Original subtitles

[Noel] Hello, it's Japanese Week.

[Matt] Konnichiwa.

[Noel] Why are you dressed like that?

[Matt] You said come as a mango character.

I said come as a manga character.

It's Japanese Week.

[Matt] Oh.

Welcome to The Great British Baking Show.

You should take that off. You look ridiculous.

[Matt] I can't, it's stuck.

[Noel chuckling] Oh, dear.

You're gonna have to spend the rest of your career like that.

Old mango head. See you later.

Now...

-Cakes are boring. -[laughs]

[Noel] ...it's Japanese Week.

A load of rubbish, innit?

I hate matcha.

-Might as well eat grass. -Smells nice.

-[Mark] Do you reckon? -No.

[Noel] The bakers are letting off steam...

-Burger off, Lottie. -You burger off.

[Noel] ...as the pressure builds...

Oh, don't give me that look.

[Noel] ...to a spectacular kawaii showstopper.

-[whines] -[whispering] Can I do it?

[Noel] Who will light up the tent...

Tastes lovely.

[Noel] ...and who will be saying sayonara?

It's cruel to say it's inedible.

But it's getting that way.

[opening theme music playing]

It's Japanese Week.

Who'd ever have thought I'd make it this far? [laughs]

[Dave] I'm very excited for Japanese Week.

I think it's a bit more creative, more freedom to do things

and bring fun to the baking tent.

Because we're all doing different, unfamiliar things,

we all feel like we're on a pretty level playing field,

but there's a lot that could go wrong.

Always.

Bakers, hello, or should I say konichiwa

because for the first time ever, it's Japanese Week.

We're all very excited, and the judges today

would love you to make a batch of eight soft, delicious steamed buns.

Now, Japanese buns are usually filled with pork or curry,

but you can choose any filling you like, sweet or savoury.

Noel, what would you fill your buns with?

-Human blood? -This is a family show.

Dog blood.

Better.

You have two hours and 30 minutes.

-On your marks... -Get set...

Bake.

The adrenaline has kicked in. Steamed buns it is.

It is Japanese Week so I wouldn't be surprised

if we didn't get quite traditional Japanese fillings.

But we know what these bakers are like, they always surprise us.

[Paul] Every cut that we do,

you must see the filling and we certainly must taste it.

On the bread side, it must be a soft, chewy roll but not too chewy.

Initially, you feel the tug and then it melts in the mouth.

[Prue] The filling matters.

We want something delicious inside, but this is a bun challenge.

Feeling good about Japanese Week.

Dough's almost ready.

I'm adding turmeric to it to dye the dough yellow

'cause the plan is they're gonna look like little chickens.

[Matt] Naturally adding colour to his buns with turmeric,

Dave will then be filling them with his favourite meal

and one of Japan's most popular western-inspired foods, the katsu curry.

-"Cat poo curry"? -Katsu curry.

[Matt] Oh, "katsu."

[Dave] With raw chicken today.

-I've tested it in practice. -Did you like that?

I was worried it wouldn't cook, but it did cook within that time.

How long are you steaming?

-Fifteen minutes. -[Prue] Good.

-Good luck. Thank you, Dave. -Cheers, thank you.

[Noel] Dave's won't be the only buns to be making an animal-like appearance.

[Hermine] So I'm gonna make them look like little pandas.

I've gone for pandas 'cause I think they look cute.

[Laura] I'm making little piggies.

Like, little snouts and ears and sesame seeds for eyes.

It's quite a fun challenge, isn't it?

[Peter] Gonna be making my wee buns into wee lambs.

The lamb itself is gonna be raw, and that's gonna be steamed with the bun.

I've got garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander,

fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, cumin.

It really packs a punch.

[Noel] Peter's lamb-shaped buns will be filled with a spiced lamb mince

herded together with a Chinese stir-fry packed with flavour.

How are you gonna infuse that flavour into the lamb?

So, I'm just gonna stir-fry off the aromatics first

and then that's gonna be added into the lamb and mixed through

-with the soy sauce and fish sauce. -[Paul] Okay.

How are you making them into lambs?

[Peter] I split my dough in two.

I've got a small portion here which I'll colour black.

And then that's gonna be used for the face and for the ears, just cut-out wee shapes.

They look quite cute. [chuckles]

-[Paul] Great. -[Prue] Lovely.

-[Peter] Hope you enjoy it. -[Paul] So do I.

Doing the windowpane test.

If you can see light through it, it means it's ready to be proved.

[Matt] The timing of the prove is vital with this soft dough.

Underprove, and it will split.

[Hermine] I would like it to about double in size.

[Matt] But overprove, and it'll collapse and be flat,

the opposite of the domed shiny buns the judges are expecting to see.

[Dave] I'll wait for it to triple in size, get more flavour into it.

After I've coloured this dough and get it into proving,

then it's on to making the filling.

It's more Chinese-inspired than it is Japanese-inspired.

In Japanese Week that might not be great, but it's delicious, I've loved it.

[Matt] And Peter isn't the only baker with an East Asian inspiration.

The Japanese element of it is the bun,

but this is probably more traditional Chinese-flavoured pork.

Just gonna fry it for about 20 minutes, get it nice and crispy.

You can't put raw pork belly in a steamed bun.

[chuckling] It'd be absolutely savage, to be honest.

[Matt] Laura is doubling up on her flavours and decoration

with her eight little pigs

built around pork belly in a Chinese-style sticky sauce.

[Prue] Tell us about the sticky sauce.

Some hoisin going in there, some oyster sauce and sake,

erm, bit of honey.

Ticks all the boxes, all the flavours, "Yeah. Yeah."

[Prue] You've practised it?

The filling's gone down a real treat at home.

[Paul] Good.

It will do with me, as well.

-[Laura] Good. -[Paul laughs]

[Noel] Across the border from China

lie the flavours of India via Marc's kitchen in Cornwall.

My daughter Jasmine's got really into cooking,

particularly into curries.

We tried a few curries in these steamed buns

and as soon as she made this dhal, we sat down at the table,

we all bit into it and just went, "Mmm!" [chuckles]

Hence why it's called the "Hmmmm Dhal Steamed Bun."

[Noel] Marc will be colouring and flavouring his dough with smoked paprika

to complement his two Indian flavours

of mango chutney and apple-sweetened lentil dhal.

-Oh, sounds lovely. -Okay.

-Curried dhal, mango chutney. -I'm hoping to

fold them in the traditional way.

Okay, how you doing that, then?

With great skill, hopefully.

