The choux must go on!
Bake Off’s cast and crew face 6 weeks away from loved ones ‘after struggle over insurance for 80-year-old Prue’
assemble your finest ingredients, blend carefully and place in a pressure cooker television production... for six weeks.
The makers of The Great british bake Off are hoping that this recipe will deliver another triumphant series of the hugely popular show.
It seems stars and crew will be in quarantine together to ensure filming is completed in time for the programme to be broadcast in 2020.
They will reportedly spend more than six weeks away from their families after 80-year-old judge Prue leith was refused insurance cover.
The Channel 4 programme, which was on the bbC until 2016, would usually be filming now but has not been able to go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic.
according to The mail on sunday, with miss leith classed as vulnerable, Channel 4 has struggled to obtain the insurance cover it usually has. so Channel 4 bosses and love Productions, which produces the show, have decided quarantining the cast and crew is the solution, it was reported.
a source close to the show told the newspaper: ‘There were difficulties getting insurance because of Prue’s age. she’s 80 and so is of a higher risk.
‘It would have been impossible for the show to have gone on without her, and it would have been hugely unfair to leave her out because of her age.
‘she is absolutely adored and everyone wanted her involved. so it was decided some major changes would have to be made. It’s a huge commitment to be away from home for so long and for some members of the crew it is very hard because they have families.
‘However, the view is that it’s work, which during this pandemic has been very hard to come by due
‘Bosses have jumped through hoops’
to the halting of so many programmes mid-production. bake Off bosses have jumped through hoops to make this happen.’
Production staff are reportedly already quarantining at their homes for two weeks.
a spokesman for the show said they hope to start filming ‘as soon as it is safe to do so’. The upcoming series will see comedian matt lucas, 46, join Noel Fielding, 47, as host for the first time after the departure of sandi Toksvig, 62.
The contestants have not yet been confirmed but Paul Hollywood, 54, will return to the tent to judge the bakes with miss leith.
bake Off is Channel 4’s mostwatched show, despite its viewing figures halving in recent years.
The 2015 final, on the bbC, drew an audience of 13.4million. last year 6.8million people tuned in to watch David atherton win.
a bake Off spokesman said: ‘Filming will take place in line with approved production guidelines and the entire team, cast and crew have agreed they will go into quarantine in due course in order to make the show safely.’