1. The Idea Behind Bake Off

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The Great British Bake Off was born when Anna Beattie, the show’s creator, believed village fete baking competitions would suit TV. It looks like she was right!

2. Marvellous Mary Berry

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Mel and Sue were initially approached to present the show together. A genius move! If it weren’t for the fantastic duo, we may never have had Mary Berry – as it was the hosts’ idea for producers to ask Maz Bez to join the show as a judge.

3. Bakers’ Background

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All amateur bakers that appear on the show cannot have any professional catering qualifications within the last five years – or they wouldn’t be very amateur, would they? They also must never have worked as a chef or received an income from commercial baking in a professional environment. Bakers must also fill out a 7 page application, answering questions about their successes, failures and mishaps in the kitchen. All bakers are also interviewed by a psychologist who will determine whether the bakers could handle the pressure of the Bake Off kitchen.

4. Filming of Bake Off

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Filming one day of The Great British Bake Off can take up to a whopping 16 hours, and they only ever film on weekends so bakers can continue with their careers during the week. The BBC TV programme is filmed over a 10 week period and is only aired once filming is over and the winner has been chosen.

5. The Great British Bake Off Contestants

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All contestants from The Great British Bake Off are taken out to dinner by the producers on their first day. During the Bake Off process, many of the contestants grow close to one another, as they will often go for dinner and drinks together once a day of filming is over.

6. The Great British Bake Off Ingredients

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All Bake Off bakers are required to bring their own ingredients to create their unique bakes. The ingredients will only be provided for the contestants once they have reached the final stage of the show.

The producers don’t leave contestants high and dry, though. They are often onset during filming to offer recipe advice or to provide struggling bakers with important ingredients. In fact, a runner is even positioned at a local supermarket every morning in case a contestant realises overnight that they’ve forgotten an ingredient.

Typically, the bakers will use between 12 to 20 ingredients per bake. However, 2013 winner, Francis Quinn set a record when she used an incredible 124 ingredients in her final Showstopper, a Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding cake.

7. Oven Secrets

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You didn’t think the camera crew knew exactly when bakers were placing something in the oven, did you? Well, they don’t. A contestant must call the camera crew over whenever they’re about to place a bake in the oven so it can be filmed.

8. The Technical Challenge

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It may be up to Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood to set The Technical Challenge on The Great British Bake Off, but it’s down to a food researcher to ensure the challenge is achievable for the contestants.

9. The Great British Bake Off Leftovers

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All those bakes don’t go to waste once filming is over, as the cast and crew are allowed to tuck into the tasty – or not-so-tasty treats. Anything they don’t eat is put into baskets so the cast can take them back to their hotel.

10. Bake Off Contestants and Hosts

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Mary and Paul like to have a professional relationship with the contestants, and will not socialise with them outside of filming. Mel and Sue, however, will get to know the contestants, with Sue even stating that she keeps in touch with them via email once the programme has finished.

1. Danyl Johnson

Danyl Johnson proved the best way to win over the judges is just to have confidence. He was truly fearless as he took the stage. Jumping about, taking a seat and generally just putting on a great show for his audience. He was the first auditionee to really put himself out there, and the following people most definitely went for it based on the back of Danyl Johnson’s X-Factor audition.

2. Cher Lloyd

Cher Lloyd was full of charisma when she put a spin on a Keri Hilson’s ‘Turn My Swag On’. She auditioned at just 16 years old but gave a performance that was beyond her years. We’re not surprised the audition received 39 million YouTube views.

3. Olly Murs

Very few auditionees have been as cool as Olly Murs – who sang Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’. Women across the UK instantly fell in love with him, whilst men would happily take him out for a pint. You just knew he would make it to the live shows on the back of his performance – and look at him now!

4. Lucy Spraggan

Lucy Spraggan surprised the audience with an original song at her X-Factor audition. She proved straight away that she was worthy of being called an artist, as her lyrics captivated the audience. If only all budding singers could be as entertaining!

5. Stacy Solomon

When Stacy Solomon arrived on the X-Factor stage, we doubt anyone expected her to have such a beautiful voice. The Ditzy Dagenham star proved you should never judge a book by its cover – and took her all the way to the final three of the competition with Olly Murs and Joe McElderry.

