‘As interesting as watching dough rise’: is this the dullest Bake Off ever?

After 14 series, the sparkle has gone. Even Alison Hammond has failed to inject enough energy into this total snoozefest of a showIt’s hard to keep any show engaging for 14 series, especially one like Bake Off. It’s no mean feat to maintain the sparkle in a format that is replicated every year, through the move to Channel 4, the presenter shake-ups and limits of the pandemic years. Nonetheless, even if The Great British Bake Off is long past its best, it has managed to remain such a reliable source of sweetness that even its worst seasons were still a good time on the sofa.But this year Bake Off has committed a cardinal sin, one even worse than awarding Russell Brand star baker for making biscuits in the shape of his wife’s genitals: it is boring.