Did Prue Leith’s blooper boost Bake-Off ratings?

AFTER Prue Leith prematurely revealed the winner of The Great British Bake Off, Channel 4 bosses must have feared a major ratings dent.

Instead, it seems the judge’s widelypublicised gaffe might have actually boosted the audience for Tuesday’s final by reminding fans it was on.

Just over 7.3million people tuned in, rising to 8.5million to watch the climax when former Army officer Sophie Faldo, 34, triumphed in the tent, marking the biggest ratings hit for the broadcaster since 2012. With C4’s plus 1 channel, the figures rose to an average of 7.7million and a peak at 9pm of 8.9million.

Miss Leith, 77, revealed the winner’s name several hours before the final in an ill-timed tweet after getting confused by the time difference between Bhutan – where she is on holiday – and the UK. She later said she was ‘mortified’.