I am fascinated by the ‘Great British Bake Off’. I hear planetary signatures and signs (rising?) as the contestants talk about their bakes. I’d like to conduct a future research project on natal charts and what we can hear from the bakers’ conversations.

The first series aired on the 17th of August 2010 on BBC2. It was hard to find an exact time but it’s usually 8pm so I checked 7pm but 8pm seemed like Bake Off! I also checked some events against this time – the move to Channel 4 in 2017 and it seems right.

I want to look for the Moon and Taurus (food) but also Leo for the creativity. Sagittarius is associated with baking too. (LSA classes) This is a new baking show so perhaps there is a New Moon lunation around this time or better still a First Quarter Moon. Perhaps the lunar gestation cycle is really important for a baking programme? The ‘bun in the oven’! Another interesting research project would be to look at this from the birth of the concept to the first programme airing.

The first thing that I noticed was that Mercury is at 18 Virgo in the chart so conjunct my natal Pluto (which is conjunct my Ascendant) – well that explains the fascination!

The show launched on the 17 August 2010 – a day after the First Quarter Moon (optimal time – new moon and darkness have gone so optimal growing time). The First Quarter Moon in the sign of Scorpio at 23 degrees conjunct the nadir square the Sun – could this mean constructive challenges ahead?

The Sun is in the seventh house in Leo and of course, one of the main stars of the show is Paul Hollywood. This sounds so very Sun in Leo – the spotlights and fame of Hollywood. This is what the programme is giving out and attracting. Masculine, creative energies and the Sun is opposite Neptune (conjunct Chiron) – so male creative energies and fantasies? How many people turned the show on to watch Paul Hollywood? The Sun’s opposition to Neptune (Leo / Aquarius) talks of male charisma deceiving / worshipping / beguiling the population (shown by the moon and the first house here). The Neptune / Chiron itself in the first house showing the way that baking is therapy to the population? Paul Hollywood is a Pisces (ruled by Neptune and Jupiter – here we see the Moon and MC disposited by Jupiter and Neptune in the first house) and he kneads (needs / yearning of Neptune) the dough! (sorry!)

The Moon is conjunct MC is Sagittarius – an expansive, large mother? Is that what the show became – the mother of all baking programmes? It has a Jupiterian feel to it. The Moon and MC together (disposited by Jupiter) are a double whammy of far-reaching popularity and optimism and how people can use the daily act (Moon) of baking to travel (Sagittarius) outside their daily lives – because the Moon is in Sagittarius. This is all in the tenth house and at the end of every series there is a brief bio about what the contestants are now doing and for many, appearing on the programme has been life changing as they bake professionally or semi-professionally now. All that hopefulness of the Moon in Sagittarius in the tenth.

The stellium of Venus / Mars and Saturn in the eighth house (Libra) spoke to me of the male/ female and older bakers that participate in the show and their beautiful bakes. They are the diverse partners of the show and play a vital role and they are being judged – weighed up – perfect to have Libra with the weighing scales here for Bake Off! The eighth house of death and re-birth could be viewed as a metaphor for the transformation that happens from raw ingredients to showstopper cakes!

The show has been a real success and Jupiter conjunct Uranus in the second house in different signs (the day I decide to write about this is 21.4.24 when these two planets are conjunct again!) suggests plentiful resources and perhaps some surprises. Jupiter is in Aries so is leading the way, but Uranus in Pisces conjunct Jupiter may throw Jupiter off its course.

The show split (Uranus?) from BBC to Channel 4 in 2017. Mary Berry and Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins all said they were leaving. This was in Sept 12/13, 2016, but the fixed Sun of Paul Hollywood in Leo, in the seventh house of 2010, remained. Apparently, they said ‘they are very shocked and saddened’ to learn of the news that Bake Off is moving from “its home”. This resonates with the Moon conjunct the MC in the original chart. In the Solar Arc chart the Sun has moved to 0 37’ Virgo - so the Sun changed signs 7 months earlier – perhaps initial conversations happened here? Transit of Mercury about to hit SA Vertex in the seventh – a significant other coming in (Channel 4!)

The eighth series aired on 29th August in 2017 on Channel 4. Transit NN conjunct the 2010 Sun in the seventh house suggesting a new life direction. Mars is now also conjunct the Sun in the 2010 chart and ‘Paul Hollywood admits for the first time he felt ‘hurt’ being attacked over his decision to move to Channel 4 with GBBO. He called it one of the ‘worst experiences’ he’s ever had.’

The Moon is at 11 Sag for the 29.8.17 chart which is conjunct the 2010 MC in Sag. Saturn in the 2017 chart is at 21 Sag conjunct Sag MC at 23 and this is widely conjunct the original ‘natal’ MC which suggests the continued popularity of the show. But with Saturn also here, are we now looking the ‘mother and father’ of all baking shows? As the show started in August 2010, a day after a First Quarter Moon - the beginning bake, we find a Last Quarter Moon at 6 Saggie as the show airs on Channel 4 on 29th August. The end of an era fittingly (for BBC1) but the beginning of a new one – it’s still going strong!