Hi, I’m Jamie Donachie and I’m a year 6 student.
I’ve always enjoyed The Great British Bake Off, but this year I’ve been especially invested since I live with this year’s best contestant – Peter. We’ve been flatmates for a few years now, and I’ve been shamelessly fangirling him throughout the entire process of auditions, filming and beyond. I was told this newsletter wanted to focus on interesting things medical students have been doing in their free time; I guess my interesting hobby is that I live with a minor celebrity? I’m okay with it – I’m all about that second-hand fame.
Before Bake Off
I was fortunate to follow Pete progress through the GBBO audition process last year, which was such an exciting time for the whole flat. We were all quite a foodie bunch and did regular bake swaps within the badminton club, so we were buzzing at the whole idea of Bake Off. Although (as we all now know) Pete is an incredible baker, it still felt like a surreal thing to be applying for; after all, so few people ACTUALLY get onto the show. It was only after he had got through 2 or 3 interview rounds that we all started seriously considering that he might be on TV. Disappointingly, the final confirmation that he was starring on the show perfectly coincided with lovely lockdown, so we were all virtually buzzing for him from our respective homes – and bound to secrecy! But filming was delayed again and again due to COVID, giving us another layer of anxiety to battle – what if GBBO was cancelled after all his hard work?! Thankfully, the ingenious Bake Off Bubble formed in a stringently guarded hotel complex to overcome the risks of a deadly virus, allowing the bakers to operate in relative safety. That’s showbiz.
Perfect Peter
Since the show aired, I’ve had a lot of people asking me what Pete is like in real life. Honestly, he’s pretty much as you would expect from watching the show (although a little wackier and sillier with close pals). When I first lived with him, he was joining a flat of 5th years in his 2nd year of uni, but the relative age difference was never a problem – as you may be able to tell, he’s an old soul. If anything, he’s more mature than any of us… Other than that, he’s a preposterously positive person and injects everyone around him with energy. I’m pleased to say that he has remained firmly grounded despite the tumultuous introduction to the world of national media, and the bizarre experiences associated with relative fame. Oh, and he speaks exactly as does on the show: “crikey”, “rinky dink”, “crumbs”, and “jeepers-creepers” are commonly heard phrases in our flat.
The Local Legend of Edinburgh
We’ve had some fun (albeit strange) experiences when out and about, especially on the Meadows! It’s entertaining to watch randomers asking for selfies (and autographs?), or people shouting support across the street, but it’s bound to be a weird experience for any 20-year-old. I’ve admired his patience having to repeat the same chats with strangers on the street, but it remains enough of a novelty that he still enjoys it. I suppose he’s also perpetually getting wee ego boosts; I’m sure that helps!
The Instagram activity is probably the most surreal aspect of his life at the moment. He sat at around 380 followers before Bake Off, and by my last check he has an excess of 38,000. We’ve been taking a daily tally of his follower count since the first show – we’re excited to graph the numbers over the weeks (because that’s the type of people we are). In other news, my own Instagram career has peaked after previous Bake Off winner Rahul commented on my photo – more second-hand fame from riding on the coat-tails of Pete’s renown. One of our evening traditions has been reviewing some of the messages he receives from fans: a surprisingly high proportion of middle-aged men have been expressing their romantic interest… He’s not sure how to feel about some of them.
Life in The Flat
Although this is a huge part of life at the moment for Pete and the flatmates, everything has generally been pretty chilled in the flat, and as normal as it could be under the circumstances. Obviously, Tuesday evenings are highly anticipated (especially in semi-lockdown) and it’s great to get the inside scoop on an episode’s events: what was edited out; which bakes tasted the best; and how everything was filmed. While Pete and I both know how far he gets in the show, it’s been a secret from the other flatmates, much to their chagrin. He’s made it up to them by baking something every week, themed to each episode. Needless to say, much tasty food has been consumed! I’ve also been a relatively keen bread baker for a while; Pete and I have been trying to master sourdough baking together for over a year. Since lockdown has increased, we’ve been making around 4-5 loaves per week between us which generally goes down pretty well with the flat!
Addendum – Post Bake Off
Today is the day after the final. Although Pete and I knew he’d won, the other two flatmates were left in the dark, so it was incredible to share their excitement watching the show! We spent most of the night eating cake, drinking whisky, and shouting “Scotland”. Walking into central campus today with Pete was hugely entertaining – several shouts of support, many furtive glances and many more conspicuous looks. The Instagram graph is going to be interesting: currently looking at an increase from around 60k to 100k in the last 12hrs! Needless to say, we’re all excited to see what’s round the corner for our wholesome pal.
