problems for ‘Great British Baking Show’
LA Times
Great British Bake Off: Viewers brand Mexican Week culturally insensitive
Daily Mail
A new 'Great British Bake Off' episode stereotypes Mexican culture, viewers say
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