How ‘Great British Bake-Off' Is Adapting Because of COVID-19

Shows around the world have had to change the way they plan to produce new episodes because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, the willy popular “Great British Bake-Off" has revealed their plans to ensure safety for their contestants.

The show, which has previously been open to contestants of all age groups, will be taking an approach that will see more senior contestants rejected this time around, as the older population is considered to be the most at-risk for severe complications if they contract COVID-19. A source told The Sun that the show is eager to get back to production and on-air, and changing the cast to be only younger contestants is the only way that they can likely move forward with the pandemic still a concern.

“There’s a real sense of urgency to get the next series of ‘Bake Off’ in the can, considering it’s one of Channel 4’s biggest draws,” the source said. “That means the nation’s baking grans and grandads have been deemed too high risk... It’s a shame characters are rejected on account of age.”

The concern was that the more vulnerable contestants could fall seriously ill, and would lead to production being forced to shut down and cost producers a large sum of funds.

As film and television productions continue to gear up and make plans to get back to work, precautions against the pandemic have been necessary for each. In the United States, after just one day back on set, production temporarily shut down again on daytime soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful,” in order to change the testing protocols.

In addition to expanding the testing protocols, the show has hired an on-set coordinator to oversee safety, instituted new mask requirements when cast members are not on camera, staggering the numbers of people there at a time, and even bringing in the real-life partners of the show’s stars to serve as body doubles for scenes that require intimate contact.