The Great British Bake Off Musical

The Great British Bake Off Musical is a comedic and heartwarming celebration of baking, self-discovery, and the joy of community, served with a generous helping of British charm and comedic flair. This delightful show brings the beloved baking competition to life, blending the charm, humour, and heartwarming moments of the TV show with catchy tunes and recognisable characters. Whether you're a fan of the show or simply love a good musical, this is a theatrical treat that promises to rise to the occasion.

Follow the journey of a group of contestants as they whisk, knead, and bake their way to glory, all under the watchful eyes of judges and hosts who have become household names. With a mix of original songs that capture the spirit of the Bake Off tent—from tense technical challenges to joyous showstoppers—the musical creates a vibrant and immersive experience. Expect a rollercoaster of emotions as friendships form, cakes collapse, and dreams come true.

This heart-warming show is perfect for amateur groups, requiring just a static set, current day costumes and larger-than-life personalities. Whilst the show didn't originally feature an ensemble, suggestions from the authors of how you might incorporate additional ensemble roles can be found below.

Adding an Ensemble

A note from authors Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary:

If you are planning on performing The Great British Bake Off with a company larger than 13, then essentially the device of having a backstage ‘production team’ (cameramen, technicians, production runners, make-up artists, etc) should solve many of your problems when needing an additional ensemble. They can be onstage in numerous moments, so long as it does not overwhelm the main core story of the bakers, judges and presenters. They will also be able to help with getting the benches, tables, trolleys, etc, on and off stage quickly if you do not have automation.

Our further suggestions for how to use a fuller ensemble are listed below.

Prologue: instead of Ben, Izzy and Francesca you could make this as many company members as you like as the choristers. The stipulation of it being 3 people can be as many as you need.

The Bake Off Tent: you could use an ensemble dressed as a behind-the-scenes production team to bolster the choruses and populate the stage.

Obviously: Izzy’s song becomes a fantasy dream number after Izzy sings ‘at the final when I take home the crown’, so you could have a company become her fantasy dream crowd of fans looking for selfies. We advise that they disappear by the time she sings her final riff so that the fantasy is very clearly over by that point.

Slap It Like That: as per “The Bake Off Tent” you may find a way to use an ensemble as being the production team, in which case they too can become transfixed by Phil’s unique methodology of making dough for full comedic effect.

Bring on the Scone: you could add a chorus of people dressed as scones here, or – as it is supposed to be a boxing match between Phil and Pam (dressed as scones) - you could have them dressed as boxing match spectators.

All the Way: if you are using the concept of a production team, there are many individual solo lines of this song that you could have said by individuals that aren’t character specific – after all, the tent is hot for everyone working on the show. Our only advice would be to make sure they are properly amplified – this is a very wordy song and the individual lines really need to be heard with so many people singing that it would be a shame for an audience to struggle to keep up with what’s being said.

Keep on Keeping On: in the West End this was sung and danced by the company of understudies, who were usually backstage for the rest of the show. This song is a chance for a big old fashioned showbiz number – so feel free to go to town with additional company members!

The Perfect Petit Fours: in a similar device to Obviously, from Ben’s line ‘imagine we are in Paree’ Ben and Gemma are suddenly in a fantasy Parisian sequence all the way through the dance break, which your additional company members can have fun with. As per Obviously, we advise that this Parisian dream comes to a sharp end when Lily opens the door to make it clear it was just a fantasy.

Don’t Send Me Home: as in All the Way it is possible for members of a behind-the-scenes production team to take individual lines, although be mindful not to take so many away from Jim and Kim, as this is a number that the two of them very much lead (as Jim and Kim – regrettably – do not have their own song!). However if you have a Jim or Kim who aren’t necessarily strong or confident singers at all times, you may find this a nice workaround solution.

Finale: as in the TV series itself, at the very end of the show everyone’s family and friends are invited to the Bake Off garden to see who wins. So there is a very easy way of having a full company on stage for the end of the show.