The Great British Bake-Off could give the Prime Minister a few lessons in working effectively

Tuesday saw Prime Minister Boris Johnson address the nation, telling us all that “a stitch in time saves nine”, while neglecting to tell us anything useful.
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Fortunately, The Great British Bake-Off (Channel 4, Tuesdays, 8pm) followed immediately afterwards – opening with new host Matt Lucas giving us his impression of our shaggy dog story of a PM – and at once all was right with the world.

The 12 bakers are all safely sequestered throughout this year’s coronavirus competition, which made you wonder if you couldn’t join them in an icing sugar enhanced support bubble.

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We kicked off with cake week, featuring battenburgs, pineapple upside down cakes and sponge busts of the bakers’ fave celebs.

Matt Lucas (left) with judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood in Bake-OffMatt Lucas (left) with judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood in Bake-Off
Matt Lucas (left) with judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood in Bake-Off

But as usual it was the dynamics between the people in the bunting-bedecked tent – presumably drenched in Dettol every hour – that draws you in.

Lucas – a man who vocally expressed his love for cake at every turn – settled in well, his brand of avuncular weirdness a good fit with Noel Fielding’s huggable Goth, while the contestants seemed a good mix of the brilliant and the eccentric.

And in case this all seems a little pastel-perfect, we had high drama – flygate.

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Sura accidentally knocked Dave’s cakes to the floor while shooing away a bluebottle, leading to a last-minute drive to make his upside down bakes look little less, well, upside down.

This being Bake-Off, everyone rallies round, and Sura couldn’t have felt any more guilty for her error, saying sorry to everyone in earshot.

All of which gives you the idea that maybe if we admit mistakes and work together to fix them, everything will be okay. If only Boris watched Bake-Off.

The charming spectral sitcom Ghosts (BBC1, Monday, 8.30pm) returned. It’s amusing, rather than belly laugh funny, but it works brilliantly and is a comedy the whole family should enjoy.

Grayson Perry’s Big American Road Trip (Channel 4, Wednesdays, 10pm) was more illuminating about racial divisions in the US than any news report, mainly because he spoke to black people.

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