'The Great British Baking Show' Season 8 Trailer: New Episodes Arrive On Netflix This Week

The world can be cruel and harsh, especially these days. Which is why we need the almost painfully polite warmth of The Great British Baking Show now more than ever. New episodes of the beloved baking competition – which is called The Great British Bake-Off in the UK – are coming to Netflix starting this week. A new episode will drop this Friday, followed by additional episodes in the Fridays to come.

The Great British Baking Show Collection 8 Trailer

Get ready to bake your ass off with a new, fun-filled season of The Great British Baking Show. Once again, a group of bakers will head to the tent to whip up all sorts of concoctions, from bread, to biscuits, to cakes, and beyond. And it will be oh-so-polite and unapologetically earnest. This latest season isn't without changes, though.

For one thing, filming had to contend with the coronavirus, and Deadline reported that "Filming has taken place over the past six weeks at a top-secret location in the UK, with the usual months-long production schedule significantly condensed down to overcome Covid-19" and that the "cast and crew...were quarantined in the run-up to the shoot to allow for closer interaction on-set."

And speaking of the cast and crew, look for a new co-host. Matt Lucas, whose credits include Little BritanBridesmaids, and more, is now co-hosting with returning host Noel Fielding. Previously, Fielding co-hosted with Sandi Toksvig, but Toksvig left the show to focus on other projects. Before that, the series was hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.

I'm sure if you've somehow never managed to watch the Great British Baking Show you've at least heard of it, as the series has a big following. And if you're hesitant to check this show out for whatever reason, I urge you to give it a chance. Even the most cynical of people (like me!) will find something to love here. Yes, it's a competition, but all the contestants are unfailingly nice to each other, and while some of the judging can border on harsh, it never seems overly mean-spirited. It's just an overall good-hearted show, and we could all use some good-hearted stuff in our lives these days, what with the world at large a constant horror show.

And now for the "bad" news: if you were hoping to binge this new season, you can't. Instead, Netflix will be airing new episodes every Friday, three days after they premiere in the UK. While I personally would've preferred to wait until all the episodes were available so I could blow through them one weekend, I'll take what I can get.

Look for the start of The Great British Baking Show collection 8 on September 25.