Second season of The Great South African Bake Off proves to be a hit

The series, presented by comedian Anne Hirsch and newcomer Lentswe Bhengu, has proved to be a favourite with viewers once again following a successful first season, which became the highest performing programme on BBC Lifestyle in 2015. The first episode saw nearly 80 000 baking fans tune in to enjoy the now infamous tent trials and tribulations, which was more than double the timeslot average compared to the previous three months. This increased the slot audience by 145%.

BBC Worldwide’s head of programming for Africa, Kully Kaur-Bains, says, “We’re thrilled to see local viewers embrace the second series of The Great South African Bake Off with such strong excitement and support. We’re looking forward to seeing the response for the rest of the series, where viewers will be taken on a jam-packed journey from a classic bee sting cake through to the ever challenging bread week.”

Filmed in Johannesburg, the contestants will be put through their paces each week with a signature bake, technical challenge and a dramatic show stopper challenge. In episode two, contestants will be put to the test with Bread Week, where viewers can see some rise to the top or get burnt in the oven with their takes on ciabattas, free form bread and a loaf centre piece.

The Great South African Bake Off is BBC Worldwide’s second local commission, following the award-winning Come Dine With Me South Africa. The series builds on the success of the hugely popular BBC series The Great British Bake Off, and sees amateur bakers compete to be named South Africa’s best home baker. The executive producer for the series will be Kirsty Hanson at BBC Worldwide.

The second series of The Great South African Bake Off is locally sponsored by Mugg and Bean.

The Great South African Bake Off has once again been produced by local production company, Rapid Blue, 2016 SAFTA winners for Strictly Come Dancing and producers of Come Dine With Me South Africa. BBC Worldwide has invested in Rapid Blue, who are the producers of original productions and international television formats for South African, African and international audiences.

The Love Productions format has been licensed to 23 countries including Romania (ProTX), France (M6), Australia (Nine Network), Italy (Discovery), Poland (TLC), Belgium (VTM), Ireland (TV3), Denmark (DR), Norway (TV3), Sweden (TV7/Sjuan), The Netherlands (MAX), Finland (MTV3), Ukraine (1+1) and Germany (ProSiebenSat.1)

Catch The Great South African Bake Off every Tuesday at 20:00 on BBC Lifestyle, channel 174 on DStv.

For more information, visit www.bbcsouthafrica.com. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter using the #SABakeOff hashtag.