VIEWERS are celebrating the return of the UK institution that is The Great British Bake Off this week.
But as a new group of competitors gather to roll, sift and cream their way to success – it’s hard to believe that it has been a full decade since one of the most infamous moments in Bake Off history.
Iain Watters binned his Baked Alaska in a fury after it got taken out of the freezer for 40 seconds[/caption]
He is now living a normal life ten years on[/caption]
Audiences will all remember the episode where Iain Watters was axed from the competition after throwing his ruined Baked Alaska into the bin in a fit of rage.
The construction engineer claimed his dessert was not fit to present to judges after it got taken out of the freezer by fellow contestant Diana Beard, who was trying to squeeze hers in.
Iain was sent home by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood when he failed to show them his creation.
He has since maintained that the BBC were at fault for the incident rather than Diana, who suffered from backlash after the scene was aired.
In an interview with the Guardian, Iain said: “I feel bad for Diana because she’s had quite a mauling on Twitter and I don’t like all the nasty comments that have been directed towards her.
“I think it’s a bit unfair and I do think they could have edited the episode a bit better.
“It was more of a technical error than a baking error and it maybe should have been taken into account a bit more.
“There was a lot of discussion afterwards off camera between the contestants and a lot of the bakers thought they shouldn’t have thrown anyone off the show that week because of the way it happened.”
It was later revealed that two of the Bake Off freezers had broken that day, leaving contestants with limited space to store their Showstoppers.
GBBO loyals recently revisited the memorable moment on social media.
One person posted the dramatic clip of Iain’s so-called ‘bingate’, and fans rallied to express their outrage at him being booted from the show.
“The anger I still feel after all these years. Can’t imagine how he feels!” one person commented, while another wrote, “Nope, still not over it.”
Back in 2014, there was so much controversy over Iain’s exit that the BBC had to issue a statement clarifying that Diana’s removal of Iain’s ice cream from the freezer for “less than a minute” was not the reason for his elimination.
At the time Bake Off host Sue Perkins also defended the decision made by the judges, saying: “Iain’s Alaska was out of the freezer for 40 secs. That’s it. No sabotage. 40 secs of normal temp would NOT be enough to reduce it to liquid.”
Diana, who received a horrific tirade of abuse online, said she was made a “scapegoat” by show bosses while slamming the editing.
“I’m disappointed with the way it’s been portrayed,” she told BBC Radio Shropshire. “I’ve been stitched up, haven’t I?
“We were 12 amateur bakers, there’s no prize money involved. Why would I sabotage Iain’s Baked Alaska?”
Despite the media frenzy that followed his Bake Off appearance, Iain has taken the drama in his stride.
He returned to his regular job as a project manager in construction after the show aired.
By 2015, he was spotted working on a project at Queen Mary University in East London, where he helped build new library and gym facilities.
Although he occasionally gets recognised for his “distinct look”, Iain has largely moved on from his time on TV.
In 2016, Iain made a final light-hearted nod to his time on GBBO while tying the knot with his partner, Catriona Mills.
His wedding cake?
A Baked Alaska, of course, showing that he was able to look back on the whole experience with a sense of humour.
