American watcher here who loves all things BBC and ITV. HUGE difference btwn American home cook shows and this show. American shows are 50 percent scripted and so ridiculous with the cooks and their designer clothes or spike heels and conceited attitudes. Editing chooses who's evil and who's good. NO written recipes or help and there's a LOT of screaming and fake drama. Our judges are cruel, condescending and throw plates of food. Every contestant is looking to be head chef in a Michelin Star restaurant.
Britain's Best Home Cook is VERY different and I thought it was really slow until I caught on. It truly is a show about HOME cooks who want to show their skills. The judges EXPECT a home cook to cook like at home, no fancy stuff, give your best. Contestants support and help each other, they share ideas and recipes. They are given cook books the night before, to study, they each have their own pantry of complimentary food items for the challenge. There's no yelling and rarely a last few seconds freak out as well as when times up you can still throw a last bit on or do a quick wipe. The judges are kind and soft spoken and generous with praise or helpful tips. Elimination is based on the least favorite dishes and those people are given the exact ingredients with a detailed recipe and you'd be surprised how different the dishes look.
Each cook does a short private chat with a personal camera each day and they could scrap that, it adds nothing and not interesting. Maybe liven it up a little, there is literally NO excitement at all. It's a pleasant slow friendly pace so slow it's a little hard to stay awake and then I have to start over. I like it.