-[Prue chuckles] Great skill. -[chuckles]

[Matt] While Marc will be trying to twist together his vegetarian filling,

two of the bakers are doing their twist on the all-time classic meat-in-a-bun.

-So, I'm doing, er, burger buns. -Oh, excellent.

I'm using beef mince, gherkins, er, cheese--

Gherkin. Can you do one without a gherkin for me?

-Don't like gherkins? -No.

[Mark] Oh, no, really?

-I'll do one without gherkins. -[Paul] Thanks.

Never judge a man on his gherkin.

[Matt and Paul laugh]

[Matt] Mark is mixing together beef mince

with onion, cheese, tomato purée and gherkins,

but after Paul's recent disclosure, he's making an adjustment.

[Mark] I'm doing a little one without gherkins.

[Noel] For Paul?

-Yeah, for Paul. -Wow, what is he, five?

[both laugh]

-It's a bit like that. -Paul, write down what you like.

He's supposed to be a judge, a man of the world

-with an exquisite taste palate. -Yeah.

-Good luck. -Thank you.

-Lottie's also doing a burger, isn't she? -She's not as good as you.

[both laugh]

[Noel] I'm not gonna lie, she's lucky to still be here.

[laughing]

[Mark] My burgers are way better than Lottie's.

Burger off, Lottie.

You burger off.

[Mark laughs]

[Laura chuckling] It's on. Some healthy rivalry going on here.

[chuckles]

-We've been saving that for ages. -[both laugh]

[Lottie] Our techniques are slightly different.

He's frying his off, I'm putting mine in raw,

but they're pretty similar.

So, if Mark gets a handshake...

I'll be very happy for him.

[Noel] Lottie will be assembling her buns in the traditional fashion

by building layers of beef patty, onions, cheese, and bacon,

and to add to the burger feel,

she will also be serving up spiralised chips.

-You're making chips, too? -Yeah.

Which you won't eat.

[Prue] There might be a few chip eaters.

-[Paul] There might be. -[laughs]

-[Matt] Doing any gherkin? -[Lottie] Yeah.

Oh, Paul'll be delighted.

-Can you do one without a gherkin for me? -Yeah, maybe.

-Thank you. -[Prue] He hates gherkin.

-Really hates it? -[Paul] Yeah.

-Okay, no gherkin. -[Prue] I like it.

[Matt] The gherkin ain't working.

[Paul] Gherkin doesn't work for me.

[Laura] Give that a quick minute, then I'm gonna add the water.

[Matt] In contrast to baking, which dries the dough,

steaming raises its moisture levels.

[Dave] If the sauce is too wet going into steam buns,

it's really hard to keep that sauce inside.

So I need to thicken it so it's more of a paste.

And then when it steams, that sort of reintroduces liquid to it.

[Matt] So any fillings with a high liquid content

could result in soggy, undercooked buns.

[Hermine] I need some oyster sauce.

I'm trying to celebrate Japan with my flavour.

The brief said Japanese bun, so it's good inspiration.

Don't know what I'm doing here, though. [laughs]

[Matt] Going all in on the Japanese theme,

Hermine is aiming to achieve a rich, umami taste to her pandas

with Japanese-style spiced chicken, dried shrimps and shiitake mushrooms.

How are you feeling about Japanese Week, Hermine,

because you're probably one of the most consistent of bakers thus far?

Thank you for the vote of confidence.

-[Prue chuckles] -But, erm, yes, it was all a new

sort of learning journey for me, but from my research,

I find that Japanese baking had some French influence...

-Yeah. -...in there.

So, I'm hoping to draw on my knowledge of French patisserie.

-We have to see if it works. -[Hermine] Yes.

Thank you, look forward to it.

-Thank you. Thank you. -Good luck.

Paul said I'm the most consistent baker. Isn't that lovely?

Well, I'd better get back to work now before he takes that back.

Bakers, you are halfway through.

Make sure it all works. You don't wanna look silly on TV.

[laughs]

Right, gotta check my dough.

[Matt] With the doughs coming out of the proving drawer,

they must be separated and weighed into equal amounts...

Gonna stick to what I did in practice,

and they're gonna each be 49 or 50 grams in weight.

[Matt] ...in order to fulfil the uniformity required by the brief.

I'm not weighing the dough. I'm just eyeballing the dough.

There's a lot of winging and eyeballing that goes on in the tent. [chuckles]

[Lottie] It's just like an assembly line that I have set up,

so it goes like patty, bacon, cheese, relish.

Got to remember to do one without relish for Paul.

Because I know what one he's gonna eat,

it almost makes the pressure greater on that one.

[Noel] The fillings must be centralised in the bun,

as too near the top or bottom

could see it split the tender dough and pour out.

I'd probably say you want about two-thirds filling and the rest dough.

That's how I like it. I don't know if Paul will.

[Noel] But adding too much filling could yield the same disastrous results.

A minor issue, that I've been too generous in filling the first seven buns

and have run out of mixture,

so I'm doing a bit of a slapdash final mixture.

Hopefully I can persuade the judges to move away from that one.

-[Marc] A tricky moment. -[Noel] Wrapping it up.

-[Marc] This is where it gets tricky. -I see what you're saying.

It's like putting jam in a cowboy hat. It's not really working out, is it?

[Laura] This is the bit that I don't know how to do, if I'm being honest.

There's probably a technique. What it is, I don't know.

It hasn't closed properly.

[Lottie] They have to be precise. Competition's stepped up.

-But Mark's not doing chips, so... -Chips. Did they ask for chips?

Who doesn't want chips, mate?

[chuckles] You doing steamed chips?

-Yeah, I'm doing steamed chips, yeah. -[laughs]

It's all about the decoration now, so I need to get everything all together.

[Noel] Once the bakers have added their distinctive decorations,

it's full steam ahead.

[Laura] These are the little snouts for my little piggies. [snorts]

I feel like I'll get a lot of hate online from vegetarians worldwide for this.

[Mark] Gotta wrap this around the outside of the buns

to represent the patty in the middle.

Water's actually boiling now. So get that ready to start steaming these.

Make sure there's enough space in between each of them.

[Mark] They will expand and rise throughout.

If they're too close together, they will touch and be stuck together.

That's the last one.

Right, so we're gonna put those on.

[Noel] Once the lid is on the steamer, it needs to remain airtight.

They need 15 minutes, so I'll give them until the end.

[Noel] So the bakers won't discover how successful their buns are

until they're ready to come out.

Just waiting now.

Bakers, you only have ten minutes left.

-That sounded like me. -I know.