6. James Arthur

James Arthur had a hard life up until his X-Factor audition, but his audition made you wonder how he hadn’t become a star sooner with his gritty vocals. Unsurprisingly, he went on to win the show with his amazing twists on classic songs.

7. Sam Bailey

Sam Bailey may not have looked like your average pop star – but her voice proved she was worthy of the title. The former prison officer decided to give the show a shot, hoping it would lead to greater things for her and her family. Well, it did just that, as the songstress won the show.

8. Leona Lewis

Leona Lewis is an international superstar, singing hits such as Bleeding Love and Run. Before the fame came the X-Factor, and it didn’t take the world to realise that she was a star. She may have been quiet but her voice most definitely was not.

9. Johnny Robinson

Most people most likely thought Johnny Robinson would be another funny audition by a deluded singer, but his audition is so memorable for his amazing version of ‘At Last’.

10. Andrea Faustini

Andrea Faustini was memorable not just for his pug jumper – but because he offered vocal somersaults that would make Christina Aguilera jealous.

1. Corrie’s Beer

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It’s the question on every Corrie fan’s lips. No, it’s not who is minding the kids when the parents are in the pub. It’s what is really in Coronation Street’s beer? Well, we here at Heart Britain are here to tell you that the beer served to the characters is actually weak shandy, and contains more lemonade than beer. The gin and tonic is also made with just fizzy water, and has a splash of lime added to it to appear more gin-like.

2. Gin and Tonics

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The Rovers Return has served its fair share of gin and tonics over the years? How many G&Ts exactly? Well, they sell an average of 100 G&Ts per week – and so have sold more than 250,000 gin and tonics since 1960.

3. Jack and Vera

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Oh how we miss Coronation Street’s best couple: Jack and Vera. We loved nothing more than the couple constantly argue with one another – and then make up again later on. Some scenes called for Vera to hit Jack, and so the actor who played him, Bill Tarney, would always tell Liz Dawn he would duck when her character Vera had to hit him.

Liz once said: “If the script called for Vera to hit Jack, Bill always used to tell me that he would duck out the way, but he never did. He used to have lumps all over him. I swear to God, I once hit him with a frozen fish and sent him flying over the table.”

4. Liz McDonald

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Beverley Collard, who plays Liz McDonald, revealed that she has quite a famous admirer. Anthony Hopkins reportedly loves her character and told her “you’re so real”. The actor was in the studio to watch the filming of the soap. Beverley remembered: “I was in one Liz’s hideous skirts and he said to me, ‘Can I have a Polaroid taken with you in the Rovers?’ I was like, ‘I can’t believe this!'”

5. Florizel Street

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Coronation Street was not the original name of the show. It was initially set to be called Florizel Street, but Granada soon changed its mind when a cleaner commented the title sounded more like a disinfectant. Do you think it would have had the same level of success if the name was different?

6. The Most-Watched Episode

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What do you think was the most-watched episode of Coronation Street? Was it the epic tram crash? The time Rita’s husband got his comeuppance by being hit by a tram? Well, no. No trams were actually involved in the most watched episode of Corrie. So, what was it? It was when Hilda Odgen left Weatherfield on Christmas Day in 1987. It drew in an incredible 26.65 million viewers.

7. Corrie Wedding Dresses

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Most Coronation Street brides will receive two to three wedding dresses for a wedding scene, as they are filming for long amounts of time. Tina O’Brian, who plays Sarah Louise Platt, had a total of five wedding dresses to her wedding to Jason Grimshaw, as she had to tear it and have red wine poured onto the gown.

8. Hair & Makeup

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A lot of time and preparation goes into the making of Coronation Street, especially the hair and makeup. The beauty team go through an incredible 50 boxes of tissues, 15 cans of hairspray, 20 makeup wipes, 10 lipsticks, six eyeliners, six- eye shadows, five powders and four blushers in one month.

9. The Crazy Cat

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Who can forget the cats that featured in the iconic Coronation Street titles. The show has always loved their feline friends, and the very first episode was supposed to open with a cat jumping out of a dustbin and walking to the corner shop. The cat, however, went missing before the live show, and was therefore replaced by two girls playing with a ball. What a diva!

