Virtually all of us use online communication of one sort or another: you are reading this blog and no doubt you use a variety of social media platforms to comment on current affairs. I know I do and it’s a great way to connect with others and to create instant conversations. Following Twitter hashtag feeds during England World Cup football matches was great fun!
However, commenting online has a dark side, and one that recently showed its ugly head after an episode of The Great British Bakeoff. For people not familiar with this cult programme, it features amateur home bakers, who are set a number of challenges whilst situated in a quintessentially British park in a marquee. The contestants are all passionate about baking; amazing bakers and its all cosy and British with the uber-Auntie of cake baking – Mary Berry and Master Baker Paul Hollywood judging.
The programme is on its Fifth series and there are many home bakers like myself who watch in awe of the talents of the contestants. It is gentle and the contestants are not natural showoffs: they are not Big Brother or “Come dine with me” contestants, but quiet, passionate people who will spend a rainy afternoon baking bread!
However the editors and some of the audience now feel it is okay to make fun of the contestants. The editors have the power to be minxy, and with clever editing make innocent remarks or situations into a major drama. Last year they were accused of implying, through clever editing, that the female finalists were all at each others’ throats. The editing resulted in hate campaigns and awful troll remarks directed at the contestants which genuinely upset contestants. After all they were there to bake, not to promote their talent for future job opportunities.
This year, the programme has moved to BBC 1, so has picked up a new audience. I suspect the production company have been asked to provide opportunities for media coverage. One minor situation was baked out of control by the editors, resulting in an elderly lady being attacked on line. Here is an online description of the drama. When the episode came out, the contestant that was knocked out defended her, but more significantly one of the presenters revealed that the ice cream was out of the freezer for less than a minute and that there weren’t enough freezers provided by the production company, for the contestants to do their ice cream well. On a hot day. In a tent…
The contestant, Diana, didn’t appear in subsequent episodes resulting in further nasty speculation about her character and trustworthiness. It was revealed that she had been taken ill before the subsequent episode – leading to MORE inappropriate comments.
Today, her GP wrote to The Daily Telegraph to confirm the freak fall Diana had had, and the health consequences – including Diana losing her sense of smell and taste. Read here.
To be honest, I’m horrified with the whole situation. This was a 69 year old lady, who loves baking. She was chosen to be a participant. The production company edited the episode to make her look like an evil rival of another contestant; sabotaging his ice cream. She received a barrage of negative, vindictive comments on social media. She then suffered a freak accident and wasn’t able to compete, resulting in more negative coverage. Then to quiet the comments, her GP had to intervene. I am horrified she had to ask him to do this. Both the production company AND people writing awful comments online should be ashamed.
We all speculate on situations; gossip and intrigue is part of being a community, and everyone from the mean girls at school to the office bully can create a frenzy of false rumours to make a story interesting. As many people say, when it is in the papers or gossip in the office, it will blow over – or become tomorrow’s chip paper. But online communication is there for ever.
Commenting online is very impersonal; people hide behind pseudonyms; they are faceless. But their comments are still hurtful and damaging. No doubt Diana is regretting applying to be on The Great British Bake Off; online communication has made contestants of shows sitting ducks for this sort of vitriol.
Do comment below: I would love to hear your views on this.
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I think this whole drama it’s so sad… Gossip and funny remarks can be fun but the line for it to transform into rumours and negativity is really fine. The best thing I’ve learn is to understand that people are in different journeys and therefore it is not for me to have an opinion about people’s lives. It works for me I feel lighter and more positive…
Thanks for commenting Morena. I totally agree. All of the contestants participated because they love baking, and the show. Unfortunately, due to waspish editing, the series has a rather nasty taste to it. I also agree that you never know what’s going on in other people’s lives and to keep one’s thoughts on others to oneself. It’s a very good life choice you’ve chosen!
I love GBBO but we missed a couple of weeks as we were away and only just got back and caught up with the icecream episode. I’m shocked to read of the negative comments that Diana received. It’s awful that the editing is done in such a way as to provoke reactions, positive or negative. I’m sure none of the contestants expected to be on the receiving end. And it’s just so mean … the “drama” is created through editing for the programme’s benefit. But the real fans of GBBO watch it because we love baking or we are in awe of those who can bake. I wish Diana well with her recovery.
Thanks for your comment Sherry. I love GBBO too; I’ve watched it from the first series. And I totally agree with your comments. I hope Diana is okay. It must be awful to lose the sense of taste and smell, particularly when you love cooking..
Hi Susan,
Thank you for your thoughtful post. Editing can provide a very different picture to what actually happened, and kind of makes me sad that production companies feel they have to do this to build an audience. Do we really have to have negative stuff to watch the show or have a conversation? Assumptions can cause a lot of damage…
Hi Anita, Thanks for your comment. I totally agree; it appears that some production companies and TV companies are driven by audience ‘numbers’ rather than creating a lovely show. OR they believe adding ‘Drama’ will increase the enjoyment of the show. The editing was ambiguous enough to create an online buzz with speculation. It must have been very very upsetting for Diana 🙁
It is sad but it’s not isolated to GBBO. Provocative editing exists in almost all media. What is slightly surprising to me, after years of the exposure we have all had to ‘reality tv’, is that people expect anything different when they enter a public, televised competition? Surely today, if you apply to go on a tv competition programme you would be aware that the programme’s sole objective is to increase ratings and viewership? And that we as humans are programmed to read negative first, positive second so that’s what editors go for? Negative sensationalism is their easiest, fastest option. We have been exposed to it for years, so isn’t it a little bit naive to think differently? I feel very sorry for Diana who probably wasn’t prepared for what has happened to her. I would say to ANYONE considering such a programme to really think hard about the potential impact on your life of appearing in public, and to carefully look at the history of the programme in terms of its approach to media. For want of a better metaphor – if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen? *puts on flame-proof suit and waits to be baked alive by GBBO devotees* 🙂
Hi Jenny, Thanks ever so much for your feedback. I agree about ‘reality TV’ being dangerous and that participants should go in with their eyes FULLY open. I suspect the production companies flatter the contestants and reassure them that they’ll be okay. After all, this is casting and the participants are referred to as ‘cast’ – like a TV drama! Although the companies warn the ‘cast’ that there will be a lot of media interest, they aren’t prepared for the attention – particularly negative. And if they have trusted the production company, it must be a shock to see they have been edited unfavourably. But yes – I actually agree with you on the thought that ‘if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen’!
I was asked to do a discussion live on a weekday show, discussing accents with a reality ‘star’. I was very concerned that I would be set up and made the butt of the jokes and that it would damage my personal brand. The researcher schmoozed and flattered but I didn’t agree to do it! I’m so pleased.
My conclusion as well as being angry with the editing is: avoid reality shows!
I read about the first part of this but not what happened in the end to Diana. It’s proof (again) that the great British public is not so great. If people didn’t behave like this the producers wouldn’t do what they do because there would be no gain. So we have to question all human behaviour not just that of the programme producers. I don’t do GBBO because they don’t generally bake gluten-free. And even when they do it appears superficial and ill-informed. Case in point…..
Thanks ever so much for your comment Judy. I feel that the internet (and its users) haven’t yet established rules of etiquette; we might think certain things about a person, but pre-internet we might say it to a friend, but now our opinions are broadcast to the world with no boundaries, unless we filter what we say on the internet. I feel the editors knew exactly what they were doing: that a minor drama would be whipped up by social media causing them more media coverage.
It is a shame you don’t watch GBBO: they normally have challenges using gluten-free recipes.