Well, that's good, 'cause I got nine minutes left on my bake.

It's like the Chamber of Secrets.

Just hope they're cooked.

Patience is a virtue, but I always lift it in practice,

and now I'm worried that because I lift it in practice,

that's how long the cooking time is based on me lifting it.

Is this your thing, Japanese business?

I am having fun this week. I like it being a bit different.

-Yeah, exactly. -Cakes are boring.

[chuckles] Let's both say that into the camera.

[both] Cakes are boring.

-Okay? So, enough with the cakes. -[laughs]

Very plump sheep.

-Yeah. -They look ready when they've puffed.

[Marc] Good God. They've puffed up.

Bakers, you have one minute left. One minute.

[Mark] They're coming out.

Just a case of going for it.

Whoa. We've got some big piggies.

Ooh.

[Mark] "P" for Paul right here. The one without gherkins.

[Lottie] Okay, let's get these ones in.

[Marc] God, they're hot.

[Peter] They're looking good.

[Hermine] I think they look like pandas.

[Dave] I'm happy with them.

[Laura] Oh, they don't look very good. Poor little piggy.

Okay, bakers, your time is up.

Step away from your delicious buns.

Look good. Look like little burgers, nice.

Mark's are better than mine. Livid.

[laughs]

[Matt] It's time for the bakers' steamed buns

to face the judgement of Paul and Prue.

-Hi, Hermine. -[Paul] Hi, Hermine.

You needed bigger eyes for the pandas. [chuckles]

-Panda-ish. -[Prue] They're nearly even.

[Paul] It's a little untidy on the shaping.

You know, on the side, but they're not bad.

[Prue] It's not dead in the middle.

It's mainly bread. There's an arch there of flavour.

I love it. I think the bread is just... It's soft,

but it's a bit chewy, which is lovely, and the filling is just delicious.

Thank you.

It is very good. It's full of flavour.

It packs a punch in the bit that you do have.

The bun is beautifully baked.

The shaping could've been a bit neater, but the flavour is very, very good.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

[Prue] Lovely.

Well, you've managed to achieve a nice, smooth top, actually.

Bit of a shine. You've got some sesame, some have fallen off.

That one there has got a very vague "P"

-'cause it doesn't have gherkins in it. -[Paul] Ah.

-I love sesame seed. -Ah, sorry, I wanted to make sure.

[Prue] Nice filling. It's in the middle.

[Paul] It's got a nice bready look.

[Prue] Good flavour. The burger bit is quite dry.

A bit of mayonnaise, tomato ketchup in there would've softened it a bit,

but actually, the taste is good, and the bun is very, very good.

It's slightly chewy. You've got that smooth top.

-[Prue] It's nice and soft. -It is baked all the way through.

-[Prue] It's good. -[Paul] Simple but effective.

Thank you very much.

[Paul] You've had issues with the dough. It's seeping through a lot.

You probably have too much filling.

That's what it looks like. They're all a bit irregular,

but that's down to the filling. You can see the arch,

which I don't mind, but you can see why it's broken through.

-[Laura] Yeah. -[Paul] It's so close to the outside,

it was always gonna burst through, but your bread looks good.

-[Prue] That looks really good bread. -[Paul] Mmm.

-[Prue] Smells fantastic. -Tastes lovely. It's a bit dry,

-but it tastes beautiful. -Flavour's wonderful.

The meat is tough. The bit of sticky sauce is lovely, but you need more of it.

Very, very dry. But very, very beautiful.

-[Prue] They look absolutely lovely. -Thank you.

-They obviously touched in the steamer. -Yeah.

That's because they're so big.

I think they are too big.

-You've lost the shape a bit. -Yeah.

[Paul] The colour and decoration look good.

-[Marc] Thank you. -Right down to the bottom on the filling.

It tastes great. It's a lentil dhal, is it?

Yes, lentil and apple.

But you've still got a bit of bite in the apple, which is unusual.

The paprika works really well with the curry going through the middle.

It hasn't overwhelmed it. You are carrying flavour.

-My only issue is the size. -[Marc] Yeah.

I don't mind them being too big. But then, I'm greedy.

They look great. I love the addition of the colour.

-You've got a bit of marking on there. -[Dave] Yeah.

-[Paul] Filling tried to push through. -[Prue] It's coming through.

-Very neat and bold. -In spots.

Well-shaped. Nice and shiny. Smooth.

-You have this arch again, of flavour. -[Dave] Yes.

I love the chicken. And the texture's great.

Bun, the bread is lovely.

-Either I needed more filling or... -[Dave] Yeah.

-...a bit stronger. More curry, really. -[chuckling] Yeah.

I think they are very good and you've managed to get the flavour

in the arch all the way through. That's delicious.

-My only gripe is it's coming through. -[Dave] That's what I don't like.

-[both] Thank you. -Cheers.

[Paul] These creases are air pockets that have shrunk back in.

That's to do with the way that you've tightened the ball up.

But they do look round,

-beautifully aromatic. -[Prue] Mmm.

The problem is you've not tightened it up round the meat.

So it's pulled away and what you're left with...

is very little dough.

There's more meat than there is dough.

-[Peter] Too much filling. -Yeah.

That tastes absolutely wonderful. I love the flavour.

Your flavours are great.

Just watch the buns.

This one's for Paul.

-[Paul] Okay. -It doesn't have gherkins in the relish.

[Paul] They all seem similar in size.

Bit of decoration is nice. That looks like a burger, doesn't it?

It does. Bacon, cheese, burger and relish.

-Just has to taste good now. -[chuckles]

It's like having a burger, a dry burger but nevertheless a burger.

-The flavour is spot on. -[Prue] Hmm, it went in raw?

-Yeah. -[Paul] Hmm.

I think it's difficult to do

if it's steaming, get it cooked on the outside

and still rare in the middle.

[Paul] You need more fat in the meat.

But the flavour's excellent.

The way the bun wraps around the filling...

-Beautiful bun. -[Prue] It's beautiful.

-[Paul and Prue] Well done. -Thank you.

Thanks.

I'm pleased with that. I think I got away with it.

If he'd eaten it with the relish, then it wouldn't have been dry.

I was scared to say it to his face.

[Mark] I'm chuffed that it's come off this morning.

I've been in this position before where I've had a good signature

and then it's all gone wrong after that,

so I wanna just keep that momentum

and really push through with the next two challenges.

I'm disappointed to have got bad feedback, but I think going into the technical,

you can always pull it back.

I've been relatively good at them in the past,

so hopefully that's gonna continue today.

