Following the recipe: ProducingThe Great British Bake Offin Flanders

Abstract

TV formats provide an excellent lens to study the transnationalisation of television, but actual format production has rarely been examined. This article discusses three interrelated limitations of current format scholarship: (1) a gap between industrial and textual studies; (2) a selective focus on localisation; and (3) a lack of insight into daily practices of format production. Using the Flemish adaptation of The Great British Bake Off (2010–2016, 2017–present) as a case study and drawing on participant observations, this article analyses transnational power dynamics in the TV industry and the meaning of the format on the micro-level of TV production.