Character Studies for writers - The Great British Bakeoff

Okay, so I admit, I am addicted to the Great British Bake Off. For those of you who haven't succumbed yet, this is a TV programme where 12 home bakers are pitted against each other in a variety of tasks from baking an innovative upside down cake (I liked the one with passionfruit myself) to making the best rum baba. This week the bakers had to construct a gingerbread house but were instructed to come up with something sensational. The winner built a Roman colosseum of over 100 separate biscuit pieces glued together with caramel.

One of the things that makes this programme so compelling for a writer is the character studies.

We have Kathryn whose every emotion is etched on her face and who came up with priceless sayings such as 'doughnut doom' for one of her efforts. Sadly she went out this week with a lamentable gingerbread Buckingham Palace that looked as if it was about to implode. Then there is the gorgeous John, constructor of the Colosseum who in a previous show had been going great guns until he cut his finger and ended up dripping with blood. Wonderfully camp, every girl's best friend, he was saved by accident & emergency consultant Danny. Danny, the best person to have around in a crisis, is quietly competitive, with a fierce ability to concentrate. But with a face that lights up in a girlish grin when her bakes please the judges. A lot of people's money will be on Brendan to win - at 63, the oldest candidate. He has an old school style and a self-assured technical knowledge. What Brendan though sadly doesn't have is flair. To my mind most of his bakes look shop bought, such precision and designs can surely only have been done by a machine. Brendan is like someone who has been programmed, but he's never going to wow anyone with his inventiveness. That brings me to my tip for winner - medical student James. Only 21 he is relaxed, kind to his colleagues (often seen hugging and calming down the slightly hysterical Kathryn) and has flashes of genius. This was nowhere more demonstrated than this week when his poorly planned gingerbread barn looked as if it was going to be a total failure. Suddenly he turned disaster around by giving it a spun sugar cobwebby makeover. Hey presto it became a derelict ghostly structure which the judges said tasted superb. It could have graced any Halloween party with its sweet spookiness. Just as in most good fiction this turning of disaster into triumph is a lesson for all writers and another reason the programme is so compelling. My vote to win is for you James - a hero if ever there was one. If you watch it, who do you think is going to win? If you can't get enough of the programme, here is the link to watch clips from all the series