[Noel] With mystery ingredients shrouded in gingham,

the bakers can only guess what fate awaits them

in the technical challenge.

Hello bakers, it's time for your technical challenge

which today has been set for you by the lovely Prue.

-Prue, any words of advice? -When you read this recipe,

do not panic.

There's nothing in there that you haven't done before.

Well, as ever, this challenge is judged blind,

so we'd like to ask Paul and Prue to leave the tent.

She said don't panic. That definitely means panic.

Prue would like you each to make a matcha crepe cake.

This is comprised of 12 matcha-filled crepes

-stacked one on top of the other. -[Noel] They need to be layered

with strawberries and a white chocolate ganache buttercream

and decorated and topped with fresh fruit and edible flowers.

[Matt] You have two hours.

-On your marks... -Get set...

Bake.

[Dave] Matcha crepe cake, not heard of it.

I've not heard of making a cake out of crepes before.

Not what I expected, but crepes, what could possibly go wrong with crepes?

[Paul] So, Prue, you've chosen a matcha crepe cake.

It looks unusual from the outside but when you cut into it you go "wow."

-It's striking. -[Prue] It's pretty.

[Paul] You can see the buttercream.

-The crepes are really thin, aren't they? -They are.

And then, very thin slices of strawberry.

The strawberries really lift it. You do get a matcha flavour.

The bitterness of the matcha sort of cuts the sweetness

of the white chocolate ganache buttercream.

Yeah. Where do you think the bakers are gonna go wrong?

'Cause I can see a few things, consistency being one.

Yeah. They do need to make thin crepes

or they won't get 11 out of the mixture,

and also where the bakers may be in real trouble

is if they take ages doing the layering, they won't get it set.

[Paul] It's a great challenge.

We should stop eating this. We've got to eat another seven of them.

That's true.

"For the batter, pour the milk into the pan with the sugar

and cook over a low heat."

"Step two, whisk in the eggs followed by the butter."

This is matcha powder.

I actually hate matcha.

Might as well just eat grass.

Smells nice.

-Do you reckon? -No.

[Laura] Mmm, delicious. Look at that.

[Hermine] This looks so weird.

Are you a matcha fan?

[Hermine] Well, as a drink, yes.

It's very good for you. It has a lot of, erm,

antioxidants...

Oh, good, 'cause I hate oxidants.

-I-- -I am totally anti-oxidants.

"For the filling, melt the chocolate and cream together

and then make a Swiss meringue."

Swiss meringue. I've circled that. I don't know how to do that.

It's something to do with hot sugar.

I think it is hot sugar.

[Peter] The principle is to heat up your eggs and sugar

over a bain-marie whilst whisking,

so that the sugars all dissolve and the eggs are getting nice and frothy.

[Lottie] It is thickening up.

But I've got a nasty feeling I'm looking for a particular temperature.

Absolutely no idea what that would be.

I think it looks good. It's got peaks, it's holding its shape.

-I'm gonna go with it. -"In a separate bowl,

whisk the butter until light and fluffy."

I'm gonna do that in this bad boy because I think whisking butter is no mean feat.

[chuckles] I think we'll start with a new butter.

Take two.

That's light and fluffy. I'm gonna add the chocolate ganache now.

-Add the meringue. -[Mark] Do I whisk in the meringue?

Do I fold in the meringue?

I'm folding the meringue to keep the air in.

I'm gonna whisk in the meringue.

"Slice the strawberries wafer thin."

[Lottie] I'm excited for slicing strawberries

-'cause that's something I understand. -[Mark] Is that too thick?

Yeah.

It's as wafer thin as my sausage fingers can get it, all right?

She's annoyed 'cause I beat her in the burgers earlier.

[Mark laughs]

Okay, bakers, you are halfway through.

-Cupcake? -No, I'm fine.

"Make one crepe using the 30-centimetre pan."

This is all about precision.

The crepes have all got to be the same thickness and colour.

Whether that's what they get...

-Is that a batter for 12 pancakes? -Yeah, 11, 12.

-So they're gonna be very thin. -Gonna be very thin,

-but that's probably good. -For a crepe, yeah.

Paul's gone for a crepe, actually.

[laughs]

[Dave] I'm not sure how long it needs.

Just gonna make sure it doesn't burn.

Where this will be the top layer, I want it to look good.

-Can I flip that? -No.

-Please. -You're not gonna use that, are you?

-Oh, sorry. -[laughs]

How to get that out without it all breaking up?

[Noel] The instructions say

-you've gotta flip your pancake. -I don't think that's accurate.

-No? [chuckles] -No.

[Noel] Don't think you're supposed to use your fingers.

-[Lottie] Look. It's stuck. -[chuckles]

[Peter] Oh, crumbs.

[sighs] This fellow broke,

so rather than being a large pancake, he's going to become a small pancake.

[Marc] They need to be a little thinner.

Little worried I might not have enough mix.

Round two. The big boy.

[Noel] I know where you're going wrong. You need to flip 'em.

-Yeah. Will you flip? -Yeah. I will flip.

-Will you? -I will flip.

-Oh, my God. -I know.

[Noel] He's gonna flip it. Peter's gonna flip.

Come on, flip that baby and catch it in the pan.

No, I meant like with one hand.

-You know like a... -With one hand?

-No? -Definitely not. [chuckles]

-[sighs] -No chance.

"Using the 24-centimetre pan, make 11 further crepes."

The challenge is getting the right amount of crepes out.

That's a load of rubbish.

You need to flip it like a traditional pancake.

If I did it and there's only 11 layers when I present it,

do I say Noel made me flip a pancake?

Why don't you let that all go and trust the Lord?

[both chuckle]

[Mark] Five done. This is number six.

[chuckling] It's gonna be really close, actually.

-Go on, go on. -No.

-Oh. -[laughs]

You were virtually flipping it.

[Laura] I'm worried there's not gonna be enough mixture.

[Mark] Can I make this stretch?

-Oh, come on, come on. -[Noel] Come on.

-That's gotta flip, go on. Yes! -[Dave] Yes!

-[chuckles] -The winner, right here, the winner.

[Marc] Five, six, seven...

I don't think I'm gonna have enough, actually, but I'll do as many as I can.

[Laura] That's never gonna make enough.

[whispers] Great.

[both] Bakers, you have half an hour left.

[Dave] "To assemble, cut two long strips of baking paper 50cm by 10cm

and arrange them as a cross."

[Hermine] "Place the largest crepe in the centre of the paper cross,

spoon filling on top and spread evenly."

"Place a smaller crepe in the centre of the large crepe, spread the filling."

