Page 17 - Fyne winter 2014

The Great British Bake Off – 2010-current
The Bake-Off has a head start in LGBT
representation as it has one of the best British
lesbian comics facing it! But in 2012, the show
also had gay men from two different generations
competing for the title. Brendan Lynch, who was
in his 50s, had been baking all his life and he
displayed a meticulous eye for detail. Compared to
that was young John Whaite, a student, who took
a more creative edge, snatching his bakes from the
jaws of possible failure.
Having the two compete right until a round before
the final was great for LGBT representation in
the UK. As Brendan himself once mentioned in
an interview, homosexuality is often portrayed as
something young men do. His appearance in the
show and his polite friendship with John made for
very relaxed and inclusive viewing.
John went on to win the show and unlike many
other reality show contestants, he didn’t instantly
ride the wave of fame created for him by the show. Instead, he paid for himself to go to Le
Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts to get some official seal to his baking. He now works
giving demonstrations and teaching at his own cooking school.
This is just a small sample of the LGBTs that
have been depicted on reality TV, but it is clear
that right from the start, the genre has ‘kept
it real’ and made sure all sectors of society
are represented. This has led to some great
moments, some very sad endings, some difficult
questions and some wonderful victories.
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