| Series Number: | 4 |
| Num Episodes: | 10 |
| Network: | BBC Two |
The fourth series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on 20 August 2013.[1] Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins again presented the show and Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood returned as judges.[2] As with series three, the competition was held at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset.[3]
13,000 amateur bakers applied to appear on the programme, and 100 were selected for screen test, with the best 60 advancing to a three-day audition.[2] From these, 13 contestants were chosen this year so the judges could eliminate two people whenever they wanted.[4]
The winner of the Great British Bake Off 2013 was Frances Quinn.[5]
The fourth series was broadcast as the second season on PBS in the United States.
| Baker | Age | Occupation | Hometown | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Imdad | 25 | Charity worker | |||
| Beca Lyne-Pirkis | 31 | Military Wives' Choir Singer | [6] | ||
| Christine Wallace | 66 | Director of an engraving company | [7] | ||
| Deborah Manger | 51 | Dentist | [8] | ||
| Frances Quinn | 31 | Children's Clothes Designer | |||
| Glenn Cosby | 37 | English Teacher | [9] | ||
| Howard Middleton | 51 | Council Worker | [10] | ||
| Kimberley Wilson | 30 | Psychologist | [11] | ||
| Lucy Bellamy | 38 | Horticulturist | [12] | ||
| Mark Onley | 37 | Carpenter and Kitchen Fitter | |||
| Robert Smart | 54 | Space Satellite Designer | [13] | ||
| Ruby Tandoh | 20 | History of Art and Philosophy Student | [14] | ||
| Toby Waterworth | 30 | Web Programmer |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frances | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SB | LOW | WINNER | |||||
| Kimberley | SAFE | SAFE | SB | LOW | SAFE | SAFE | SB | ||||
| Ruby | LOW | SB | LOW | SB | SAFE | SB | LOW | ||||
| Beca | SAFE | LOW | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | OUT | |||
| Christine | SAFE | SAFE | SB | SAFE | SB | SAFE | LOW | OUT | |||
| Glenn | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | LOW | OUT | |||||
| Howard | SAFE | LOW | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | ||||||
| Robert | SB | LOW | SAFE | LOW | OUT | ||||||
| Ali | LOW | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | |||||||
| Deborah | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | ||||||||
| Mark | SAFE | LOW | OUT | ||||||||
| Lucy | SAFE | OUT | |||||||||
| Toby | OUT | ||||||||||
Colour key:
The bakers were given two hours to make a sandwich cake with filling of their choice for the signature challenge. For their first technical challenge, the bakers were required to bake an angel food cake using Mary Berry's recipe in hours. For the showstopper, the challenge was to make a chocolate cake using at least two types of chocolate to decorate the cake. They were given four hours for this bake.
| Baker | Signature (Sandwich Cake) | Technical (Angel Food Cake) | Showstopper (Chocolate Cake) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali | Rose and Pistachio Cake | 11th | Chocolate, Raspberry and Passion Fruit Engagement Cake | ||
| Beca | Grapefruit Sandwich Cake | 8th | Chocolate Cherry Indulgence | ||
| Christine | Strawberry, Vanilla and Rosewater Summer Basket | 3rd | Chocolate and Orange 'Fripperous' Hat Cake | ||
| Deborah | Pineapple Cake | 9th | 'Coffee Time' | ||
| Frances | Giant Jam Sandwich | 7th | Secret Squirrel Cake | ||
| Glenn | Strawberries and Cream Cake | 4th | Almond and Espresso Chocolate Cake | ||
| Howard | Passion Fruit and Coconut Cake | 6th | Black Forest Revisited | ||
| Kimberley | Blood Orange Cake | 10th | Chocolate, Raspberry & Basil Layer Cake | ||
| Lucy | Timperley Early Cake | 2nd | Thyme 'Wildwood' Cake | ||
| Mark | Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake | 5th | Chocolate Monster | ||
| Robert | Pecan and Apple Cake | 1st | Raspberry Chocolate Cake | ||
| Ruby | Rhubarb and Custard Sandwich Cake | 12th | Chocolate and Ginger Night Sky Cake | ||
| Toby | Spiced and Iced Carrot Cake | 13th | Two Tiered Chocolate Cake |
The bakers were asked to make, in two hours, thirty-six breadsticks, all made using yeast, of at least 25cm (10inches) in length, and the breadsticks should be crisp and produce a good snap. For the technical challenge, the bakers have to make eight English muffins using Paul's recipe in hours. For the final bake, an elaborately decorated loaf was set as the showstopper challenge to be completed in four hours.
