Great British Bake Off contestants had to live in ‘self-contained biosphere for six weeks’ so 2020 series could happen

Cast and crew had to undertake strenuous measures, including extreme isolation, to guarantee filming could go ahead safely

“Massive sacrifices” have been made by the cast and crew of The Great British Bake Off to ensure this year’s series could go ahead despite the pandemic and consequent restrictions.

Serious precautions were taken to guarantee that filming of the Channel 4 show would be safe; 120 members of the series’ cast and crew lived in a self-contained biosphere for six weeks during the shoot to avoid having to socially distance.

Kieran Smith, the creative director at Bake Off’s production company, told Broadcast, “So many people rely on Bake Off for work that we knew we had to work out a plan.”

All contestants and judges lived together at a South East location in July. They were joined by 80 members of the production team, 20 hotel staff and approximately 20 children, as well as multiple chaperones and dog walkers.

The strenuous measures began even before that with the team having to self-isolate for nine days and take three Covid tests prior to moving into the South East location.

Sandi Toksvig, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood chat with contestant Alice Fevronia during the Great British Bake Off final. (Channel 4)

Smith called the six-week shoot a “gruelling” experience, working on a “two days on, two days off” basis.

In order to avoid the use of public toilets, transportation from the baking tent to their nearby accommodation also had to be arranged. “It was a massive operation,” said Smith.

The creative director revealed that during the filming there was one Covid scare, which turned out to be a false alarm.

The extensive health and safety precautions meant the shoot “felt like the safest place in Britain”, according to Smith.

He also said that Bake Off’s new host, comedian Matt Lucas, who replaced Sandi Toksvig, has slotted in well with the cast and crew: “It felt like he had always been there.”

No release date for the next series of The Great British Bake Off has been confirmed, however, filming for the 11th series officially wrapped on Wednesday (19 August).