The following season of “The Great British Bake Off” will scrap its nationality-themed challenge weeks following intense criticism that the rounds were culturally insensitive.
The hit show will return to a more traditional format for its thirteenth season airing next week — submitting to gripes from fans that the show leaned into casually racist stereotypes in previous years.
“We didn’t wish to offend anyone however the world has modified and the joke fell flat,” executive producer Kieran Smith admitted to The Guardian.
“We’re not doing any national themes this 12 months.”
The “GBBO” — referred to as Collection 10 on Netflix and titled “The Great British Baking Show” within the US because of copyright issues involving Pillsbury — had included one national-themed week per season the past three years.
Though there was criticism following the show’s “Japan Week” in 2020 and “German Week” in 2021, fans revolted against last 12 months’s “Mexican Week.”
![Matt Lucas and a contestant.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/NYPICHPDPICT000030113660.jpg?w=1024)
Hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas — each white Brits — were slammed for donning sombreros and maracas and mispronouncing Spanish words.
The episodes saw contestants make tacos, which some viewers described as butchering the famous dish, while others complaining that the show was deviating from its baking premise toward cooking.
In an effort to hit two birds with one stone, “GBBO” creators will replace the culturally insensitive nationality week with a Party Cakes challenge, in keeping with Smith.
The thirteenth season may even feature its classic weeks: Cakes, Biscuits, Bread, Patisserie and Chocolate.
“We selected this 12 months’s challenges very rigorously to be approachable,” said celebrity chef and “GBBO” judge Paul Hollywood.
“In a way, we’ve returned to the philosophy of the primary three series. There are some beautiful classic ones they usually’ve been a giant success.”
Within the immediate aftermath of the nationality-week criticism, Hollywood said he based the challenges on what he saw on a recent trip to Mexico quite than drained stereotypes.
![Cast of the show.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/NYPICHPDPICT000030113665.jpg?w=1024)
Fellow judge Dame Prue Leith clapped back on the backlash, saying that “the concept that we were got down to insult anybody is ridiculous.”
In one other deviation, the show announced in December that Lucas can be leaving his hosting duties after three seasons on the show.
The comedian — who appeared on “GBBO” for the one three years the national-week challenges were featured — chalked up his departure to schedule conflicts.