[Dave] "Add in a layer of strawberries between each layer of two crepes."

[chuckling] So, just gonna... A bit hard to compute.

Crepe, butter, yeah, so now it's buttercream.

And then strawberries.

Feel like I need to work much quicker.

One more strawberry layer. This isn't a layer now, this is purée.

[Peter] The last crepe.

"Hold the ends of the paper cross and using them as a handle,

lift the cake into the centre of the bowl."

[Mark] This is terrifying.

[Laura] "Slip the strips of paper from under the cake."

[Marc] That's easier said than done.

[Peter] I'm gonna leave the greaseproof in.

It has just all... [scoffs]

collapsed at one side.

That is a mess.

[Dave] "Place in the freezer to set."

I don't think I can fix that side 'cause it's all tucked underneath.

I need to get it in the fridge now.

[Marc] Phew!

Bakers, you have ten minutes left, ten minutes.

[Lottie] "Turn the cake out, dust with matcha powder

and decorate with a crescent of fruit and edible flowers."

That doesn't look too bad.

[Mark] Ooh, look at that bit.

Just looks so shoddy, the sides of it.

Do you know what? I mean, it's not Japanese great, but it's all right.

Oh, it looks horrendous, doesn't it?

Fill in crevices with matcha powder.

Crescent.

[groans] What's a crescent of fruit?

Crescent is like half, isn't it?

-I knew that. -[Lottie] Okay.

Sure, sure.

Bakers, you have one minute left.

Don't know what a crescent is, so I've gone four seasons.

[Hermine] Am I not just loving this?

[sighs deeply]

Bakers, your time is up.

[Peter] Looks like a crepe cake.

Game, set, matcha.

Please bring your mille crepe cakes to the front

and place them behind your photograph.

[Mark] That was not my best work.

[Matt] Paul and Prue are expecting an exquisitely decorated mille crepe cake

containing 14 delicate layers of matcha-filled crepes,

smooth white chocolate buttercream and wafer-thin strawberries.

[Prue] Shall we start with that one?

The semicircle of fruit and flowers looks okay.

-It's not perfectly enfolded. -Yeah.

It's not tucked in.

-Shall we see what it's like inside? -[Prue] Yeah.

The strawberries are a little bit too thick.

They need to be really thin,

otherwise they get very wet and slidey and it all falls to bits.

But actually, the flavour's not too bad at all.

Moving on, a lot going on. We didn't want the whole thing covered.

[Prue] Yeah, we did ask for a semicircle.

Let's look inside.

The ganache looks okay.

Strawberries are nice and thin.

-You get that white chocolate. -[Prue] Hmm.

-Very nice, just not very well decorated. -[Paul] No, it's not.

Moving on to number three. A full circle of flowers.

It's a bit of a mess round the outside as well.

Lots of layers. Nice and neat.

[chuckling] The inside is better than the outside.

Ganache is okay, strawberries are nice and light.

This isn't too bad. It's a bit neater round the outside.

But too much coconut on the top.

You wanna celebrate the matcha, not the coconut.

Cuts well.

It's pretty neat.

[Prue] Tastes good and the ganache is delicious.

[Paul] It's nice and silky-smooth.

-[Prue] Okay. -[Paul] I quite like this one.

Yes. I mean, that's what it should look like.

[Paul] Let's have a look.

[Prue] Very nice.

-[Paul] Good flavour, ganache. -[Prue] Delicious.

I like the look of that one.

-[Prue] Yeah. Very good. -[Paul] Okay.

-This looks sad. -[Prue] This one's small.

[Paul] It is small. Very thin. Let's have a look inside here.

That's hardly got any layers in there.

I'm only counting a handful. They're very thick.

Because the crepe are a bit thick, they're too chewy.

[Paul] Moving on to the last one.

Bit of a mess round the outside. A bit mottled.

There's not many in there, either.

Very thick layers, aren't they?

They've got a lot of filling because they lack the pancakes.

[Prue] Well...

That's gonna be interesting judging.

[Noel] Prue and Paul will now rank the mille crepe cakes from worst to first.

So, in seventh place, we have this one.

It tasted very good, but, Laura, you know the problem.

There weren't enough crepe.

In sixth spot, we have this one. Whose is this?

Just lack of crepes, and the size of your strawberries

-needs to be much thinner. -Okay.

In fifth place, we have this one.

It's just very ugly at the side,

and the strawberries were a bit too big, so they've leaked.

[Noel] Hermine is fourth,

and Dave is third.

And in second spot, we have this one.

Lottie, it's not bad at all.

Didn't need the coconut on the top, but the inside looks pretty nice.

[mouthing]

Which leaves...

Peter.

Lovely, thin strawberry slices,

excellent buttercream, neatly done,

perfect flowers and crescents.

-It's a model. -[all clapping]

Well done, Lottie. Good job.

I felt right at the bottom of the pile this morning,

so really needed a strong performance.

Absolutely chuffed.

Very nice way to end the day.

I think I'll sleep a little bit easier tonight.

Disappointed, I wanted to do better than that.

It is hard now, the differences between all of us is so minuscule,

but fifth out of seven is definitely towards the bottom.

[Laura] Someone's gotta come last.

You bake well with things you love, and I had no love for matcha.

Just don't really fancy eating or making a swamp.

Gonna have to pull it out of the bag tomorrow.

[Matt] Just the showstopper challenge remains before we discover

who will be Star Baker

and who will be saying sayonara to the tent.

So, Paul, you were recently in Japan.

How are you finding the bakers' Japanese offerings?

I was quite surprised how good they all were.

It's quite difficult to do steamed buns properly.

[Prue] The mille crepe matcha cake...

-That wasn't bad, either. -No, they mostly achieved it.

I mean, overall, er, all the cakes tasted pretty good.

Coming into the showstopper today,

Lottie and Dave are doing well so far in both challenges

and they are definitely in line for Star Baker,

but then down at the bottom, and it's not nice to say, is Laura,

because Laura struggled in the sig and she also was last in the technical.

In the middle, Hermine and Mark L.

They could float down or up,

and what's really odd is, sometimes as a judge,

you've gotta take your, erm, opinions on a flavour, for instance,

that you may not particularly like--

-Right. -You don't like matcha.

-Well, no, I don't like matcha. -Or gherkins.

-You don't like green food. -That's true.

I don't like hardly any food, so I'd be a bad judge, right?

I'm all about the eyes. I like looking at things,

but I don't wanna put them in my mouth.

-Sounds very weird. -That's a very odd thing to say.

