‘The Great British Baking Show’ Season 5, Episode 8 Recap: Biscuit Week

If the five remaining bakers were expecting The Great British Baking Show's quarterfinal round to be business as usual, they were in for a nasty shock. Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry weren’t playing around as they set some monster challenges. This week featured the largest number of signature bakes ever assembled, the hottest technical challenge ever attempted, and the biggest showstoppers ever constructed. But, before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s review how we got to this point.

Due to extraordinary circumstances created by a kitchen accident in week six, a double elimination was called for in the following round. After a Hollywood handshake for his signature lardy cakes, Ryan’s luck ran out with a disappointing Chinese roast pork loaf showstopper. Sarah-Jane never got off the ground and suffered several raw dough disasters. On the bright side, Dr. Danny finally had her turn at the Star Baker crown. She impressed the judges with an original Chelsea bun/Bakewell tart mashup, second place technical jam doughnuts and a deliciously festive Christmas wreath showstopper.

So this week all that stood between the bakers and their chances to move on to the semi-finals were two days and three biscuit challenges. It should come as no surprise that Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc were in fine form for the occasion.