Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield greeted viewers sat in front of a Bake Off-style table and said that bookies had them at 100 to one favourites to take over from Mel and Sue.
Advertisement
Love Productions, the company who make Bake Off, opted to go with Channel 4 for future series after the broadcaster offered £25 million a year for the next three years, vastly outbidding the BBC’s highest offer of £15 million a year.
The two have presented the show since it launched in 2010, alongside judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.
More than 11 million people – including new viewers – tuned into the latest episode of the Great British Bake Off to find out what all the fuss was about.
A spokesman said: “We made a very strong offer to keep the show but we are a considerable distance apart on the money.
We love it just as it is”. “It’s NOT going to be us!”
Even in a dignified letter of resignation, which has gained them a lot of respect, and upset a lot of fans, the two have managed to be amusing. In a statement, the pair said they were “shocked and saddened” that “Bake Off” was leaving the BBC.
The Queen of Bakery herself might leave the BBC’s premier cooking programme when it jumps channels, according to her husband. After all, though a cooking show is a cooking show, there are already hundreds of them out there which, despite having basically the same remit – that is a contest to see who turns out to be the best cook – are different.
Making its name as one of the BBC’s most successful franchises, the show has now been seized by commercial broadcaster Channel 4 which flexed its financial muscles to land GBBO for a tantalising £25m a year.
We just can’t take the uncertainty.
Channel 4 said it was “very proud” to be the new home for the series.
Now bosses at Love Productions face a major battle to retain the show’s judges, with BBC executives ready to break the bank to retain veteran cookery expert Mary Berry, 83 in particular. The show being hosted on Channel 4 could mean less content unless the length of the show was increased, as the programme would be interspersed with adverts – breaking up the baking drama. And will Love Productions want them on board?
Advertisement
He said he believed Channel 4 would “protect and nurture” the show “for many years to come”.