| Baker | Signature (36 Bread Sticks) | Technical (8 English Muffins) | Showstopper (Decorative Loaf) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali | 9th | Sweet and Savoury Yin Yang Bread | |||
| Beca | Fennel and Chilli Breadsticks | 11th | Five Strand Christmas Wreath | ||
| Christine | 4th | Double Plaited Loaf | |||
| Deborah | Fennel & Chilli Breadsticks | 8th | Walnut Fleur Loaf | ||
| Frances | Giant Matchsticks | 2nd | Sailor's Knot | ||
| Glenn | Rosemary and Parmesan Grissini | 7th | Harvest Crown | ||
| Howard | Moroccan Breadsticks | 10th | Picasso Sun Bread | ||
| Kimberley | Nigella Seed and Parmesan Breadsticks | 1st | Peace Bread | ||
| Lucy | Grissini with Salt | 12th | Roasted Tomato Bread | ||
| Mark | Rosemary & Raisin Breadsticks | 6th | Sage & Garlic Plait | ||
| Robert | Twisty Rye Bread Sticks | 5th | Tribute Loaf | ||
| Ruby | Mexican Breadsticks | 3rd | White Chocolate and Orange Peacock Bread |
For their signature challenge, the bakers were asked to make a trifle of their own choice, using ladyfingers, sponge or biscuit for the base and either jam or custard for the middle layer, to be done in three hours. For their technical challenge, the bakers were required to prepare, in hours, six floating islands using Mary Berry's recipe. For the show-stopper, the bakers were set the task of making twenty-four petit fours, twelve biscuit based, twelve sponge based, to be finished in three hours.
| Baker | Signature (Trifle) | Technical (6 Floating Islands) | Showstopper (24 Petit Fours: 12 Biscuit-based, 12 Sponge-based) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali | Coconut, Raspberry and Lemon Meringue Trifle | 5th | Vanilla Latte Mini Cakes Lime & Mint Shortbread Pops | ||
| Beca | Orange and Ginger Trifle | 10th | |||
| Christine | Caribbean Pina Colada Trifle | 4th | Ninety-Niners Sachertorte Parcels | ||
| Deborah | Tropical Trifle | 9th | Canelé Cherry and Chocolate Cakes Rose Cookies | ||
| Frances | Apple and Blackberry Crumble Trifle | 8th | 'Ballet Bites' Ginger Nutcrackers Sugar Plum Fairy Cakes | ||
| Glenn | Raspberry and Almond Trifle | 1st | |||
| Howard | Caramel and Apple Trifle | 7th | Black Coffee and Cardamom Cakes White Stilton and Pear Biscuits | ||
| Kimberley | Peach, Almond and Ginger Trifle | 6th | Chocolate Pistachio Financiers Lemon Bergamot Biscuits | ||
| Mark | Ginger, Mango and Passion Fruit Trifle | 11th | Rose and Pistachio Macarons Chocolate and Raspberry Bites | ||
| Robert | Rhubarb and Orange Trifle | 2nd | Almond Friands Turón Macarons | ||
| Ruby | Desert Island Trifle | 3rd | Lemon Shortbread and White Chocolate Seashells Blackberry and Chocolate Layer Cakes |
For the signature challenge the bakers are asked to bake a double-crusted fruit pie with a filling of their choice to be done in two hours. For their fourth technical challenge, the bakers were required to bake a tart that has almost a 700-year history; the egg custard tart, that needs to be done in 2 hours. For the showstopper, the challenge was to make a filo pie centerpiece using the filo pastry that they had made from scratch to be done in four hours.
