There’s the faintest hint of a nip in the morning air and pumpkin spice is invading storefronts nationwide. You know what this means: a new season of The Great British Baking Show is premiering on Netflix soon. While we don’t have an official date yet — though our best guess is Friday, September 22* — The Great British Baking Show is definitely returning soon. British broadcaster Channel 4 has already dropped a charming teaser trailer and the show’s stars and EP recently chatted with The Guardian to preview what they claim is a return to “the philosophy of the first three series.” Between the impending arrival of the sunshiny British presenter Alison Hammond in the tent and the news that the “National Week” theme that inspired last year’s “Mexican Week” disaster has been nixed, we’re cautiously optimistic that this could be the best season of The Great British Baking Show in ages. It’s officially time to get hyped for the return of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix!

The Great British Baking Show first premiered across the pond on BBC Two as The Great British Bake Off back in 2010. It immediately became a big hit in the UK, but took a few years to make its way stateside. Initially airing on PBS and then streaming on Prime Video as The Great British Baking Show — the phrase “Bake Off” is trademarked by Pillsbury in the USA and Canada, prompting the name change — the show became a cult favorite before exploding in popularity on Netflix. When Love Productions left the BBC for rival British broadcaster Channel 4 in 2017, Netflix jumped on the international streaming rights as a co-producer. That’s why recent seasons began airing new episodes weekly on Fridays after their British broadcast debut earlier in the week.

Cut to today. After fans complained about last year’s extremely messy season, it seems that the team behind The Great British Baking Show has made some major changes for 2023. From Matt Lucas getting the boot to EP Kieran Smith’s assertion that the show is going back to basics, here are the five reasons why we think Bake Off die-hards have reason to be optimistic about this year’s all-new season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix…

*Channel 4’s Tuesday, September 12 schedule has a Scotland v. England football match in the slot you’d normally see The Great British Bake Off. That means the earliest the new season could premiere would be Tuesday, September 19, presumably leading to a Friday, September 22 Netflix debut.

1. No More Cringe-Worthy Cultural Theme Weeks!

   Our long international nightmare is over! In The Guardian’s behind-the-scenes look at the new season of The Great British Baking Show, EP Kieran Smith admitted that they took the criticisms of “Mexican Week” to heart and are suspending the “National Week” themes going forward. No more cringe-worthy, culturally-inappropriate jokes! No more Paul Hollywood acting as if he is an expert on foreign dishes! We are saved!

   Not only that, but Smith admits that some our — er, my — criticisms last year about the focus shifting from baking to cooking were on point. 

   “I hold my hands up to the cooking complaint and the theme weeks,” he admits. “We didn’t want to offend anyone but the world has changed and the joke fell flat. We’re not doing any national themes this year.”

   Instead, Smith teased that they are going “very traditional” which is welcome news for those of us who miss the days when an old military vet with a great simple cracker recipe could wow the judges in lieu of an explosion of fondant sculptures in the tent.

2. The Arrival of Ms. Alison Hammond

   When Matt Lucas announced last winter that he would not be returning to the tent this year, I’m sorry to say no tears were shed. The comic never gelled with long-time co-host Noel Fielding and tended to prioritize mugging for the camera over taking care of the bakers. In fact, almost as soon as Lucas left, we pulled together a short list of dream replacements and at the top of that list was the effervescent British presenter Alison Hammond. And what do you know? Alison Hammond is Noel Fielding’s new partner-in-crime in the Bake Off tent. 

   According to The Guardian, four potential replacements screen-tested with Fielding and Hammond was “the clear winner,” thanks to her chemistry with Noel Fielding. Apparently Hammond’s friendly energy has been so infectious in the tent that even Paul Hollywood gives a baker a hug this season. 

   Hollywood, for his part, noted to The Guardian that Alison was an “inspired choice,” not just for her charismatic style but for the fact that she’s actually a professional TV presenter by trade. Every past co-host was a comedian or comedy writer first, TV presenter second. Hopefully this means fewer jokes at the bakers’ expense?

3. ‘Bake Off’ is Going Back-to-Basics

   While most folks have (rightfully) seized upon Kieran Smith’s comments about nixing the national-themed weeks this season, this long-time GBBS fan was even more excited to hear Paul Hollywood say that the goal this time around is to revisit the spirit of the show’s earliest seasons. 

   “We chose this year’s challenges very carefully to be approachable,” Hollywood told The Guardian. “In a way, we’ve returned to the philosophy of the first three series. There are some beautiful classic ones and they’ve been a big success.”

   As fun as it is to watch amateur bakers create professional-looking bakes, there’s no denying that recent seasons have prioritized complex designs over good old fashioned baking skills. It’s made the challenges ironically less engaging and placed the bakers in hot water more often than not. 

   It should be lovely to watch a new season of challenges that everyday viewers can tackle in their own kitchens vs. stare at in horror at their TV screens.  

4. A New Batch of Bubbly Bakers

   The one thing that The Great British Baking Show has never gotten wrong is its perennial cast of bakers. Every year, 12-13 amateur bakers enter the tent and we fall in love with them all. There can be time callout shenanigans and questionable judging decisions, but we will always tune in for these sweet, stalwart souls doing their best to temper chocolate and quiet nerves in the tent. In fact, I’d argue that’s why fans and critics have been so hard on the show in recent years: we want the best show for the bakers!

   While we haven’t yet met any of this year’s lovelies, The Guardian’s piece does assure readers that this year’s dozen are a “typically diverse mix,” including the tent’s first deaf baker. Fingers crossed Noel and Alison provide visual time callouts this time around in addition to the usual audio ones.

5. The Return of The Coziest of Cozy Fall TV

   Look, even if the powers that be behind The Great British Baking Show weren’t making major changes to the show’s flagging format, we’d be happy about the show’s return. Even at its worst, The Great British Baking Show is a salve to the soul. It’s an escape from the stress of our day-to-day lives and a vision of what society could be if we loved and supported each other (and always had fresh baked dessert).

   The Great British Baking Show is one of those shows that makes autumn feel even more cozy. It gives us grownups sipping tea, Noel modeling some incredible knitwear, and a new batch of besties each fall. The Great British Baking Show is exactly what you want to watch as the days grow darker, the air becomes colder, and the year dwindles to its final days.

   When you put together the comfort that The Great British Baking Show always offers and the news that the show is course correcting on its biggest mistakes, there’s no doubt that it’s time to start counting down to the return of our favorite UK import.