Great British Bake Off Analysis: Identity and Nationalism

Word Salad is a light-hearted look at pop culture through the lens of left politics.
This video is on the Great British Bake Off, one of the most successful British TV programmes of the 21st century. But what does that say about Britishness? What does Paul Hollywood have to say for himself? And what does the foppish host of this video essay know about making 8 identical chocolate eclairs?
Find the answers to these questions and more, by watching the video you are ignoring right now by reading this description instead. I can make eclairs, by the way. Probably.
Primary sources:
Anderson, B.R.O. (2006) Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso.
Billig, M. (1995) Banal Nationalism. London: Sage.
Grainge, P. (2002). Monochrome memories: Nostalgia and style in retro America. Praeger Pub Text.
Hobsbawm, E. J. (1992) Nations and Nationalism Since 1780. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Secondary Sources:
Conlan, T., Martinson, J. and Ellis-Petersen, H. (2016) 'Great British Bake Off moves to Channel 4 as BBC negotiations collapse over fee'. The Guardian, 13 September. Available at: www.theguardia... (Accessed: 21 January 2023).
Pegg, D. and Evans, R. (2021a) ‘Revealed: Queen lobbied for change in law to hide her private wealth’, The Guardian, 7 February. Available at: www.theguardia... (Accessed: 20 January 2023).
Pegg, D. and Evans, R. (2021b) 'More than 50,000 people call for inquiry into use of Queen's consent'. The Guardian, 28 February. www.theguardia... (Accessed: 20 January 2023).
The Crimes of Winston Churchill. crimesofbritai...
Ward, V. (2023) 'Late Queen gave Prince Andrew blessing to use HRH title'. The Telegraph, 21 January. Available at: www.msn.com/en... (Accessed: 21 January 2023).
Wyatt, D. (2016) 'Mel and Sue quit The Great British Bake Off: ‘We’re not going with the dough’'. The i, 13 September. Available at: inews.co.uk/cu... (Accessed: 29 January 2023)
Original music by Edmund Hyde​
Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

[@EuanMcG]

Love your presenting style, reminds me of the legend Jonathan Meades (unapologetically presenting ideas from your viewpoint and with great personality)

[@elsiemabel]

My eyes lit up at the UCL EC menu I know all too well. dope video bro

[@AxolotlFullThrottle]

Your essays are always fantastic! Honestly can't believe you don't have more views on your channel!!!

[@gudolph]

My American eyes couldn't see what smelled off about that show. Thanks for distilling it from a British perspective. Your content is excellent. Academically sourced and sound, cogent theses. All the more frustrating to have to reassess my love of the petrolhead trio after seeing your simple points of the continuing themes of colonialism and chauvinism. James May has held a special place because of his mild charm and seeming to be connected to the working class, but I'm learning more about labor party politics. Anyway, thanks and keep it up!

[@TheJasonCD]

Oh baby, 144p time. Bright and early. Anyway, this is sure to be an interesting one!

[@royalFiddle]

Banger vid, commenting to boost that algorithm

[@blopiflopit7416]

Very interresting and cool episod, thanks for your work

[@sherrinisadumbass211]

Always loved your sense of humour in these vids, keep it up!

[@Cassia2000]

Your comment at the end that “it's hard to imagine Bake Off existing in a country without private schools, without unresolved Colonial baggage, without an embezzling lobbying pedophile enabling unelected head of state” is very interesting considering that we have an exact copy of Bake Off here in the Netherlands. Those things also apply to (or are similar to) things in the Netherlands

[@Jokkkkke]

Is someone in the Dutch Royal Family a pedophile??

[@tamaboyle]

Don't you badmouth Wordsworth.

[@edmundhyde]

Honestly? I feel bad about that one, the guy did great things for ramblers. But if you see a rhyming dunk you have to take it

[@tamaboyle]

Ah, the mighty being is awake.

[@crazwizardlizard]

i feel like you are always putting into focus something that i had been bothered by, but unable to identify clearly.

[@IsThatEtchas]

I don't agree with these definitions of nationalism outside of a colonialist context. I'm Irish and our experience and view of nationalism is very different from this. A friend of mine wrote a great essay adjacent to this topic about the views of former colonised peoples on the Queen's death. He's a historian. The essay is called "It’s an imperial life: historian talks Queen’s legacy in thought-provoking essay" and it's in the nenequirer.

[@charlespirate1]

Is fielding the most self regarding man in Britain?

[@boshdmg]

You tube's best kept secret is back.