| Baker | Signature (Double-Crusted Fruit Pie) | Technical (12 Egg Custard Tarts) | Showstopper (Filo Pie) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali | Apple and Ginger Pie with a Pecan and Walnut Shortcrust Pastry | 8th | Orange, Cardamom and Date M'Hanncha | ||
| Beca | Mamgu's Cherry-Apple Tart | 2nd | Moroccan Vegetable Filo Feast | ||
| Christine | Granny Rogers' Apple, Plum & Cinnamon Country Pie | 7th | |||
| Frances | Peach Pie In the Sky | 1st | Cherry Tree Baklava Filo Pie | ||
| Glenn | Apple & Maple Syrup Pie | 9th | |||
| Howard | Apple Pie with Sage Pastry | 5th | Fresh Fig and Feta Filo Flan | ||
| Kimberley | Pecan and Rosemary Caramel Apple Pie | 4th | Chicken, Bacon and Butternut Squash Pie | ||
| Robert | Apple and Pear Pie with Thyme | 3rd | |||
| Ruby | Apple and Marzipan Pie | 6th | Rose, Almond and Raspberry Filo Pie |
For the signature challenge, the bakers were asked to make their favourite traybake in two hours and cut into identical pieces. Everything made as part of the traybake, however, needed to be made from scratch. In the technical challenge, the bakers needed to make eighteen tuiles using Mary Berry's recipe in hours. Half of the tuiles needed to be shaped in the traditional manner and piped in a concentric circle, and the other half rolled up and dipped in chocolate. In the last challenge, the baker had to make a biscuit tower at least 30cm (10inches) high, to be finished in four hours.
| Baker | Signature (Traybake) | Technical (18 Tuiles: 9 Original, 9 Dipped in Chocolate) | Showstopper (Biscuit Tower) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beca | Chocolate, Cherry and Hazelnut Brownies | 5th | Tiered Macaron and Sugar Dough Biscuit Centrepiece | ||
| Christine | Mixed Berry and Almond Crumble Traybake | 1st | Shortbread Bavarian Clock Tower | ||
| Frances | Millionaire Banoffee Bonus | 3rd | Biscuit Buttons and Beads | ||
| Glenn | 2nd | ||||
| Howard | Breakfast Traybake | 8th | Japanese Pagoda Tea Tower | ||
| Kimberley | Cherry and Almond Bakewell Florentine Slice | 7th | Black and White Viennese Biscuit Stack | ||
| Robert | Blueberry & Orange Traybake | 4th | |||
| Ruby | Blackberry and Lemon Bakewell Slice | 6th | 'Dropped Ice Cream' Biscuit Centrepiece |
In the first challenge, the bakers were required to make a sweet tea loaf using yeast, either in a tin or free form. They were given three hours for the task. For the technical challenge, the bakers baked an apricot couronne using Paul Hollywood's recipe in hours. For the showstopper, the bakers needed to make two different varieties of European sweet buns, twelve of each. The bakers were given thirty minutes to start in the first day, so a dough may be proofed overnight to be finished the following day in four hours.
| Baker | Signature (Tea Loaf) | Technical (Apricot Couronne) | Showstopper (24 Sweet European Buns) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beca | 6th | Chocolate and Rum-Soaked Prune Brioches Cardamom Spiced Lemon Iced Buns | |||
| Christine | Oxford Nutty Fruit Loaf | 4th | |||
| Frances | Chai Tea Loaf | 2nd | Hot Cross Brioches Rhubarb and Custard Kolaches | ||
| Glenn | 5th | ||||
| Howard | Date & Hemp Yorkshire Loaf | 7th | Peachy Buns German Baumschnecken | ||
| Kimberley | Chai Spiced Ginger and Date Tea Loaf | 3rd | Double Chocolate and Hazelnut Brioches Danish Kanelsnurrer | ||
| Ruby | Citrus Tea Loaf | 1st |
The bakers are challenged to bring the old fashioned suet pudding back up to date in three hours for the signature challenge. In the technical bake, the bakers are challenged to create eight perfect religieuse: choux buns topped with ganache and filled with crème patissiere then carefully balanced one on top of the other to be done in two hours. In the showstopper challenge, the bakers have four hours to make three different types of puff pastries: one must be filled, another has to be iced and the final one is of their choice.
