Pies, Puds and Penis Gags: The Timeless Appeal of GBBO

Today I baked not one, but two sweet treats: Paul Hollywood's delectable chocolate and cherry muffins (seriously, give these a go!) and some ginger biscuits that came with a 'snap' Mary Berry would probably have been proud of.

But if there's one thing this year's GBBO has left me with, as well as a renewed desire to whip out my oven gloves and dust off my well-worn Cath Kidston (I know, oh so predictable for someone who likes baking, eh?) pinnie - is a real appreciation for many a copywriter's failsafe: a good, old fashioned pun.

Unlike the 'Come Dine With Mes' and 'The Apprentices of the TV world, there are few (if not, no) otherwise 'serious' programmes that, you know, don't take themselves too seriously. If you catch my drift.

Sometimes, we just want to laugh, don't we? Even if we are laughing at a sponge cake. Or chortling at a crème caramel. 

 I reckon the real appeal of The Bake Off, aside from the fact it's ridiculously - and unapologetically - British (hooray for non-US TV dominating our screens), and features cake - lots of it - is the kind of bawdy humour you'd expect only of a Carry On film.

Some may well have criticised Mel and Sue's penchant for a pun (hello, Mum!), insisting it's all a 'bit on the smutty side', while others have relished the pair's corny quips. 

Me? I can't get enough of puns. Especially those that involve puddings. And pies. And penis gags. Thanks, Mr Hollywood, for this one alone:

"You want something quite ‘rigid’, but something that will taste good too" [Paul, discussing gingerbread, surprisingly enough]

Alright, Paul. You filth bag.

Just a few days ago a fellow copywriter and good pal asked how she might omit the technical 'jargon' from some copy about an engineering firm, with the aim of making it sound a little more, well, exciting. The truth is, we all come up against challenging briefs. And there's certainly times when humour isn't called for.

Of course, I'm not about to litter my next big copywriting assignment with filth, but what I will say is GBBO has certainly proved (another baking pun - ha) the nation's love for a spot of smut. Or at the very least, just something that'll make you larf your head off.

Why can't we take a leaf out of Mel and Sue's (cookery) book and revel in our own silly sense of humour for a minute or two? If done right, a spot of humour, a jokey intro or a funny quote can really draw people into your writing - even if the copy is focusing on a relatively 'serious' matter.

Let's all stop being quite so straight-laced and break out a pun every now and then. Loaf's for living, after all.