Great British Bake Off an electrifying hit, according to the National Grid!

(Image credit: BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdi)

The premiere of Great British Bake Off series 5 was an electrifying hit, judging by the amount of kettles that were switched on as the programme finished.

The National Grid reports that there was a 650MW surge in demand between 8:58pm, when it was announced Claire Goodwin was the first to leave the show, and 9:05pm.

That's equivalent to 260,000 kettles being switched on by people wanting tea with their cake. Last year's final experienced a 400MW surge, so there's been a definite increase following the show's move from BBC2 to BBC1.

The National Grid said that 'TV pick-ups' occur at the end of popular shows when people stop watching and start turning on lights, kettles and ovens. Electricity can't be stored in large quantities, so as system operator the National Grid has to make sure electricity supply accurately meets demand, bringing on extra generation so people have the power they need.

The Great British Bake Off continues on Wednesday, while The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice screens on Fridays on BBC2

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.