[Prue and Noel laughing]

Good morning, bakers. Welcome back to the tent

for your showstopper challenge.

Today, the judges would like you each to make a spectacular kawaii cake.

Kawaii is a style rooted in Japanese culture

that means all things cute and charming.

Cute and Charming. That's our double-act name, isn't it?

Oh, I thought we were Little and Often.

-Oh, yeah, we are. -[Matt] Yeah.

Now, your flavours, type of sponge and decoration

should take their inspiration from Japanese cuisine.

[Noel] How long they got?

-Oh, they have four hours. -Whoo!

-On your marks... -Get set...

Bake!

[Mark] So many eggs.

Kawaii means cute in Japanese.

I'm taking that word and running with it with this one.

Today's showstopper, think animation, think cartoon.

Traditionally in Japan, they use something like an angel cake

or a chiffon cake, so very light.

It would be nice to see the bakers think about Japanese flavours,

like yuzu, matcha or sake.

[Paul] We've asked the bakers to highly decorate it.

We want the cake to be colourful, vibrant, neat,

sharp, professional but it's gotta look cute and taste good.

-[Paul] Hello, Mark. -[Mark] Hello, hi.

[Paul] Tell us all about your kawaii cake.

So, I'm making an avocado cake.

It's gonna be two avocado halves decorated with an emoji, kawaii-style.

They'll have little emotions on their faces,

like Japanese characters almost.

[Noel] I'm loving this idea.

Using avocado chiffon sponges,

green fondant and a buttercream filling,

Mark is going to bring two avocados to life,

who will also be proud parents.

The stone of one of them will be tempered milk chocolate

filled with baby avocados.

-Wow. -[laughs]

Getting in touch with your feminine side, making cute little avocado babies.

-[all laugh] -[Paul] Good luck.

-Thank you. Thank you. -Thank you, Mark.

[Matt] Not only must the bakers create

cute cartoon characters in their kawaii cakes...

It's gonna taste of toasted soya bean.

[Matt] ...the judges also expect a delicious balance of Japanese flavours.

[Dave] I've gone for matcha.

Matcha is highly used in Japan.

Also, there's rosewater.

Matcha's very earthy, so it's a floral flavour to complement it.

[Matt] Dave's kawaii cake will be filled with chocolate sponge,

matcha and rose sponge and decorated in tribute to his best friend.

-My dog is Japanese. -[Matt] He is, isn't he?

[Dave] He's a Japanese Shiba Inu. My dog's name is Yoki.

Which is short for...

[Dave] For Yokohama. It's a Japanese city.

Oh!

[Noel] And Dave is not the only baker inspired by a canine companion.

I'm making my cake in the form of my little dog Hamish,

a Border Terrier, very cheeky, incredibly naughty.

But very friendly and a bit cute.

[Noel] Marc's Border Terrier Hamish will be brought to life

in a lemon Swiss meringue buttercream

layered between two sponges.

One, honey and tahini, the other, ginger and soy bean powder.

How is it gonna look like a dog?

Using different colour fondants to make the eyes and the ears and nose.

The weight of the fondant, do you not find it concertinas up?

In practice, no, it seemed to be okay.

[Matt] The bakers need to think carefully about their choice of sponge.

The cake will be tall, so they need to be sturdy.

They need to hold their shape and the filling in there.

[Matt] If they're too dense, they will be unpleasant to eat.

So, the cake itself is called a castella cake.

It's a fairly robust cake.

The texture is kinda like a kitchen sponge.

[Matt] If they're too light, they may buckle

under the weight of their decorations.

Got a traditional chiffon sponge.

They're very light and fluffy.

It has the potential to collapse quite easily.

In practice, it's been hit-or-miss.

[Matt] Lottie's taking an even bigger risk with her choice of sponge.

So, I am making a cotton jiggle cake.

-A cotton jiggle cake. -[Lottie] Yeah,

and I'm making that into a toadstool.

It's called jiggle because it's like a soufflé.

You jiggle it to see if it's cooked.

-Now, a toadstool tends to be top-heavy. -[Lottie] Yes.

-It is a gamble. It is possible. -Can be done.

[Lottie] It can be done.

[Matt] Lottie's lime-flavoured jiggle cake

will have a cherry cream centre and be fashioned into a cute red toadstool

growing in an edible Japanese forest

of biscuit bamboo, whisky fudge, pulled sugar and candyfloss.

-Oh, my goodness. -Erm, wow.

[both] There's a lot going on.

-Very ambitious. -[Lottie] Yeah.

-Thank you. I hope I can do it. -[Paul] Thank you.

[Noel] Hermine has found

her Japanese inspiration a little closer to home.

I used to work in Slough,

and they had a lovely Japanese garden

where you could go in when you had lunch.

And I thought it was really nice walking down there

and, er, it's quite peaceful and calming.

I'm gonna be back.

[Noel] Hermine is hoping the simplicity

of her vanilla sponge and fresh strawberries

will be lifted by a decorative geisha standing in a tranquil Japanese garden.

I'm gonna make a cherry blossom tree

out of modelling chocolate.

-[Paul] Nice. -And hopefully I'll...

So, I had the lady glued on the cake with the dress flowing.

-Yeah, lovely. -Japanese geisha.

The key thing is it's gotta look good but it's also gotta taste good.

[Peter] So these are gonna go into the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.

[Lottie] I bake them in water, just have to be careful with the eggs.

I think they just prefer a nice, warm bath, and who doesn't?

Let's try that.

[Matt] With their sponges in the oven,

the bakers make a start on their Japanese-flavoured fillings.

[Laura] I'm doing a lime and yuzu curd.

Six tablespoons of yuzu going in there.

Well, basically like a Japanese lime. But it's more tangy.

[Lottie] This is a Japanese whisky.

Smells nice. I'd quite like a sip of that.

[Peter] Asian pears are what I'm using for the filling.

I'm poaching them.

I've named this cake "Dizzy the Shuttlecock."

It looks really, really cute.

It's gonna look like an anthropomorphic shuttlecock

that's been hit on the head with a racquet

so he's seeing stars and he's got a bump on his head.

[Matt] Hoping Dizzy the Shuttlecock

will be a knockout with the judges, Peter's kawaii cake will be filled

with a chestnut cream, and poached pears,

and decorated with white chocolate feathers.

You teach badminton, don't you?

Do you think you could teach my daughter Dali?

She's two.

[chuckles] How young can you teach badminton?

[Peter] We had a wee boy that was three.

[Noel] Really?

I coach loads of different people to kids to...

-Geese? -[chuckles] ...to adults, not to geese.

