Gluten-Free Diets Are No Joke For Coeliacs, Bake Off!

I’ve always loved watching The Great British Bake Off. Even though I can’t eat half the stuff they make because I’m coeliac, it still brings me joy (and I often think how easy it would be to make a gluten-free version).

But this week was the third time Bake Off has made a gluten-free gaff. This time, coeliac disease was specifically mentioned and trivialised.

Allow me to give you a run down.

1. "Good for her!" – A Laugh at Coeliac Disease on An Extra Slice

The episode aired on Thursday. When a comment was made about a coeliac mother who still ate gluten, the lovely Jo Brand astonished me by responding, “Good for her!” There was nodding in agreement and a roar of laughter.

Would this have received the same acclaim if the comment had been about a diabetic who ignored their insulin levels? I doubt it. If people take type 1 diabetes seriously, why can’t they also accept another autoimmune disease is just as serious? Let’s not forget that coeliacs who eat gluten are far more likely to incur problems later in life such as osteoporosis and, in rare cases, small bowel cancer. As a former nurse, you'd think Jo Brand would have got her facts right.

2. Series 11: Peter Sawkins and the Bloated Brother Joke

If you watched Series 11 you’ll remember how wonderful Peter Sawkins was for making gluten-free bakes for his identical twin brother. And this is the contestant who went on to win!

But on An Extra Slice, guest Aisling Bee joked a good way to tell the twins apart would be to feed them both gluten and see which one got bloated. (Cue more laughter.)

While Peter’s brother doesn’t have coeliac disease, it’s still not a good idea for him to eat gluten because he becomes very unwell. Yet here the diet is trivialised and he’s made to seem like a puppet.

3. FreeFrom Week: Matt Lucas’ Fashionable Diet Comment

Remember when Bake Off had a FreeFrom Week? I was ecstatic! A gluten-free showstopper? Brilliant! But the jokes still came… Matt Lucas described the diet as indulging the “vagaries and fripperies of fashion” while another joke was made querying why anyone would want to eat gluten-free.

Trust me, coeliacs don’t want gluten-free. They want normal. But they can’t have it. So gluten-free it is. And many companies have perfected delectable gluten-free goodies. But we don’t eat gluten-free because we think it tastes better or is going to make us fashionable.

(I should add here that Matt did atone for his blunder and took to social media to highlight the importance of Coeliac UK, which was a step in the right direction. But Channel 4 should have done something, too.)

Why Gluten-Free Diets Deserve Respect

Could we argue it’s only a joke? I don’t think so. Jokes among people who all understand the severity of coeliac disease are one thing, but in an environment where the vast majority of people are totally unaware of the impact eating gluten has on a coeliac? Nope. Not a time to be inaccurate and flippant.

What Needs to Change

With a show that can edit out harmful comments, Channel 4 needs to do better. When it commissioned FreeFrom Week, it should have stated at the beginning why it felt there should be a freefrom episode. It would have been brilliant to have highlighted coeliac disease and other medical reasons to avoid allergens (like dairy or egg allergies).

But instead Channel 4’s behind the times, incapable of finding clued up guests and hosts who can advocate for medically restricted diets in a positive manner. And they could so easily invite Caroline Quentin (who's been coeliac since 2015 and would be a brilliant guest).

Celebrating Tilly: A Step in the Right Direction

The winner of Junior Bake Off this year was a coeliac girl called Tilly who made amazing bakes. It’s a shame Channel 4 didn’t make more of this (although if you’re listening, Channel 4, there’s still time yet…).

The Bake-Off Bottom Line

Where are the researchers, Channel 4? Where are the people who are meant to do the background checks? And what about your lawyers? I used to work in the legal department of a TV company. Before a pre-recorded episode could go out, the lawyers would sit and watch it to make sure nothing was going to bite them on the backside.

Yet Channel 4 hasn’t shown much in the way of caring. It’s time for that to change. And there are three easy ways you can help:

1.      Share this post with someone you know who could benefit.

2.      Support gluten-free bakers by buying their wares.

3.      Shout from the rooftops how important it is for a coeliac to be gluten-free.

What will you do first? (If it’s number 3, send me a video.)