Forget Mel and Sue, Bake Off could have had Dawn French
WHEN it was announced that Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins were leaving The Great British Bake Off, loyal fans were dismayed. What would the show be without its star presenters?
But while Mel and Sue became two of the show’s best-loved elements, they were not the first names considered as potential hosts.
A list of “talent suggestions” for the very first Bake Off series, disclosed for the first time, features more than a dozen names – and some of them are unlikely choices.
Richard Hammond, Joanna Lumley, Dawn French and Victoria Wood were all in the mix, along with Laurence Llewelyn-bowen the Changing Rooms designer, Julia Bradbury of Countryfile, Amanda Lamb, presenter of A Place In The Sun, Giles Coren and Ainsley Harriott of Ready Steady Cook.
Alan Davies, a BBC favourite for his role in Jonathan Creek and on panel show QI, was also one of the names.
Then there was Pauline Quirke, the Birds of a Feather actress who appeared on a 2007 edition of Celebrity Masterchef but was dismissed for creating a dish “in no way resembling a meal”.
The list of names was produced when the programme was in development with the BBC in 2009. It is not known whether any of them was approached or asked to audition.
Instead, the controller of BBC Two, Janice Hadlow, suggested Mel and Sue. They went on to present the show for seven series before quitting when the programme made its £75million move to Channel 4.
Lumley and Wood did eventually make an appearance as contestants for the Comic Relief editions.
The final BBC series launched with 10.4 million viewers and peaked at more than 14million. It remains to be seen how many will follow the show to its new home on a commercial broadcaster. The programme will feature four ad breaks and sponsorship plugs for Dr Oetker and Lyle’s Golden Syrup.