'The Great British Baking Show: Holidays' Are Here

The Great British Baking Show was tailor-made for the sort of reality series to do Christmas specials. The "Christmas Special" episode has been part of the TV landscape ever since television became the modern hearth for families. In the U.K., these special Christmas episodes were mostly the province of comedies in the 1970s and 1980s; shows like Last of the Summer Wine and Are You Being Served? would run them every year. That expanded to dramas in the late 1980s when Casualty started doing them too. By the mid-aughts, even shows like Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing were putting on holiday specials. Since baking is already a significant part of the holidays, why not the Baking Show too?

And yet, at first, it didn't. During the BBC years, judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry did special Masterclass episodes that ran during the holiday season. But since the move to Channel 4, the show has embraced more "proper" holiday challenges, featuring old favorites from seasons past. Unlike the regular editions of the series, Netflix does not bring the episodes over a few days after they air. That's because they are pegged to holidays, and airing "The Great Christmas Baking Show" on Dec. 28 would be awkward, as would bringing over the New Year's edition on Jan. 4. Instead, these special editions arrive 11 months late, with a two-episode The Great British Baking Show: Holidays installment, giving Americans a set of Christmas and New Year's episodes at the top of December.

Up until now, the difference between the holiday years has been small enough that fans might not have noticed. This year was always going to be slightly odd, as the casting change of Sandi Toksvig being replaced by Matt Lucas took place after the holiday episodes. Also, judge Prue Leith was injured and on crutches during filming. (Both these differences feel even odder today than they might have otherwise since this episode debuts the first Friday after the most recent season finale.)