Great British Bake Off's biggest scandal which fans branded 'profoundly offensive'

The Great British Bake Off is one of the most beloved reality shows on the airwaves at the moment, displaying the talents of home bakers up and down the country. From nerve-wracking technicals, showstopping creations, and the famous white tent, viewers can't get enough of the wholesome baking show. This year, fans will be cheering on one of the series 16 finalists: Jasmine, Aaron, and Tom.

However, no show is without its controversies, even one that has won the hearts of the nation and streamed for over 15 years. As Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith prepare to crown the new winner of the Great British Bake Off 2025, let's take a look at one of the show's most explosive controversies.

Back in 2020, the Channel 4 series introduced weeks themed around nationalities or countries. However, the show has faced a wave of backlash from viewers in recent years, which has led to the cancellation of themed nationality weeks altogether.

In 2020, the show had a Japan-themed week, followed by a German week in 2021. However, the backlash escalated further after Mexican Week in 2022. Throughout the show, there were accusations of casual racism and stereotypes because the hosts opened the show wearing sombreros, waving maracas, and speaking in accents.

The bakers made pan dulce, or Mexican pastries, for their Signature challenge. For the technical challenge, the bakers were assigned tacos. The Showstopper challenge saw them make Tres Leches cake that had to be "inspired by Mexico".

Viewers complained that the episode featured dishes that weren't authentic to the country of origin, with presenters Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas also faced criticism for mispronouncing Spanish words and for making "tacky" jokes.

The episode also saw contestants make tacos, which some viewers described as "butchering" the famous Mexican dish. Others suggested the segment showed that the programme was prioritising cooking over baking. It didn't take long before fans flooded to X to share their fury online.

One user penned: "I love Bake Off to death, but Mexican Week was an abomination", as another agreed: "You've gotta figure [former hosts] Mel [Giedroyc] and Sue [Perkins] wouldn't dress up in offensive Mexican costumes for the worst joke of all time on Bake Off.

A third echoed: "Why are y'all doing a Mexican week on Great British Bake Off, making taco jokes... in 2022?" as another agreed: "Tacky jokes about Mexican stereotypes and no attempt to properly pronounce the language (from Noel/Matt). Hopefully it's a one-off because this isn't funny, it's offensive."

After the episode aired, Hollywood admitted he was "gutted" by the reaction. He said: "I'd literally come back from Mexico about three weeks before we filmed the episode. I was all over the place, and we set the challenges based on what I'd seen there. The challenges were very good, and everyone did a good job."

Dame Prue said they had no intentions to be controversial, adding: "The thing about Bake Off is that it absolutely represents inclusivity and diversity and tolerance and togetherness. So, the idea that we set out to insult anybody is ridiculous."

In 2023, executive producer Kieran Smith told the Guardian: "We didn't want to offend anyone, but the world has changed, and the joke fell flat. We're not doing any national themes this year."

He told the outlet that the show will be "very traditional" moving forward, adding: "We're doing all the regular weeks: cakes, biscuits, bread, patisserie, chocolate, plus party cakes is a new theme."

This year, the themed weeks included Cake Week, Biscuit Week, Bread Week, Back to School Week, Chocolate Week, Pastry Week, Meringue Week, Patisserie Week, and Dessert Week, culminating in the grand final.

The Great British Bake Off final airs on Tuesday (November 4) from 9pm on Channel 4, or catch up on the Channel 4 website.