Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood could be set to stay on the Great British Bake Off.
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The two judges have been with the show throughout all seven seasons however since the production company behind the show announced it would leave the BBC for the commercial network, there have been rumours they would follow in the footsteps of the show hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins and quit.
In a statement, Love Productions said: “We would like to thank Mel and Sue for bringing their own unique humour to the tent over the past years and we respect their decision not be part of the Bake Off team on Channel 4”.
She explained: “The BBC and Love Productions grew ‘.Bake Off’ from a quaint idea into a global hit”.
He spoke out as it became clear the future look of one of the Britain’s most popular shows hung in the balance as judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood have yet to confirm they will be joining the show when it moves to Channel 4. We’ve had the most incredible time on Bake Off, and have loved seeing it rise and rise like a pair of yeasted Latvian baps.
Bake Off risked leaving free-to-air television altogether, with Amazon and Netflix circling the programme as negotiations between the producers and the BBC broked down, Ms Hunt suggested.
More than 10 million people tuned in to watch the start of the current series of Bake Off, while 15 million watched as Nadiya Hussain was crowned victor in 2015.
The TV chief used the recent move of Formula One from the BBC to Channel 4 as an example of its “good track record on protecting and growing the shows viewers love”.
The first full Bake Off series on Channel 4 is not expected to begin until 2018 due to contractual restrictions surrounding the format.
As the programme returned to screens on Wednesday night fans said the show felt “bittersweet”, with viewers on Twitter speaking of their sadness and frustration. “We made no secret of our desire for the show to remain where it was”.
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It’s been a week of bad Bake Off news, with Sue and Mel dropping out of the show after confirmation of its move to Channel 4.