So, fun feather trivia.

Shuttlecocks only use the left wing of a goose.

-[Noel] Not the right? -No.

-What? -Something with how they fly.

This is like a sort of fantasy land, isn't it?

What's happening with you today.

You're making a shuttlecock called Dizzy.

You're talking about left and right wings of a goose.

And that you coach toddlers to play badminton.

I think I might be in love with you a little bit.

[chuckles] Bye.

[Noel] After struggling in the technical,

Laura's hoping her choice of cake will turn things around.

[Laura] In Japanese culture,

pineapples represent wealth and good fortune.

I'm doing an upside-down pineapple cake

rather than a pineapple upside-down cake, if that makes sense.

I'm taking the idea and literally turning it on its head.

[Noel] Oopsie, Laura's upside-down pineapple cake

will be constructed from pineapple sponges sandwiched

between coconut buttercream and a lime-yuzu curd.

Yesterday, a challenging day for you.

In my head, I'm baking going, "Probably going home today.

Probably going home today."

[Matt] I think it's gonna be good.

-I hope so. -I'm feeling very positive.

Thanks. I need all the positivity--

No, I am feeling positive and I look forward to trying some.

Thank you.

[Matt] Bakers, you're halfway through.

Halfway through, halfway through.

I'll take the cakes and water bath out then put them back in.

[Hermine] Bit stodgier than I normally get them.

I think that one might have collapsed.

It's fine, that was kind of a backup anyway.

Hello. Oh, don't give me that look.

[Matt] As the sponges cool...

Just gotta make the rest of the elements.

[Matt] ...the bakers focus on the decorative details

that will bring their kawaii cakes to life.

These are gonna be my baby avocados.

That's a sentence I never thought I'd say in my life.

-[Noel] Tribute to your dog? -[Marc] Yeah.

-[Noel] I love your dog. He's lovely. -[Marc] He's naughty.

I made the macarons the other day. I took 'em back to the room for the girls.

-Left them on the bed... -Yeah.

-And Hamish ate them. -He ate them.

They're shaped like bones. What do you expect?

[Marc chuckles] I know.

So this is just some golden caster sugar.

I'm going to turn it into the cherry blossom tree.

It's so hot, I can't tell you.

[Matt] Have you been to Japan?

-[Hermine] Never been. -Would you like to go?

I'd love to go.

You know, Paul has said that he'll take the winner of this episode to Japan.

-Really? -No.

Bakers, you have one hour left.

I'm getting on to stacking the cake.

[Mark] This is my yuzu buttercream.

It's gonna be eight layers per avocado.

I hope I haven't given myself too much to do.

[Peter] So, it's just a layer of cream and then a layer of pears

into each one and we build our way up.

Look at these guns. [imitates popping]

[Dave] Ruined my spiral.

[Lottie] This is a massive risk.

Cakes are so jiggly and so fragile.

Yeah, that's bang on. I'm happy with that.

I'm trimming it into the shape of a shuttlecock.

It's standing on its feathers and not on its cork, that would've been difficult.

[Laura] I hate fondant.

[grunts]

It's tearing. [groans]

Right, this is the bit that I worried about.

Go on, what are you gonna do?

-I need to put it on. -Go on, let's see.

[exhales nervously]

Can't do it. [chuckles]

[Matt] Yes!

Skill McGill.

[exhales]

[Laura] I don't know if the fondant's too fragile.

I'm not sure.

It's tearing a bit, isn't it?

[Noel whispering] Laura, are you okay?

-[Laura] It's a mess. -[Noel] It's not a mess.

I don't know why you're so upset. It looks pretty neat.

I think it's just the pressure, like...

-I know. It is. -I did so bad yesterday.

I honestly don't think that looks bad.

-[softly] Thanks. -Just keep going.

-You've got a bit of time. -I'll keep going. We can do this.

[Mark] So this is my second avocado half.

Really speed up now 'cause I'm concerned about time.

Bakers, you've got ten minutes left.

[scoffs]

[softly] Can I do it?

[Marc] Gotta build up the eyes, whiskers, tongue, feet.

[Dave] Just making sure it's in proportion.

[Laura] I just need to do the face features.

[Hermine] It's really important to get this level of detail.

[Mark] It's messy in parts but it's gonna have to do.

They're called Nama chocolates.

In Japan, they're given as gifts but I'm using them as pebbles.

[Hermine] I was gonna do a geisha, but not anymore.

[Laura] I can't remember what it's supposed to look like.

Think I've the captured a certain dizziness in the eyes.

I'm not happy with that finish but I just need to put faces on.

[Lottie] My bamboo... No.

[whines]

Bakers, you have one minute left.

[Mark] Go like the clappers.

This is when I start getting really stressed.

[Marc] Slightly cheeky look to him.

[Mark] It's kawaii, innit?

[Lottie] The candyfloss is the cherry blossom.

[Mark] Quite cute, eh?

[Lottie] That'll do.

Bakers, your time is up.

[Mark] I hope it doesn't fall out.

Cute.

Please step away from your showstoppers.

[Laura] Oh, my God, that was so intense.

[blows raspberry]

[Noel] It's judgement time for the seven kawaii cakes.

[Prue] All right.

[Peter] There we go.

He's a shuttlecock called Dizzy the Shuttlecock.

It's just been hit on the head and it's got a wee bump.

I think it looks great.

I think it's absolutely lovely. It's funny, it's cute,

it's slightly mad.

[Paul] Okay, let's have a look shall we?

-[Prue] Oh, my goodness. -[Noel] Wow.

[Prue] I've never had a cake with that texture.

-Really delicious. -[Paul] It's a hell of a chew,

but that's the style.

It needs more of a punch because the sponge stays

in your mouth for so long.

Not for me, the right taste of flavours.

Thank you.

I think you've got the theme of it, and you've got that Japanese feel.

Creases are a bit of a letdown,

because you wanna see it really nicely done all the way down.

You managed to achieve good layers

and they're all straight, all the same.

You've got no concertina in there at all.

Which is really impressive because they were very big cakes.

I'm really surprised. I wouldn't have thought

rosewater and matcha would be a good combination but they are.

It works beautifully with the buttercream and apple,

and what impresses me

is the sponges are baked really well.

You've done a decent job with the flavours and overall look.

Cheers, thank you.

-[Prue] It jiggles. [chuckles] -[Paul] It does.

[Prue] I love the concept.

[Paul] I thought the head would be a bit more

but considering it's a delicate cake,

you've managed to get it to go in a little bit.

