In a move that can only be described as a Bakexit, the BBC have lost The Great British Bake Off after they were unable to agree a new deal with Love Productions. It’s somewhat surprising that the BBC weren’t more keen in ensuring they kept the programme, whose 2015 final was the most watched programme last year, but considering that subsequent reports have revealed the two sides were over “£10m apart” in valuations, it is not quite such a shock. But with Channel 4 claiming the programme for their own and Mel and Sue bowing out as presenters, the future of Bake Off is not looking good. Below, our writers discuss exactly what this means for the future of the show, and what it means for them.
“God, does this mean they’ll cut to adverts as a cliffhanger when people drop their cakes though they are always fine in the end and everyone knows it” – James Barker, Culture Editor
“Look at what Brexit has done.” – Millie Cassidy, Writer
“It’s all getting too much, my heart is falling like an ill structured gingerbread house.” – Octavia Woodward, Head of Events
“Money grows neither on trees nor in a tent surrounded by innuendo — it’s only natural that the third-party company that brought the concept to life is looking to maximise its opportunities. The BBC’s bizarre and increasingly unstable funding model will ensure that this isn’t the last time we see an inevitable rise of this sort into the now-proven ground of Netflix — just see what happened to The Voice — and the supposed sanctity of its ad-free existence will be a crumb washed aside from our memories as soon as ice cream is removed from a freezer this time next year.” – Xavier Voigt-Hill, Records Editor
“My heart has sunk like an under-proved dough. ITV (the frontrunner to take the show) won’t do it justice. They’ll cheapen it and stick Adrian Chiles or Piers Morgan in it like they always do. And I’ll be damned if I have to sit through adverts. This is a more dramatic and upsetting turn of events than the Baked Alaska bin scandal!” – Anneka Honeyball, Editor
“But I want an hour of uninterrupted Mary Berry, not Iceland commercials every five minutes…” – Olivia Krauze, Writer
“IT’S NOT GOING TO BE THE SAME I REFUSE TO ACCEPT IT. We’re leaving the EU, our trains and hospitals are going downhill, and now this. And WHAT IF THEY CHANGE IT TO LIVE SHOWS WITH PHONE VOTES FROM THE PUBLIC?!?” – Carly-May Kavanagh, Live Editor
“I’m really not looking forward to “and the baker leaving us this week… will be revealed after the break”. And there bound to make it more like Come Dine With Me and have everyone bitching about each over. Literally so sad”. – Bruno Russell, Writer
The Verdict: With the latest news that Mel and Sue will not be joining the ‘new’ Bake Off, plus many questions about how exactly the BBC have let such a prize show slip through their grip, the morale seems low right now. We can content ourselves with one more season of Mary, Paul, Mel and Sue as the awesome foursome, but the future looks bleak.
