Great British Bake Off episode hit with warning for first time in show's history - Nottinghamshire Live

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A Great British Bake Off Halloween special was deemed frightening enough to prompt a trigger warning for its special episode. The Channel 4 favourite, typically broadcast before 9pm, issued a caution for its first-ever Halloween Week from 2022, warning it "isn't suitable for younger viewers".

The alert appeared on the online version of the sixth episode of that year's series, showing up on the app and website before viewers hit play, though it has since disappeared, as reported by The Sun. Hosts Noel Fielding and his 2022 co-host Matt Lucas were seen in Halloween costumes, with the baking tent adorned with balloons, fake skeletons, and cobwebs to mark the occasion.

Contestants, including winner Syabira Yusoff, were tasked with creating apple and pumpkin delights for judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, according to Wales Online. While such advisories are usually reserved for content with explicit language, violence, or nudity, they have also been applied to classic sitcoms for "language of the time".

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The Sun notes that senior Tory MP Sir John Hayes commented on the unusual warning, stating: "Most people find these types of trigger warnings very bizarre. The idea that the Great British Bake Off could be risky or dangerous is for the birds."

In an apparent mix-up, Channel 4 executives have acknowledged they wrongly placed a warning symbol on The Great British Bake Off and have since removed it, referring to it as an oversight. A Channel 4 spokesperson clarified: "The Great British Bake Off is a family show, loved by audiences of all ages. Any guidance warnings were applied in error," reports the Mirror.

The admission comes after Paul Hollywood, the renowned baking competition judge, discussed the difficulties of evaluating contestants as the series progresses, with the competition intensifying.

Paul Hollywood, who has been a staple judge since the programme's early days nearly 15 years ago on the BBC, confided his thoughts to TV Times: "It gets harder as you go through, as there's so little between the bakers. We used to worry over whether enough good people would apply for the show, but now we think, 'How are we going to judge them? ' as they're so good from the start."