| Baker | Signature (Suet Pudding) | Technical (8 Religieuses) | Showstopper (36 sweet puff pastries: 12 Filled, 12 Iced, 12 of Their Own Choice) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beca | Spring Lamb and Vegetable Suet Pudding with Redcurrant Gravy | 1st | |||
| Christine | Spotted Dick 'With a Kick' and Vanilla Custard Ice Cream | 6th | Eccles Cakes Fresh Fruit Baskets Lemon Cream Eton Mess Mille-feuille | ||
| Frances | Figgy Roll-y Poly Pudding with Caramelised Walnut and Honey Ice-Cream | 5th | French Framboise Cream Horns Sheet Music Mille-feuille Bass Clef Palmiers | ||
| Glenn | Prune and Armagnac Pudding with Boozy Butterscotch Sauce | 3rd | Caramelised Apple and Marzipan Tartlets Chocolate Elephant Ears Passion Fruit Mille-feuille | ||
| Kimberley | Barberry and Apple Spotted Dick with Maple Syrup and White Chocolate Custard | 4th | |||
| Ruby | Plum Jam Roly Poly with Ginger Ice Cream | 2nd | Raspberry and Passion Fruit Mille-feuille Caramelised Apple Lattice Portuguese Custard Tarts |
This week, in the quarter final, the theme for this week were bakes that were free (e.g. gluten free, dairy free). In the signature challenge, the bakers are challenged to bake a loaf that does not use traditional wheat flours, instead they must use flours such as spelt, rye, potato or tapioca, all in three hours. The bakers are challenged in the technical bake to make a dacquoise which consists of three layers; coiled meringue, coffee custard and a hazelnut praline top, to be done in hours. For the showstopper, the bakers are pushed out of their comfort zones and asked to create novelty vegetable cakes which must be dairy free, to be completed in four hours.
| Baker | Signature (Wheat-Free Loaf) | Technical (Hazelnut Dacquoise) | Showstopper (Dairy-Free Vegetable Cake) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beca | 4th | Spiced Butternut Squash and Pecan 'Cheese' Cake | |||
| Christine | Multi-Seeded Loaf with Pumpkin, Sesame and Sunflower Seeds | 5th | Sweet Potato Guitar with Passion Fruit Icing and Marshmallow Fondant | ||
| Frances | 'Chelsea Flour Show' Bun Bouquet | 3rd | Hidden Carrot Cake | ||
| Kimberley | Wild Garlic Pesto and Parma Ham Spelt Loaf | 2nd | Butternut Squash and Spice Cake Toadstool House | ||
| Ruby | Mango and Nigella Seed Spelt Cob | 1st | Carrot Cake and Pistachio Garden Plot |
This week's theme was all things French.[15] In the signature challenge, the bakers are challenged to make three different types of savoury canapés; choux pastry, shortcrust or rough puff pastry, and a third pastry of their choice, to be done in hours. For the technical bake, the bakers are challenged to make a Charlotte Royale consisting of Swiss roll surrounding a bavarois in hours. It is set with gelatin to form a firm dome when turned out. In the showstopper challenge, the bakers are challenged to bake an iconic French patisserie, the opera cake, in hours.
| Baker | Signature (36 Canapés- 12 Choux, 12 Shortcrust/Rough Puff, 12 Any of their Choice) | Technical (Charlotte Royale) | Showstopper (Opera Cake) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beca | Stilton and Walnut Macarons Beetroot and Salmon Choux Puffs Welsh Rarebit Tartlets | 3rd | Banoffee Opera Cake | ||
| Frances | Légume Canapés Chantenay Carrots, Choux Pastry Tomatoes, and Cauliflower Cheese Scones | 2nd | Great British Soap Opera Cake | ||
| Kimberley | Pea Purée Tarts Crab and Wasabi Profiteroles Steamed Buns with Barbecue Chicken | 1st | Passion Fruit and Lime Opera Cake | ||
| Ruby | Beetroot Jelly on Poppy Seed Biscuits Spinach, Parmesan and Egg Tartlets Choux Buns with Goat's Cheese and Caramelised Onions | 4th | Chocolate, Almond Praline and Saffron Opera Cake |
In the signature challenge, the final three are challenged to create a picnic pie in 3 hours. The pie must be savoury, the fillings have to create a creative design and has to be strong enough to be served out of the tin. For the technical challenge, the bakers are challenged to make 12 perfectly shaped pretzels; six savoury with rock salt and six sweet, flavoured with poppy seeds and topped with sweet orange zest and glaze, all to be done in 21⁄2 hours. For the final showstopper challenge of the series, the bakers are asked to bake the ultimate showpiece – a three-tiered wedding cake in 6 hours.
