Bake Off ‘poacher’ Hunt quits Channel 4 before new chief named

THE woman behind Channel 4’s raid on The Great British Bake Off has resigned before the programme goes on air, ahead of the appointment of a new chief executive and a potential move outside London.

Jay Hunt, the broadcaster’s chief creative officer, had been viewed as a leading candidate to take the top job when David Abraham steps down later this year. She said that she will instead leave Channel 4, potentially around the same time as the chief executive. It is understood that Ms Hunt had applied to succeed Mr Abraham.

Ms Hunt said: “I will continue in post till the end of September and am looking forward to Channel 4 delivering not just an exciting summer of sport but the richest autumn schedule we’ve ever had. It’ll be business as usual till

October.”

Channel 4 chairman Charles Gurassa has been leading the search for a new chief executive to steer the stateowned, advertising-funded broadcaster. The new head is likely to face tricky negotiations with the next government over plans to relocate substantial parts of Channel 4 outside London.

Birmingham and Manchester are viewed as potential new homes for programme commissioning and technology departments.

Ms Hunt joined Channel 4 six years ago when the broadcaster faced a ratings slump following its decision to abandon Big Brother and has revived the schedules with hits such as Gogglebox and the Paralympic Games.

Last year Ms Hunt, a former controller of BBC 1, snatched The Great British Bake Off from the BBC in a controversial £25m deal that triggered the departure of most of the programme’s presenting team. Channel 4’s version is due on screen in the autumn.

Friends of Ms Hunt said that she did not yet have a job to go to but was considering approaches from American media companies. One source close to the executive said: “She realised that she didn’t want to spend the next few years fighting with the Government, telling staff to move to the regions, and managing the impact of an advertising downturn. If the board wanted her, they could have given it to her months ago. As it is they’ve let a potential future BBC director-general slip through their hands.”

Industry sources said the Channel 4 board may favour candidates with broader business experience.