10. The Longest-Serving Props

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We all know Ken Barlow is the longest serving cast member on Coronation Street, but what are the longest-serving props? Well, it turns out its the Barlows dining room table and the painting of a boy scout that’s called The Pathfinder, which has been hung in the Barlow hall since the beginning of the show. The has also been reproduced for postcards, as well a stained glass church windows.

Would you like to know more about some of Britain’s most loved TV shows? Check 10 Exceedingly Good Great British Bake Off Facts.

Throw into that the comedy genius of presenters Mel and Sue and, well, you have some TV gold. It’s quintessentially British and makes us folk feel every so patriotic.

For those who love a bit of Bake Off on a Wednesday, we think it’s time you checked out the following 10 facts about the baking show.

1. The GBBO Bakers Selection

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Ever wondered how the amateur bakers are chosen for The Great British Bake Off? Well wonder no more! All applicants are assessed by a researcher, and successful candidates will attend an audition in London with two bakes and will undertake a screen test and an interview with the show’s producer.

That’s not all. Those lucky enough to make it through the audition will attend a second audition, baking two recipes for the legend that is Mary Berry and housewives’ favourite Paul Hollywood in front of the cameras. 12 contestants are then selected for the show.

2. The First Great British Bake Off

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The location, cast and crew had to move from town-to-town during the first season of Bake Off. From the second season, the show has been set in a one location and a specially-constructed marquee is erected.

3. The Women’s Institute

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It seems as though the whole of Great Britain has fallen in love with baking since The Great British Bake Off started in 2010, and the show has been credited with reviving the Women’s Institute – as membership reached its highest level since the 1970s. We just can’t get enough of baking, apparently, as there has also been an increase in sales for bakery books and baking club memberships.

Analysts have also reported that more than three fifths of all UK adults have baked at home on at least one occasion in 2013.

4. Bake Off Product Placement

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The Great British Bake Off is a family show, right? Well that doesn’t mean it can’t get into a spot of bother every once in a while. Love Productions, the production company behind GBBO, was sanctioned by the BBC in September 2012 for the production placement of Smeg fridges. One viewer complained to the Radio Times of “blatant product promotion”, leading to an investigation.

The BBC found the company’s loan agreement with the fridge manufacturer failed to meet editorial guidelines and so the loan agreement was revised for the third series. Soon after, the BBC instructedd Smeg to remove its association with the show from the website – which it has done.

5. The Great British Bake Off Innuendos

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The Great British Bake Off is dirty. Real dirty. Okay, it isn’t really, but many viewers seem to think it is. Some viewers have complained about Mel and Sue’s innuendos throughout the series, claiming the fifth series had “constant smutty remarks”. The Daily Mail even went onto argue that the innuendos resulted in the show not being fit for family entertainment – which is a bit extreme.

Judge Paul Hollywood, however, stated the innuendos are all in the spirit of Carry On films, which are a firm part of British culture. We think he’s right, too!

6. International GBBO Versions

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The Great British Bake Off is adored so much by the public that the format has been sold to 20 territories as of 2015. US viewers will know the show as The American Baking Competition. In Italy it’s known as Bake Off Italia, whilst those friendly Australians call it The Great Australian Bake Off. Have they got Mary Berry’s snazzy jackets, though? We think not.

7. The Oven Warm-Ups

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Those ovens have to be in peak condition before the start of the show, don’t they? The last thing you want is a bad bake because the oven failed to work properly. To ensure they’re in tip-top condition for contestants, 12 Victoria spongers are cooked in each oven.

8. The Great British Bake Off Dishes

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All that baking is bound to create a huge stack of dishes. It’s a good job that Iva Vclak, the champion washer-upper, is on hand to wash them, then! All of the dishes are washed by her hands, and she reportedly uses 1,000 cloths and 30 litres of washing-up liquid in one season.

9. GBBO Eggs

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You can’t bake a cake without breaking a few eggs. Well, a lot more than a few are used during the show. How many? 1,400.

10. Mel & Sue

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Mel and Sue are the first ones to lend a helping tongue when it comes to trying bakes, often sneaking ingredients off a bench as the contestants bake. It’s no wonder they reportedly put on an average of 10lb during the series.