So long Great British Bake Off. Thanks for all the memories

Great British Bake Off

(Image credit: BBC)

published 27 October 2016

The BBC's Bake Off run produced some of the most heart-warming TV of the past decade. Whatever happens next won't be the same.

Technically Bake Off is not officially 'over'. Last night's GBBO final wasn't the last time we'll see Paul Hollywood winking at a particularly crisp fougasse. When the show goes to Channel 4 next year some elements are bound to survive the move - the charming summer fete tent, perhaps, or the pastel-coloured Smeg fridges and plinky-plonky score.

But like shop-bought roast potatoes, we all know Bake Off 2.0 won't be as good. No doubt there are myriad reasons why Love Productions decided to defect from the BBC to Channel 4, but the move feels much like the fable of the Goose that laid the golden egg. Or as one Twitter user put it, '£70 million is a hell of a lot to pay for Paul Hollywood and a tent.'

In an on-demand age when we now rarely watch TV shows in real time, Wednesday night's Bake Off final attracted 14.8 million viewers, a new record for a show that has always pulled in big numbers. For last year's final - when Nadiya Hussain won the series - the viewing figure was 13.4 million.

Bake Off wasn't the first competitive cooking show on TV, but largely thanks to the comic chemistry of its presenting duo Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, and Mary Berry - who proved TV's predominantly ageist policies are misguided - it rose to greater heights than any other format of its kind.

In some cases the popularity of a show really does sit with its presenters. The BBC found this out when Jeremy Clarkson was sacked from Top Gear. Channel 4 might discover the same thing when they unveil their 'revamped' Bake Off to audiences next year.

But though the BBC has lost a great show, there is some good news: Berry has confirmed this week that she'd like to work with Mel and Sue again, though she's joked that a gardening show might be in the works. Watch this space.

In the meantime, so long Bake Off. Thanks for all the memories...

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