How Should ‘Great British Baking Show’ Replace Country Week?

The Great British Baking Show has finally done away with its controversial Country Week once and for all. Although last year’s viral Mexican Week, in which bakers and hosts mangled pronunciations of basic Spanish words, was the final nail in the coffin, back in 2020, the series also made headlines for an insensitive Japan Week. It’s been time for the theme to end. In fact, it probably should’ve never existed in the first place.

In an interview with The Guardian, producer Kieran Smith announced that Country Weeks were no more. “We didn’t want to offend anyone but the world has changed and the joke fell flat,” Smith said. “We’re not doing any national themes this year.”

Although these themes were clearly never decided with malicious intent, someone’s nationality should never be treated as a “joke.” There was a way to do Country Week right, but The Great British Baking Show never took the time to really execute it in a thoughtful, sensitive, culturally appropriate manner.

Read more at The Daily Beast.