-That's stunning. -[Prue] Very good.

[Paul] That's really good.

-That sponge is amazing. -[Prue] Perfect texture.

-Very good flavour. -[Lottie] Thank you.

Last time I had a sponge like that, I was in Japan.

-Well done. -Well done on the candyfloss.

[Lottie] That's Cherry Drop flavour.

-Is it? -[Lottie] Yeah.

I've never had candyfloss like that before.

-[Lottie laughs] -[Paul] It is.

-Isn't that great? -[Lottie] Thank you.

This is charming but it ain't cute.

[Paul] That tree is quite menacing, actually.

[all laugh]

[Paul] The blossom needed another colour, and the tree, sort of stumpy.

Your fondant's a little bit thick. And the buttercream's very thick.

It's a shame. The flavours are great.

And you have a lovely genoise, as well.

You are a very good French baker. [laughs]

There's just not, for me, enough Japanese-ness about this cake.

[Prue] I think you've done a fantastic job.

-Thank you. -[Prue] It just looks amazing.

[Paul] You can see the character. It's professional.

You expect to see that in a bakery for sure.

-Let's have a look inside. -[Prue] Yeah.

[Matt] Ooh, look at that.

There's a bit of concertina in here on the second one.

-But the top one's light. -[Prue] It looks beautiful.

It's very strange because the tahini is quite strong.

-Mmm. -It's a surprise.

[Marc] Yeah.

But I quite like it.

The ginger and lemon work really well together.

You know, as the two king flavours in there.

Thank you, Marc.

It is like a character that you see all over the place in Japan.

And it is very cute.

I sort of feel you could've made the character look

a little more like a pineapple.

[Paul] It's a bit uneven inside.

It's an indication that it has concertina-ed,

the weight of the fondant and everything on top

has pushed the ones down at the bottom.

-Tastes amazing, though. [laughs] -[Prue] It's delicious.

Oh, yeah, it's a happy cake.

[Prue] Citrusy yuzu...

It's really strong. And the pineapple's there.

[Paul] Sponges are all light.

Even the concertina-ed one's quite light as well.

Flavour of that whole thing is very good.

-Thank you. -[Prue] Well done, Laura.

[exhales]

They're cute. A little bit scruffy.

-[laughs] -[Paul] But they are cute.

[Prue] I love it. It's witty.

It's charming. Just gotta taste good now.

Hope so.

[Prue] That's very neat, accurate layering.

-It's a bit tight, that sponge. -Mmm.

You've got the yuzu going through that?

-[Mark] Yeah. -You get that...

And then that's it.

The cake's dry, which you didn't expect it to be.

The oil from the avocado should've kept that really silky smooth.

And it hasn't. It's a shame.

I don't know if the nine-inch cake is a bit better at the bottom.

-I'm not sure. -Let's have a look.

Hmm, no?

No.

Probably worse.

-Oh, no. -[Prue laughing]

It's cruel to say it's inedible but it's getting that way.

[Prue] The biscuit is actually delicious,

but as that's only less than 1% of the whole lot,

I don't think it'll save it.

[exhales]

Didn't go well, did it?

He used the word inedible...

On week six of Bake Off, it's not good, is it?

[Lottie] I'm really chuffed with the comments.

Maybe it's 'cause he couldn't get a cotton jiggle cake in the UK,

maybe that's why he hasn't had one

since he was in Japan but I'll take it, I'll take it.

I've had a gut feeling all day I was going home

and now I've got like a glimmer of hope.

I hope I've done enough. I hope I'm safe.

This is the first week that I've been in the tent

and every single showstopper was a wow...

[Prue] To look at.

I thought the dogs looked amazing.

Based on Marc E's cake and his invention with flavour,

he has to be in line for Star Baker.

Dave, as well, has put himself into a decent position.

-Don't forget Lottie. -[Noel] Lottie...

-[Prue] She had a terrific week. -[Paul] Her sponge was incredible.

I've never, in the 11 series, tasted a sponge quite like that.

-There's one that disappointed me. -Really?

Probably disappointed him more than it did me, is Mark L.

I thought the whole idea was quirky and funny and very kawaii,

but the cake was awful.

Laura was in trouble coming into this knowing she had to...

-Yeah. -...do well to save herself.

She dropped an ace right in front of us.

That's the first time I've seen her do something like that.

So overall, when you look at the whole effort over the three challenges

and we've gotta look at all the bakers that were in trouble,

and I would say it's Mark L.

I would say it was Laura.

And I will put Hermine down there as well.

-Interesting. Can I ask you a question? -Yeah.

Is it your 100th episode today?

-Yes. -[Noel] Wow.

I think you deserve a glass of bubbly, don't you?

[laughs] Yeah, I think a bottle.

-A bath of bubbly. -[Paul laughs] Yes.

Well, bakers, I think we can all agree Japanese Week was a joy.

And the showstopper was fantastic.

I've got the great job of announcing this week's Star Baker.

And that person is...

Lottie.

[all clapping and cheering]

[Lottie] Thank you.

-Thanks, guys. -[Marc] Well done, Lottie.

Which means it's time to tell you

who will be leaving us this week,

and it's somebody who always has a smile,

somebody I've really bonded with,

someone that I know we all adore and we're all really gonna miss.

And I'm afraid the baker leaving us this week is...

Mark L.

That's all right.

[Dave] Mate... Come here, Mark.

-That's all right. I'm going home. -[Paul] Sorry, mate.

When you know, you know, don't you?

And I just thought it was my time today.

I mean, they're happy tears as well, because

you know, I've made it to week six of Bake Off.

I'm going home having learned so much.

Made an amazing bunch of friends.

It's pushed me to bake things I would never have baked before,

so I couldn't have asked for anything more in my Bake Off experience.

It's been brilliant from start to finish, it really has.

So, yeah. [laughs]

-[Prue] I'm so sorry. -Thank you. It's okay.

Poor Mark. A disaster of a showstopper.

I actually thought Laura would be going today,

but she did a really wonderful showstopper.

You only have to do one bad cake and you're out.

Or one good one and you survive.

[Matt] You thought you were gone.

[Laura] I thought I was going home.

I sat on that chair thinking, "What do I pack first?"

"What route... Shall I take the M25 or the M2 or the A2?"

"How do I get home?"

So, yeah, what a relief.

Final six is absolutely mad.

I honestly cannot believe that I'm here saying that.

The game is on for sure.

None of us thought we'd make it through this week.

Next week's a whole new ball game. [laughs]

We've got a lot of work to do in the practice tent, all of us do.

[closing theme music playing]