Every contestant in the Bake Off was likeable so it lacks what makes The Apprentice so compulsive: you want Alan Sugar's over-groomed buffoons to crash and burn and your eyes flame with satanic glee when they stumble.

There is none of that on the Bake Off where the contestants are wholesome and lovely and nobody looks like a lapdancer. Yet, the fact that Bake Off is so popular, with its fans tuning in every week, causing Twitter to wobble under their weight, shows that people don't need to be bitchy or crude to draw us in. Bake Off is a victory - a typically 'British' victory: understated, polite and cheery - for good people.

Tonight's final was down to three people: Richard, a baker of 'positivity and precision' ; Luis, known for 'imagination and artistry' and Nancy, 'the queen of consistency', whose ditsy exterior hid incredible skill.

The first round was Viennoiserie: sweet, elaborate pastries. When Richard tried to pronounce the names of his French treats he had to explain, 'sorry, I speak French a bit London.'

As the contestants got to work, the devilishly handsome Paul Hollywood stalked up and down the aisles, peering over the bakers' shoulders, glaring at their efforts with his chill blue eyes.

'Get hasty with your pastry!' cried Sue. Time ran out and the bakers had to step away and hope for the best.

The second round, the Technical challenge, seemed surprisingly easy: mini Victoria Sponges, Tarte au Citron and scones - but they had to make 12 of each in two hours with no recipes given, so this was more of a time management exercise and the need to be cool, methodical and precise was more important than creativity. This type of challenge favoured Richard, surely, yet he began with a mistake when he literally over-egged his pudding and had to start again. But there was not the luxury of time. Mel and Sue patrolled the room, yelling 'fifteen minutes!' 'It's a bit fraught at the moment,' he admitted, as he frantically assembled wobbly sponges and crooked scones.

When the cakes were presented on 'the gingham altar' it was clear Richard had stumbled, but so had Luis. 'No piping on that at all,' sneered Paul of his lemon tarts.

Looking at Nancy's work, she had failed to pipe cream into her sponges. 'When you're trying to impress you do pipe,' offered Mary, but Paul butted in, 'this is the final, Mary, you do pipe!'

So no-one excelled in the second round. Then came the Showstopper, which was a piece montee, a decorative centrepiece, but the fantastic tension was broken here by tearful X-Factor style interviews with the contestants' families.

Nancy and Richard both opted to create windmills, whilst Luis was making a 'village in chocolate with a mining wheel made of biscuit.' This bold creativity showed why Luis deserved to win. Remember earlier in the series when he made an edible Alpine scene complete with a working chairlift? This was back in the soft, early days when Norman was still competing. His idea of elaborate was to serve up a glass of water with an ice cube floating in it.

Tension was obvious now. Richard wondered how long he'd be able to keep it up for, but that was the only hint of the innuendo here. For the final, the sly jokes were pushed aside because this was serious stuff.

Then Nancy was revealed as the winner - Nancy, the dark horse - and the crowd wept and clapped and cheered and we were all swept up in the jolly, good feeling we watch Bake Off for.

Now the BBC are tipping us out of the gorgeous warm bath of the Bake Off, and shoving us under the cold shower of The Apprentice which starts next week.