| Baker | Signature (Picnic Pie) | Technical (12 Pretzel – 6 Savory, 6 Sweet) | Showstopper (Three Tiered Wedding Cake) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frances | Rainbow Picnic Pie | 3rd | Midsummer Night's Dream Wedding Cake | ||
| Kimberley | Chicken and Pig Pie | 1st | Languages of Love Wedding Cake | ||
| Ruby | Picnic Basket Pie | 2nd | Raspberry, Lemon and Passion Fruit Wedding Cake |
Mary and Paul take over the tent and take on the challenges that they set for the bakers, showing what they would have done had they been in the bakers shoes.
| Bake 1 | Bake 2 | Bake 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | Spiced Whole Orange Cake with Orange Mascarpone Icing | Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd | Chocolate Creation Showstopper |
| Paul | Olive Breadsticks | English Muffins |
| Bake 1 | Bake 2 | Bake 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | Tipsy Trifle | Floating Islands | Wobbly Apricot Tart | |
| Paul | Egg Custard Tarts | Spanakopita |
| Bake 1 | Bake 2 | Bake 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | Ginger and Treacle Spiced Traybake | Tuiles with Chocolate Mousse | ||
| Paul | Iced Tea Loaf | Apricot Couronne | Brioche Tetes |
| Bake 1 | Bake 2 | Bake 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | Sussex Pond Pudding with Apples | Religieuses | Opera Cake | |
| Paul | Rye Bread | Pretzels |
| Bake 1 | Bake 2 | Bake 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | Mincemeat Streusel | Tunis Cake | Gingerbread House | |
| Paul | Stollen | Black Bun | Boxing Day pie |
Before the series started, there was speculation Paul Hollywood would not appear in the show after his marriage broke down.[16] [17] Mary Berry, however, was claimed to have supported Hollywood over rumours of his possible sacking by BBC; and the BBC denied the rumours and said that his job was safe.[18]
During the series, there were accusations of Paul Hollywood's favouritism towards Ruby Tandoh,[19] and personal attacks on Tandoh by various people including the chef Raymond Blanc.[20] [21] [22] Both Paul Hollywood and Ruby Tandoh denied the accusation.[23] [24]
Frances Quinn wrote a book, Quinntessential Baking, released on 17 August 2015.[25] [26]
Ruby Tandoh has written three books, Crumb: The Baking Book, published on 25 September 2014, Flavour: Eat What You Love in 2016[27] and Eat Up: Food, Appetite and Eating What You Want in 2018.[28] She took half a year out from the university after the show, but has returned to complete her philosophy and history of art course at University College London.[29] She wrote a column on baking for The Guardian.[30]
Beca Lyne-Pirkis presented a Welsh language cookery show Becws for S4C starting 11 September 2014.[31] [32]
Glenn Cosby left teaching and launched his own touring stage show Bake It Big in 2014.[33] [34] That same year, Cosby release his book Tasty Travels.
Ali Imdad has set up a bakery business, and become a full-time baker.[35]
The show achieved some of the highest ratings seen on BBC Two. According to overnight data, the final episode was seen by 9.1 million viewers at its peak, and averaging over 8 million, more than twice the number of viewers on BBC One and ITV.[36] This episode is the highest-rated show ever on BBC2 under the ratings system first introduced in 2002, beating the previous record set by an episode of Top Gear in 2007.[37] Series 4 had an average of viewing figure of 7.4 million.[38]
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.[39]
| Episode no. | Airdate | Viewers (millions) | BBC Two weekly ranking | Weekly ranking all channels[40] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.60 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 2 | 6.65 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 3 | 7.17 | 1 | 13 | ||
| 4 | 6.82 | 1 | 18 | ||
| 5 | 6.95 | 1 | 17 | ||
| 6 | 7.32 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 7 | 7.76 | 1 | 13 | ||
| 8 | 7.41 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 9 | 7.41 | 1 | 18 | ||
| 10 | 9.45 | 1 | 4 |
| Airdate | Viewers (millions) | BBC Two weekly ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.69 | 2 |
| Airdate | Viewers (millions) | BBC Two weekly ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.73 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 2.27 | 10 | ||
| 3 | 2.21 | 13 | ||
| 4 | 1.69 | 24 |
| Airdate | Viewers (millions) | BBC Two weekly ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.39 | 2 |