Heartwarming / The Great British Bake Off

• In series 1 Miranda becomes nervous about her cupcakes when Paul believes they aren't elegant enough leading to this exchange with Sue:
  Sue: How are you feeling about it?
  Miranda: Nervous, after having had the chat with the judges.
  Sue: Why, what have they said?
  Miranda: Paul doesn't like the idea that they're cupcakes. He doesn't think they're elegant enough. I think they're jolly elegant. It's not about looking completely perfect. I want it to look slightly like I've made it, I don't want it to look like it's come out of a factory. And I suppose if you go to a five-star hotel, you may have exquisite things, but maybe you don't feel that you have that sense of something that's been made personally for you.
• All the bakers become pretty close friends throughout and after the season. Buzzfeed put together a very cute list of the 2016 bakers hanging out.
  • The "Where Are You Now" epilogue at the end of season 7 ended with Jane and Candice hanging out, planning their baking road trip together.
  • In Series 5, Chetna was holding Martha's hand after Martha had a bad weekend during the announcement for Star Baker and elimination.
  • Also from Series 5, not only did most of the contestants attend Martha Collison's wedding in 2019, they each made a cake for the reception cake table.
• Nadiya's season 6 victory was heartwarming all around, with Nadiya giving a tearful speech about how she'll never limit herself again, Tamal almost crying out of pride, and Mary brushing away Nadiya's tears. Her father literally jumps up and down in joy when her victory is announced.
  Nadiya: I’m never gonna put boundaries on myself ever again. I’m never gonna say I can’t do it. I’m never gonna say ‘maybe’. I’m never gonna say, ‘I don’t think I can.’ I can and I will.
• Nadiya in season 6 calls her family in the end of the semifinal episode to tell them she made the final. Her husband and children seem so happy for her.
• Val's speech on her elimination:
  Val: When you bake, you always bake for a reason. And you’re giving it to people, so you make it the best you can. And you make it with love. And whenever I make anything, I stir love into it, I knead love into it, so when I present it, it’s special.
• Behind the scenes, whenever a contestant was too upset, Mel and Sue would come up and comfort them while audibly swearing or singing copyrighted songs, specifically to render the footage unbroadcastable.
• The montage that aired after the final episode that was filmed for BBC.
• Ensemble Dark Horse Liam winning "Star Baker" in Season 8. Made Harsher in Hindsight when he was eliminated two weeks later.
• The epilogue to series 8 reveals Sophie and Steven's plans to go to Scandinavia and see the Northern Lights together. This is after Steven, who was pretty openly obsessed with winning throughout the competition, mentioned that seeing the night sky in Scandinavia had inspired him to enter the contest. Instead of going back with a trophy, he's going back with a friend, and he actually seems fine with that.
• A minor one from one of the "Masterclass" episodes: Paul is about to demonstrate his rye bread recipe, when he comments that rye is technically a grass rather than a grain, which means rye flour tends to set off his hayfever. Mary immediately volunteers to take over the mixer until all the rye flour is integrated into the dough (and thus can't get Paul sneezing).
• One of the things that makes the show stand out among all the contestant-based reality shows out there is the genuine camaraderie displayed between the contestants. It's common to see the bakers all giving each other advice or offering to lend a hand if someone is struggling or comforting one another if something goes wrong, despite the fact that they're all ostensibly competing against each other. At one point, four of the season 10 bakers were helping another. It's so rare to see such a complete lack of manufactured drama that the entire show quickly became a Heartwarming Moment in itself.
  • How physically affectionate they are with each other, too, regardless of gender. Besides the hugging that ensues after bakes and the final announcement, Steph, David, and Henry are twice shown sitting sandwiched together, with Henry leaning on David's shoulders.
• Although they had to abandon the plan as the tent heats up, the series 10 contestants wearing ties to honor Henry after his elimination.
  • In the prior series, the contestants likewise wore Hawaiian shirts to honor Jon.
• In season 11's Bread Week Linda incorporates honey supplied by eliminated contestant Mak into her signature bake, as he hadn't had a chance to use it in a bake of his own before his elimination.
• Series 11's Marc works as a support worker, and mentions to Matt that the young man he works with will probably be watching the show when it airs. Matt then takes a moment to give him a personal hello, and says he should be very proud of Marc.
• During one Showstopper in S12, Amanda asks George about his dancing. Soon after, we see Matt, Giuseppe, Amanda and George dancing together in the middle of the tent.
• The ending of the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue of S14 reveals that the winner, Matty, is getting married to his longtime girlfriend in June 2024.