A FORMER winner of The Great British Bake Off has issued a stern warning to Channel 4.
The most recent series of the long-running baking show saw viewers up in arms as they accused the programme of ‘cultural appropriation’.
Candice Brown has given Channel 4 bosses a stern warning not to stray from tradition
Viewers accused the programme of ‘cultural appropriation’ after a Mexican-themed episode
An episode of the show saw the bakers take part in a controversial Mexican-themed instalment where they relied on cliché dishes such as tacos and tequila.
The hosts of the show, Noel Fielding, 50, and Matt Lucas, 49, also wore sombreros and striped ponchos when they delivered their links.
Fans of the cookery programme also felt that judges Paul Hollywood, 57, and Prue Leith, 83, gave too harsh feedback.
Candice Brown, 38, won the seventh series of The Great British Bake Off in 2016 and has issued a stern warning to production executives, saying they should stay away from the gimmicks.
She told the MailOnline: “Bake Off is like a warm hug, people are staunch followers and staunch fans and when you start to change things too much that’s when people start to worry… and people love the traditional side of things.
“They need to try not to lose that real home baking style of things because that’s what people love and that’s what makes the show so special.
“The show is special because of that complete and utter love of baking and everything surrounding that.”
She added that occasional ‘curve balls’ might be a good thing because they get people talking, however the show should not stray too far from traditional.
‘I’d like to think it will keep its innocence with regards to that and not deviate too much from the traditional format.’
“Of course, it is important to mess it up a bit and throw a curve ball and I know everyone had a bit of a moan about Mexican week last year, but it meant that everyone was talking about it… people might not have agreed with Mexican week, but it got people talking.”
As fans prepare for a new series with Alison Hammond, the boss of Love Productions has insisted the production company has listened to fans.
In The Media Podcast, Richard McKerrow admitted: “There is a realisation last year’s show didn’t really work. We’re going to strip it back to basics, with a few twists.
“I’d be the first to hold up our hands and say I feel the last series was not our strongest.
“You’ve got to take a look and go, ‘Sh*t, are the challenges too complicated?’.
“We’re looking very, very, very hard at making sure it’s as good a series as it can be.”
Candice Brown won the Great British Bake Off in 2016
She took home the trophy on the last series to air on the BBC
