So long, soggy bottoms... Bake Off bans the double entendre

ON THE BBC, mild innuendo and baking puns were as much of a staple of the Great British Bake Off as flour, eggs or butter.

But the days of the soggy bottom could be firmly behind the family show, as the new Channel 4 version promises a “new tone” and modern feel for its muchanticipated relaunch.

A source confirmed that the first episode of the new series contains none of the “soggy bottom” jokes that Bake Off has been long-associated with. Instead, it will have a “slight Channel 4 feel to it”, with a “comic riff ” that feels “future facing”, as the Mel and Sue team is replaced by comedians Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig.

Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s chief creative officer and the force behind the broadcaster securing The Great British Bake Off, said that she was “quietly confident” about the series.

She said she hoped viewers would find that “this is Bake Off but with an extraordinary, high calibre of contributors and it’s got a slight Channel 4 feel to it.

“We’ve got a new tone to it, it’s got a new comic riff to it,” she added. “I think that feels modern and future facing. I think it’s a show that people will love with a Channel 4 spin.”

Ms Hunt denied reports that relationships between the new team, judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood alongside hosts Fielding and Toksvig, had soured. “Their chemistry is fantastic, the calibre of the baking is absolutely jaw dropping. I can reassure all the sceptics that it’s looking absolutely fantastic,” she said.

A source said: “So far, episode one, there’s no reference to soggy bottoms but it’s got a freshness and it feels modern in terms of their comic take on it. It’s got a slightly more surreal twist.”