'I was on Bake Off and bosses are very strict about one part of competition'

Dr Josh Smalley has revealed what it was like filming the Great British Bake Off. The former contestant, who was a finalist on the Channel 4 show in 2023, shared behind-the-scenes details in an interview with the Mirror this week.

The chemistry researcher and science communicator, 29, competed on the fourteenth series of the show, which aired two years ago. He made it to the final of the baking contest after impressing the judges and was declared a runner-up, with Matty Edgell taking home the trophy instead.

Josh reflected on his experience in the iconic tent in an interview with us earlier this week, ahead of him delivering a talk at the New Scientist Live festival next month. He spoke about the two hosts of Bake Off, the hardest aspect of competing and revealed what happens to leftover cakes.

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Josh, who said that he had applied for Bake Off as an opportunity to "challenge" himself, described taking part in the show as the "best experience". The baker told us that he had dreamed of being on it but never thought he would.

He said that the twelve contestants, who have stayed in touch since filming ended, "instantly just got on". Josh said that they met at their hotel prior to the first challenge but they only saw judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith "just before the first bake," which he found to be "quite scary".

Josh said about the competition: "The saddest part every week was that somebody was gonna have to go home." He added: "You wanted everybody to do well, because you could see these incredible things coming together all around you. You just want everyone to do their best."

Asked if he was surprised by any aspect of filming, Josh, who said he had watched the show since it began in 2010, teased that he had expected there to be more time for baking than the deadline viewers are told about. After suggesting that he had thought there to be a "quick break," he said: "Nope, it's 2 hours, that's it!" He added: "It was very strict on that. So you don't get extra time."

He later said that the time limits are the "real challenge" for contestants. Josh told us: "All of the bakers on every series, if given unlimited time to make what they wanted to make ... they would make an incredible bake. The real challenge is being able to squash all that into 2 hours."

Speaking about the "stress" and temperature in the tent, he said: "There's a lot of stressful moments as well [as the fun]. When you're having to remake something for the third time because it's not worked right it's quite stressful."

Josh also mentioned being critiqued in person by Paul and Prue. He said: "The pressure of having your food judged and being literally nose-to-nose with [the judges] as they dive into it and taste it, and then you've got to hear their instant feedback - that was a bit nervy as well."

Discussing what happens to the leftover bakes that aren't eaten by the judges, he said: "After a long day's filming, and there's a very hungry crew, and bakers, it soon disappears. Don't worry about that. There's no wastage at all."

Josh added that he was keen to try his co-stars' bakes after hearing any positive feedback from the judges. Speaking about trying each other's cakes, he said: "We all got a piece of it brought afterwards so we got to try bits of it."

He continued: "The majority of the bakes on the show are sweet [though], so there comes a point with all the practising as well, where you've just ... you're sort of sick of eating cake because you can't take any more sugar." He added that any savoury challenges, like bread week, were "the best".

"They were the best ones because just like you were craving savoury," he told us. Josh added: "So once it was one of those ones we just ... we would all dive in and eat it all."

Josh appeared on the first Bake Off series co-hosted by Alison Hammond, with her having joined Noel Fielding that year. He said: "She was incredible. She was so lovely and I think [together] they just bounce off each other."

He said that Alison and Noel had a "great chemistry," before saying: "I loved it when they came round. They always would come round at the worst time possible, deliberately so." Josh added that Alison was a "welcomed addition" to the show and that she was on hand to "encourage" the bakers.

Since competing on the show, Josh has remained in the science field, with him now a postdoctoral research associate and science communication champion at the University of Leicester. He also founded the Science Kitchen, described as a "pioneering on-campus kitchen and laboratory" that provides a platform "to educate, entertain, and inspire," at the university.

Discussing his decision to remain in that industry, he said: "I just thought that it would be an amazing opportunity to try and use the platform of the Bake Off to be able to do what I've always done and just do it on another scale up. [...] Now, I get to blend my two passions of the baking and the chemistry, and I get to go and do all sorts of online videos, and shows and talks all the way round the country and get to educate the public and young audiences all about science and baking, and hopefully make science, chemistry in particular, interesting, engaging, accessible but through the means of food, which we all love."

He's now preparing for a talk at New Scientist Live, which promises "talks, immersive exhibitions and boundary-pushing science experiences" at ExCeL, London, next month. Josh said that the event will have "an amazing array of speakers".

Teasing his talk, the Spooktacular Science of Baking, which is being held on October 19, Josh said that it will feature a vomiting pumpkin and chemical reaction display. There will also be bakes and chemistry demostrations. Josh added: "Delving into and close up as to what's actually going on in our bakes."

Speaking about baking, he said: "You just follow the recipe and then you get the result at the end." He added about introducing the science behind it: "You just see people's reaction to actually then think, something that they have made or been doing for years and years and years, suddenly now someone has told them actually why we do that."

He gave examples such as why a recipe may require room temperature butter or ingredients being used in a certain order. Josh said: "It's really fun to be able to actually explain, from a chemistry point of view, what's actually happening there."

Further promoting his talk, he said: "We know we all love to be in the kitchen, either eating what we've made, or having a go and playing around experimenting. So if you like food, and you want to learn a little bit more about how baking and how cooking works, then this is the talk for you."

Josh continued: "Also, you're gonna get a little sprinkle of the science [behind it] as well." He then added: "And it's gonna have a few sort of like pops and bangs and fizzes and things so it will be a nice, immersive experience."

Josh Smalley is speaking at New Scientist Live which takes place on October 19-20 at ExCeL, London. To book tickets visit the event's website.

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