Oven gloves are off as rivals plan to spoil new C4 Bake Off
BBC and ITV bring out the big guns to take on revamped baking competition
and ITV is planning to scupper the Channel 4 relaunch of The Great British Bake Off by scheduling some of its biggest shows against it.
The baking show is to return to television screens as soon as this month after it moved from the BBC, where it spent seven years.
Channel 4 is thought to have earmarked Aug 30 as a possible date for the opening episode, which will see Prue Leith take over from Mary Berry as judge. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, who presented the BBC show, have been replaced by Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding, the comedian.
Television insiders say ITV is considering a double episode of Coronation Street to be broadcast on the same date and in following weeks, Doc Martin, the cosy Cornish medical drama.
Both shows threaten to take viewers from the new Bake Off, which, like its BBC predecessor, is to be broadcast on Wednesdays.
There is no love lost between ITV and the makers of Bake Off. ITV was interested in buying the show when it left the BBC, but dropped out of the running. Kevin Lygo, its director of television, said last year that he decided to withdraw when he realised that with the original line-up not attached he would be buying “baking powder and a tent”.
Broadcasters often deliberately schedule their biggest shows against their rivals, with ITV’s X-Factor going up against BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday nights and Emmerdale regularly scheduled at the same time as EastEnders.
Channel 4 paid a reported £75million for Bake Off. The BBC had offered Love Productions, the show’s makers, £15million a year, but the company would not accept offers below £25million.
The show’s trailer, which featured scones and croissants singing Paul McCartney’s We All Stand Together – and from which the new line-up of judges and presenters were notably absent – made its debut on social media last week. It met a mixed response, with some viewers describing it as “creepy” and “disturbing”.
Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s chief creative officer, hinted the new series had been given a “modern” revamp.
“I have seen the first episode and the first thing you think is that this is Bake Off with an extraordinarily high calibre of contributors but with a slight Channel 4 feel to it,” she said in the broadcaster’s annual report.
Last week the BBC faced accusations that its new cookery show starring Mary Berry, Britain’s Best Cook, is a pale imitation. It will be hosted by Claudia Winkleman and features amateurs facing different food challenges every week.
Just as with Bake Off it will have two judges, although Berry’s sidekick is yet to be confirmed. There will be no tent but insiders at Channel 4 say it appears to be a copy of their series.
“The idea of Mary Berry judging amateur cooks each week, with some of the challenges even including puddings sounds extremely familiar,” said one source.